Featured Musician

BettySoo

View Artist's Website »
View Tour Information »

Change is good. Sometimes, you just need a little shake-up to get things to how they always ought to have been. With Heat Sin Water Skin, BettySoo adds some welcome edge and grit to the heartbreaker ballads and bell-pure vocals she's come to be known for.

Teamed with seasoned producer Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams, Mary Gauthier, Slaid Cleaves), BettySoo has made a record worth sitting up and paying attention to. Her vocals are striking, the players strong, the sound gripping, and the lyrics compelling.

Her first studio efforts (Let Me Love You, 2005; Little Tiny Secrets, 2007, Never the Pretty Girl EP, 2007) were well received by critics, earning praise locally and nationally - even securing her performance opportunities overseas. And she’s not slowing down any time soon. Since their release, she has earned multiple songwriting awards (including Kerrville New Folk, Wildflower Festival, and Big Top Chautauqua Songwriter of the Year) and has proven herself a strong, engaging, often hilarious live performer.

Joining her on Heat Sin Water Skin are Todd Wilson on organ, Gene Elders on fiddle, and Dave Terry on drums. BettySoo and Gurf handled the guitar and vocal parts themselves. As for genre, she’s still nestled in the folk-rock world, but she is bringing something new to her listeners. “There’s a little gospel, some straight-ahead folk, a bit of twang, and maybe even a familiar oldie with a new twist. Be ready for a surprise.”

Then again, not much about BettySoo isn’t surprising. People are surprised just to see her take the stage. Plain-faced, petite (topping off at exactly 5 feet), and freckly, people don’t have any idea what to expect – they certainly don’t expect such a large voice and moving songs. “I guess Asian-American singer-songwriters aren’t that common,” she comments.

And, of course, there’s the whole issue of her name. How did a second-generation Korean end up with such a classic southern name? Is it a stage name? “No,” she answers, laughing, “I guess I’m just lucky that way. It’s right there on my birth certificate. Soo is my dad’s middle name, too. Yep, he’s a boy named Soo.”

See BettySoo live at Texas on Tour on April 15 – April 17, July 15 – July 17, and August 25 – September 2, 2011.

See more featured Texas artists »

When it comes to Texas...

Most remote gig in Texas you have ever played?

Padre’s in Marfa with the Border Blasters.

What's your definition of Texas music?

Music by Texans! All genres, all types, but with the term “Texas Music,” I usually expect a nod to the songwriting legacy here.

Best place to see Texas music?

There are so many great listening rooms in Texas, and Texas music travels the globe. And the magic doesn’t stay in one place! I’d say anywhere the musicians, guests, and hosts all feel they had a great night when they pack it in to go home.

Favorite Texas album?

Step Inside This House – Lyle Lovett, Willis Alan Ramsey, or Other Voices, Other Rooms – Nanci Griffith.

Place you'd take someone who's never been to Texas?

The Broken Spoke, Artz Rib House, the Cactus Café, the Saxon Pub, Threadgill’s, and any tiny, great Mexican food place – like La Cocina de Consuelo – all in Austin.

Where in Texas feels most unlike Texas?

Dallas.

Best four-day Texas vacation?

Backpacking in Big Bend and seeing the stars (and the lights, if you’re lucky) in Marfa.