Exposed

Kristinia DeBarge | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 28, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B002BE7JFW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,863 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Kristinia DeBarge's first single off her debut album is already looking like a smash at pop radio and can be heard in Nivea's latest TV campaign. It may be called "Goodbye" but she's not going anywhere!

At just 19-years-old, Kristinia's emotions run deep. She's learning and growing while she experiences life, love and relationships along with her young fans. Kristinia knows that she doesn't have all the answers but on her captivating first album, her fans will absolutely relate to her as they join her ride of self-discovery.

Kristinia is no stranger to the music business. She's the daughter of 80s pop star James DeBarge but her road to a record deal was not handed over to her without patience, perseverance and hard work. Kristinia knew she wanted to be a singer at the age of three but didn't reveal this passion to her dad until she was twelve. "He wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer. I tried to be open to other careers because I didn't want to disappoint him but my heart was set on singing," Kristinia remembers. The same day that Kristinia told him she wanted to sing, they recorded a duet together called "How I Feel Inside." "Our studio session ended at 4 am and my dad asked me after all those hours and after all that work if I still wanted to do this," she recalls. "When I answered yes, that's how he knew I was serious about being a singer."

Less than a year later, Kristinia appeared on American Juniors - a younger version of the wildly successful American Idol. Kristinia made it all the way to the Top 20 and suddenly her phone was ringing off the hook with producers and managers who wanted to make her a star. Kristinia also went out on the road with her dad soon after her TV debut. He brought her up on stage to sing with him each night. It didn't take long for people to start asking Kristinia for her autograph after each performance. Kristinia's biggest break, however, came when she was 14-years-old and she started working with legendary producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. He knew that she had what it would take to make it and worked with her on all the songs heard on her album. About Kristinia, Babyface notes, "First off, she's a DeBarge, and when you are a DeBarge, one has to stop and listen. When I saw her at a very young age, I know she wasn't ready yet but she had "it". I've been watching her evolve and one day, I knew: she was ready. And she keeps getting better and better."

Babyface got Kristinia a meeting with LA Reid at Island/Def Jam records and two days before her 19th birthday, she signed her record deal. "Things started moving very fast after that," Kristinia recalls. "When Babyface and I played LA the completed album, he liked every single song . . . that's unheard of!"

Kristinia grew up listening to strong female vocalists like Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and the Supremes but she credits rock artists like Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and even Queen of the Stone Age as some of her influences. "They inspire me to take risks," she says. But at least for the first album Kristinia will be sticking to more of a pop style. "I want my fans to grow up with me as a person, an artist and a woman."

Kristinia has a personal connection to each of the songs on her album. They either tell a story about her life or delve into an emotion she's experienced. Kristinia, whose currently enjoying the single life, wants "Goodbye" to be an anthem for girls to put on when they're sad or discouraged about an unfulfilling relationship. She hopes the song will give them the courage to move on. "I want girls to listen to it and feel that they're beautiful, smart and a catch, and know they will be okay," she says.

"Doesn't Everybody Want to Fall in Love" is about Kristinia's real experience gaining her parents approval while falling in love for the first time. "A parent telling their child not to fall in love is them saying `I'm not going to put up with your heartache,'" Kristinia explains. "Parents need to let their kids grow. Love is a beautiful thing."

Kristinia goes from the excitement of falling in love to the pain of breaking-up on "Cry Me A River." Kristinia co-wrote the track with Babyface and credits it as her favorite song on the album. "I went through a hard break-up but this song reminds me that my life wasn't over and I was okay," she says. "Crying it out makes you stronger so you can look forward to a new chapter in your life."

"Disconnect" is for the ladies out there who just really miss their man whenever they're apart. "No matter how much you talk on the phone or text or e-mail, it's just never the same as it is when you're together in person," Kristinia says. "And telling your man `I miss you' and `I can't get you off my mind' and `I think about you morning, noon and night' is very romantic. I'm definitely a hopeless romantic myself."

Kristinia hopes that her fans will relate to her lyrics. "I want to show people they're not alone. I'm still trying to figure it out and I want my fans to know I'm just like them," she explains. "I hurt, I get scared, I get nervous and I'm not always at my best - but I try my best. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes and that's okay."

Product Description

2009 debut album from the R&B vocalist first featured on the 2003 American Idol spinoff, American Juniors. Kristinia is no stranger to the music business. She's the daughter of '80s pop star James DeBarge but her road to a record deal was not handed over to her without patience, perseverance and hard work. Kristinia grew up listening to strong female vocalists like Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and the Supremes but she credits Rock artists like Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and even Queens Of The Stone Age as some of her influences. Kristinia has a personal connection to each of the songs on her album. They either tell a story about her life or delve into an emotion she's experienced. The smash single 'Goodbye', which samples Steam's 1969 hit 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye', has also been used in television ad campaigns, helping to push sales of the single over 300,000 in less than two months.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great New Talent - Fun & Upbeat Debut CD, July 28, 2009

By 

Always Samsung "ravereviews" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exposed (Audio CD)

Fun & Talented Debut

I am a hardcore music fanatic and my Tuesday events have been relegated to buying new CDs. It's become a weekly habit of mine and a week with no new fun releases can be such a downer. Luckily for me, I was able to sample this album before purchasing it & to be honest - I wasn't even going to give this singer/album the time of day.

However, I decided to go ahead and sample the entire album. I was pretty impressed from the lead single "Goodbye" and thought the singer had a charming voice. I was pretty much sold after hearing the song. But the real selling point for me was when I looked at the back of the CD case & saw that the entire album was executive produced by BabyFace. Now, I know he hasn't done anything outstanding since the nineties came to an end, but he is still a master producer no matter what. The album also features two songs from one of my favorite new IT producer of the moment, Ryan Tedder. The song SPEAK UP is very reminiscent of HALO from Beyonce. It truly is one of the standout tracks on here.

If you're looking for a new artist that's bursting with talent and a voice that can catch anyone's attention, this is the CD to get. You get your usual bundle of ballads, mid up-tempo tracks, and some that can even be considered club bangers. Kristina starts off the album with the electric pop song, Somebody. This is truly one of the few albums i purchased in the past few years where the whole album just really works. Her voice is hypnotic. She can sing & she just reels you in from the beginning. Watch out for this artist because she truly is one of the most promising talents seen this year.

Stand out tracks are:
Speak Up (My personal Fave)
Goodbye
Future Love
Died in Your Eyes (Nice Ballad)
Powerless
Doesn't Everybody Want To Fall In Love
Its Gotta Be Love
Disconnect (Nice song to end this CD)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exposed is A Album You'll Fall For, July 28, 2009

By 

Elizabeth Wonderham (Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Exposed (Audio CD)

Kristina DeBarge has talent. I really enjoy listening to this album. Her voice is amazing. When I listen to Exposed her voice comes out, and pulls me in. I think Exposed will do well. This is a great debut album nothing is wrong on this album, and I think the reason for that is because she worked with Ryan Tedder from One Republic. This whole album is amazing. Kristina is an artist to watch out for. I think she'll have a great career.
My favorite songs on Exposed are:
1. Powerless
2. It's Gotta Be Love
3. Disconnect
4. Somebody
5. Future Love

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not too bad, but not impressive either, September 17, 2009

By 

MyPenName (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Exposed (Audio CD)

(What's this?)

My take on this CD is that it is another run of the mill teen pop CD. It wasn't totally horrible, but it just wasn't unique or compelling. It didn't have that certain something to be able to say "Now that's a good CD!"

It sounds too much like every other pop CD out there, even with the "topics" of the songs. This is not something that I could listen to over and over again because it just doesn't have enough substance. After listening to it twice, I was like "Ok, that's enough."