Christina Perri Breaks Through

By Emily Burgess

Nov 17 2010

By the time she was 23, Christina Perri had already toured the world with a rock band, learned to make olive oil with her family in Italy, and waited tables at Melrose Café in Los Angeles. When the LA-based singer/songwriter inked a deal with Atlantic Records earlier this year, the chameleon officially became the chanteuse.

But a major breakthrough occurred before she even considered putting pen to paper.

On June 30, Perri’s “Jar of Hearts,” a lyrical tale of love and its subsequent pain, greeted viewers on ratings king So You Think You Can Dance as a featured background track during a performance. The single captured an audience and jolted Perri into musical mania. She joined the Atlantic Records roster in July.

“Sitting in the audience at the show I was brought to tears,” she told Billboard magazine recently. “A couple days later I was still in a dream state. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It’s been insane.”

Three weeks later, “Jar of Hearts” sold more than 200,000 downloads and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #25. The track has subsequently reached #1 on Amazon’s digital singles chart and leaped into the iTunes’ Top 10 pop chart.

Musically, Perri is inspired by impassioned musicians including Jeff Buckley, Nina Simone, Johnny Cash, Fiona Apple and Bon Iver. These influences resonate in Perri’s songs, which balance tender, pop-worthy harmonies with an edgier ache rooted in the blues.

"I'm excited by what's happening," Perri told Billboard. "But at the same time, I want to put out more music as soon as possible. I've got listeners."