Sandrine

Australian singer/songwriter Sandrine first performed for the members of her minister father's church congregation when she was a child. When she was six, the family relocated from the Sydney area to New Zealand and became a traveling Christian music group called the Cornerstone Family. By the time she was 15, Sandrine decided she wanted more independence and left the family home to live in a trailer in the backyard. While she was working as a waitress, restaurant patrons introduced her to secular music -- until that time, she hadn't been able to listen to it -- with one of them presenting her a copy of the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers. Inspired, she began writing songs and left home soon after, picking up a guitar (due to its portability) along the way. After settling in Sydney, she wrote her first album, Trigger, which was released in 2003. Her work caught the attention of music labels in the United States, as well as that of Kiss star Gene Simmons, who insisted on meeting Sandrine when he was in town. However, she soon grew frustrated with media coverage that portrayed her as a manufactured pop star and decided that her second album would be produced outside Australia. After sending demos to a number of American producers, she decided that Malcolm Burn would be the person best suited for the job. The two worked on material for the album at Burn's residential studio near Woodstock, NY. Dark Fades into the Light, Sandrine's second album and her U.S. debut, was released in 2006. ~ Katherine Fulton