Local Musician of the Week: Kristin Henry

Kristin Henry is a character. She's enthusiastic and excited to talk about everything from music to musicals, to her new favorite movie (Everything Everywhere All At Once).

She sat down at a table for two in the Old Oak Coffeehouse, mug in hand and a smile on her face. Right away, she began talking about Boulder County and how excited she was to talk about music.

Originally from Philadelphia, Henry was a classically trained singer who then moved to Colorado to attend graduate school at the University of Colorado-Boulder. "I got a little bit burnt out on the quest for perfection, so I kind of walked away from [music]," she said. But she stayed in the Gunbarrel/Niwot area because she loved the atmosphere. "It's not country, it's not city. The community is amazing"

Eventually, a friend reached out to Henry about directing music for a play. After directing some plays and then auditioning for them, in the early 2000s, she was recruited to join a band. "We were in this seven-woman show, three of us were picked, and I said why not," Henry laughed.

Girls On Top! was born. The group, which was initially supposed to be a 60s cover band, has evolved. "I used to say we were like the Supremes and just all took turns being Diana Ross," she said. But with new members came new opportunities. Over time, they've added more rock n' roll, for example, in addition to their soul, R&B and funk songs. Choosing the setlist, Henry explained, reflected how the group members felt about themselves, each other and the world. It's all very inspired by the band itself.

It's also very cooperative. Henry's eyes lit up as she explained that her group is very collaborative–negotiating what songs to perform and who will sing them sometimes gets a little animated, but still supportive. "Everybody just kind of [knows] what their strengths are and their jobs in the collective. We've always had so much fun...There's such mutual respect and love in our group."

This collaborative atmosphere is also what makes Girls On Top!'s music so unique. Rather than simply covering a song, they're constantly trying to figure out new ways to make a song interesting. Sometimes, Henry explained, they'll take a song and mix in an element from another song or another band. They're constantly trying to tweak classics to match their particular taste and be unique.

Being unique is important to Henry, who's also a vocal coach with Performance High. She was recruited to the team by former Girls On Top! singer Adrienne Osborn after a day of catching up with current and former members. "She was sitting there like, 'I have more students than I know what to do with,' and I sat there like, 'I don't know what my next move is going to be.'" Now, Henry teaches students from 12-years-old to 70-years-old and instructs them in pop, musical theater and classical styles.

She tells her students, "What it's like to be a musician is if you can get some of your income from music and you can incorporate music in your life, then you're winning."

It definitely seems like between teaching and Girls On Top!, that Henry is winning. For her, music is everything. When asked about why it's important, she said, "It just feels like such a powerful tool...if you play a musical instrument, and I consider the voice a musical instrument, it lights up all these neural pathways and creates new ones."

In addition to the personal benefits of music, Henry loves the communal atmosphere. While she admitted to worrying about whether the audience was having a good time–she still worries sometimes–she says that she's gotten to a point where even "if something goes wrong, it's a shared experience and that has value."

During COVID, that decreased communal atmosphere was definitely the hardest for Henry and the band. But now that more venues are scheduling more shows, Henry and the rest of Girls On Top! are excited to get on the road again. In July, they will have a show at Nissi's in Lafayette on July 16 and in Longmont at The Speakeasy on Aug. 20.

It's clear that Henry has a deep love for music, and for sharing that love with both her students and audiences. It's this love and dedication that make her a talented musician and asset to Girls On Top!