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| Growing up in a small central Pennsylvania town, this creative, imaginative girl faced her tormentors and drowned her sorrows into a make-believe world of magick and mystery. Born Karen Elizabeth Waters, she grew up and became a siren, dropping her first name. Elizabeth, now a young woman, seeks within herself the beauty of singing and the joy of her love of a pagan world. Her passion, hidden for years, has finally come out and is shouting out loud to anyone who cares to listen. “I always craved attention when I was a little girl. Heck, I still like to be the center of attention. I used to make up stories and tell other kids that I was a witch like Wendy, from the cartoon ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost’. When they asked me to cast magick spells, I simply told them that I could only cast spells at midnight and in private. I actually told the neighborhood kids once, when I was ten, that I was ‘Little Orphan Annie’ and my Siberian Husky, Wicket, was ‘Sandy’. Silly me. My life at home wasn’t as peaceful as others, and with my imagination, the only way to get away from all the pain was to pretend I was someone else.” Her peers, as she grew up, made fun of her beautiful red hair and pouty lips. Ironically, these days it’s fashionable to have one or the other or even both. Kids teased and tormented her until she cried. Some would even physically hurt her. “I wish I could turn back time and defend myself. School was a living hell, in my opinion, and the only way to get by was to write. I never paid attention in school because I was constantly writing stories in my school tablets, instead of writing down my lessons. I almost gave up my musical talent because I hated to practice while all the other kids who weren’t involved in music played outside, but my mother pushed me and told me I would regret it later. Boy, am I glad she did that. I may not be a prodigy, but I am a singer/songwriter who wants to make her mark in the world.” Now, at the young age of 30, Elizabeth is trying to make her dreams come true. “Ten years ago, I was hospitalized because of a kidney stone. Let me tell you, they’re NOT fun! It was during my hospital stay that my doctor diagnosed me with Polycystic Kidney Disease. I honestly thought I wouldn’t be alive today. My depression became my worst enemy and unfortunately, I wanted to die. Now, more than ever, I want to live. Since then, other health problems have come up, I got married and then four years later, divorced. I was forced to ‘retire’ which is good in some ways and bad in other ways. I can now take the time to make my music in my head come alive. I do actually miss working, but the pain that I endure daily has put an end to all that. I can only sit at my keyboards for a short while and because of that, I always push myself to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. I’ve come a long way and still deal with my mental and physical problems. All I want to do is sing and write music. I’m not looking for fame and fortune. I just want to share my love and passion with everyone.” “Little Pieces of Joy” is Elizabeth’s first full-length album, thanks to her family and friends. “I wrote the song ‘Figure It Out’ in February of 2001. It was first recorded on a portable tape player. Then a very dear friend of mine introduced me to the wonderful world of technology. Soon, the songs flowed from my head to my voice and fingers, then onto the computer. It’s hard work, especially for me, since there are days I hurt too much to do any recording, let alone get out of bed. Each song on the album has hidden meanings and stories behind it.” Elizabeth is currently working on a second album entitled “Mirrors Windows and Doors”. It’s a three part creation of healing and positive outlooks. The first section is called “Mirrors”, which contains songs written by other artists, such as “Janie’s Got A Gun”, by Aerosmith. The section “Windows” is section of songs that basically say, “Open a window and fly away to a better world.” Finally, “Doors”, is about shutting the doors of painful memories and moving on while learning from mistakes. “The idea of ‘Mirrors Windows and Doors’ came to me while I was driving home from a doctor’s appointment. I was listening to Bjork’s latest release, ‘Vespertine’. Listening to ‘Vespertine’ made me realize that I have to move on despite all the miserable events that have happened to me. With this in mind, as well as my love for faeries and other mystical and magickal creatures, I decided to portray three character faeries. So far, I have only had a chance to have two out of the three photographed. So now, some of the magick can begin. The third faery, a sultry and sexy fae, will have to wait for the time being.” Looking back to her days of physical and verbal abuse and rape, she is finally breaking free from those memories. Tori Amos, Elizabeth’s favorite singer/songwriter, began the healing process. “When my voice teacher died from the AIDS virus, I was crushed. I gave up singing. It no longer gave me pleasure. That’s when my friend, Jennifer, introduced Tori’s music to me. After listening to ‘Little Earthquakes’, I began singing again. Each word that Tori sang reminded me of myself and I felt so connected to her. Slowly, Tori turned into not only my obsession, but my musical therapist.” Elizabeth is currently preparing for a possible “tour” around her small town, Clearfield, PA. “I’m scared to death! But I want this more than anything. I never sang and played the piano at the same time in front of an audience. I’m sure I’ll screw up, but hey, every artist goes through that. Knowing me, I’ll make a joke about my screw-ups and possibly a funny face, and then start all over again. I’m really excited about the possibility of performing my own material live. It’s like my voice teacher has suddenly possessed me. Don’t worry, I’m not about to make my head spin or scream obscenities. I’m just looking for a way to express myself. And if I fall down, I’ll pick myself back up and try again. It’s like I said before, I’m not looking for fame and fortune. I just want to make my dreams come true.” |
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