Karen Lee Batten’s first distinctive musical memory came at age 4, when she memorized her father’s vocals while watching him in concert. Inspired to find her voice, the British Columbia native of Abbotsford sang in elementary and high school choirs and entered vocal competitions with “I Will Always Love You” as a reliable favourite – developing the passionate vocals and dynamic range that would define her.
As a young adult, she was bouncing between serving jobs, hosting karaoke shows, and performing intermittent gigs when an unwavering sense of purpose pushed her to devote full-time energy to music.
Empowered by clearer ambitions, Karen Lee broke through as a Top 10 finalist on Canadian Idol, giving her immediate national recognition and an exciting industry entry point. Drawn to the country genre for its close-knit community and stylistic openness towards rock and soul elements, Karen Lee’s new pursuits led to her first album Every Moment and her first music video on Canadian Country Music Television.
Let’s start out by telling us a little about yourself and how you got into the music biz.
I’m just a small-town girl that grew up in a town called Abbotsford in British Columbia, about 45 minutes east of Vancouver. I was always watching my dad play in a Christian band in our church and I loved being front row taking in all the instruments and vocals, thinking that he was a total rockstar.
Throughout elementary school and high school, I was a part of every single band or choir that I could get my hands on. It didn’t matter if it was before school or after school, I just wanted to be part of it, all the way through my first year of university in Ontario. Music was always a big part of my life, and it was something I was good at.
I was waitressing and hosting karaoke until I saw a commercial for “Canadian Idol” and decided fearfully, “Let’s try this!”
With the support of my friends and family, I went and auditioned and after months of being on the show, I landed in the top 10 on the very first year of “Canadian Idol”. I have gone on to record three records of my own and I’m about to release my fourth record – three in country music and one in the blues genre. Overall, I’m so blessed to still be active in this industry that I love so much.
You haven’t released any music since the early 2020s. Did the pandemic help or hinder the songwriting process?
After releasing “Too Strong” in 2020 and “Drinkin’ Song” in 2021, I decided to take a year off to focus on my business, KLB Entertainment.
I wanted to really buckle down and dive into my event promotions company. This led to creating country shows for the Vancouver Canucks, the Vancouver Warriors, the Vancouver Giants, the Abbotsford Canucks, and the Valley West Stampede among others. Being on stage and recording and singing music is always my first love, but I’m super passionate about creating opportunities for bands on stage or should I say buddies on stage. I love creating shows and being an event promoter. It turned out to be a really successful year for my company.
As much as there were moments of confusion and downtime during the pandemic, there was just as much planning and excitement for what was to come. I’m very excited to have new music out now with more on the way!
What can you tell us about the making of the video for the single? You obviously like working with Meaghan Gipps.
Meaghan is amazing! I love working with her and this is the third video that we have created together. The last one, “Drinkin’ Song” won us Video of the Year at the BCCMA Awards and I’m so super proud of her for her creativity on that project. It wasn’t an easy time creating a video in the middle of the pandemic – that’s for sure.
She is incredible. I will come up with an idea, and she’ll expand on it and bring it to an entirely different level that I could never have imagined. The whole crew is awesome, as are my friends and family who are usually part of my videos.
For “The Trouble with Friends” video, it’s made up of an entire group of people I know – whether they are from the local pub or, my brother and sister-in-law to best friends. This mix truly made the video exactly what it was supposed to be… Trouble with friends!
It’s a scenario where you go out for one and stay until last call. The moral of the story is that these are the real moments in life to look forward to. We might work our butts off on a daily basis to make a dime, but at the end of the day, the best times in life are the ones that we get to spend with our friends and family, creating real memories for life. I get to keep that in a video form, which is pretty rad.
What is the message behind the “The Trouble with Friends” single?
That it’s okay to have a plan and have plans change because you’re having a good time. Life is too short to not extend the good times. There’s always work and there is always a dollar to chase, but the best times in life are the times we get to pause and laugh our heads off with the ones that we love. That’s what the song is really about – it’s a reminder to be surrounded by our best friends and family.
We hear that you have a new LP coming out this year. What can you tell us about it?
I am truly so humbled by this album. The people that I got to work with on the album’s creation are so awesome. I also wrote the majority of this album with people that I love and who really know me to my core. They heard what I wanted to say and executed those ideas in the most creative ways. These are songs that I can’t wait to sing live and that I will be so excited to sing for my entire career.
Every album I am very proud of, but every single album is a snapshot of a moment in time in my journey as an artist. This time is no different and I’m so excited and proud of the project. They are songs I’m truly proud of and that really mean something to me. They’re meant to strike a chord with anyone listening. In the way that each song on the album is a part of my life, I believe that others will connect with them and embrace the album as part of their lives, too.
