Chantal Kreviazuk

Okay, so her name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but Canadian songstress Chantal Kreviazuk isn't concerned with being a household name anyway. Kreviazuk, who likes to perform with just her soaring voice and trusty piano, says she just wants to be honest with herself and her music.

"I try to stay away from the entire star-making, categorizing thing that's been going so heavily with women singers in the past few years," says the 24-year-old on the phone from her Toronto home.

While she acknowledges that Alanis, Sarah, Celine and even Loreena have made it downright cool to be a Canadian woman singer, Kreviazuk (who'll join scores of other female singers on this summer's Lilith Fair) also believes that her nationality won't make a lick of difference if her music doesn't hold up.

"Of course, it's important to break through in the states if you want to stick around," she said. "So I've been glad to hear the record's being played."

The specific record in question is "Surrounded"—the first single from her debut album, Under These Rocks and Stones (Columbia). "Surrounded" is a perfect example of how Kreviazuk's crystalline voice can soar to piercing heights in one breath and then dive into a defiant roar the next.

The song's angsty lyrics made it a perfect fit for the new teen-angst TV show Dawson's Creek, which has woven it into a few episodes. And the "Surrounded" video—which highlights not only Kreviazuk's confident vocals but also her model-pretty looks—has found a cozy spot on VH1. Other songs on the album are filled with laser-like observations, which Kreviazuk said are "100 percent about me and what I see around me."

Kreviazuk—who's recorded her version of "Leaving On A Jet Plane" for the upcoming summer doomsday blockbuster Armageddon—says her own brush with death, in a near-fatal motorcycle accident four years ago, forced some major changes in her life and music.

"It was a life-altering experience but not in a conscious way," she said. "During the time I was recovering I realized I needed to change my life and get my priorities in order. Up until then, I didn't take my music in a very serious way.… If I needed money, I'd write a radio jingle or play a few gigs. But after the accident, the music really moved front and center. I saw it for the gift it is."

Chantal Kreviazuk opens for Lisa Loeb, Wed., May 6, Theatre of Living Arts, 334 South St., 922-1011.

-Nicole Pensiero