WINNIPEG -- If Chantal Kreviazuk has some apologizing to do after abruptly abandoning the opening ceremonies of the Pan Am Games, a free concert is probably as good a place as any to start.

A sneak preview of material from her hotly anticipated second album? Even better.

"I hope to make it one of the first times that I actually display the new record. I pretty much will play just a few things from the old scene. Out with the old, in with the new, baby," jokes the 26-year-old singer/songwriter, who says about 75 per cent of tomorrow's concert will feature tunes from her forthcoming CD, Colour Moving And Still.

"Certainly, I'll never abandon the songs that have helped to lay the groundwork for my career -- they still feel great to play -- but quite frankly, I'm really excited to play the new stuff."

Kreviazuk made those comments prior to the opening-ceremonies fiasco which saw the Winnipeg chanteuse beg off at the last minute with the flu. She later went on radio, where she admitted she wasn't sick but was unhappy with parts of the "organization." Other sources told the Sun that organizers suppled Kreviazuk with a backing tape performed in a key she was unable to sing, then asked her to claim she had the flu. She has promised to make it up to Winnipeggers by singing O Canada at her concert.

Undoubtedly, Kreviazuk was looking to climb out from under these rocks and stones (to borrow from the title of her debut album) following the ceremonies' controversy. As the city's golden girl, she admits to being mindful about doing and saying things that would tarnish her image and to taking local media coverage "way too seriously."

She also says performing in her hometown is more nerve-wracking than playing elsewhere -- and THAT was before the events of July 23.

"Yeah, I do (feel more nervous). I really do. It's a very strange and very different feeling I tend to get being in Winnipeg for anything. Anytime something's written, or anytime there's any activity going on here, it's a bigger deal to me. I feel completely different," she says.

"Somehow you sort of feel like everybody knows you and you know everybody. You just want to present yourself with the utmost integrity."

The media spotlight has been trained on Kreviazuk for more than three years -- since Sony Music signed the then-unknown artist to one of the largest initial recording contracts in Canadian history. The result was her successful debut album Under These Rocks And Stones, which produced such hit singles as God Made Me and Surrounded.

Kreviazuk, whose family owns Krevco Pools And Spas, was largely unknown to Winnipeggers until her signing. Unlike most Canadian acts who are discovered after toiling for years in the bars, Kreviazuk has done little public performing. That's why tomorrow's concert is a big deal for local fans and Kreviazuk herself.

"It's probably a little more exciting for everybody ... the anticipation is probably a little greater," says Kreviazuk, who will sing and play piano, backed by a trio she used on her new album.

"That should make it a little bit larger-scale and a little more interesting, 'cause the last time I was here I played alone on a keyboard, which was kind of limiting for me.

"Now that I'm headlining and it's a new album, I'd rather take a band and beef it up a little. I hope to be really tight for the show"

It's been a whirlwind couple of years for Kreviazuk, who took a break from mixing and mastering her new album to come to Winnipeg for the Games. While much has been said (and not all of it flattering) about her decision to drop out of the ceremonies, Kreviazuk, in her interview with the Sun, chatted amicably about a whole range of topics and gave no indication of being anything but excited about her Pan Am commitments.

"It's wonderful to come home and take a deep breath, let me tell you," she sighed, clearly on cloud nine over being asked to sing the anthem. "It's really special that the city thought of me and feels that I'm the best person to open the games on that level. I'm really, really honored. I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Kreviazuk, who began playing the piano at age three, says after the hectic pace of the first few years "it's all a little easier now." The second album, which will release its first single at summer's end and be in stores in the fall, "came together ... much more naturally than my first record," she explains.

"A lot of times an artist goes through an artist development period, and I did not. I was signed and they said 'just go into the studio and record an album.'

"That made for a different record. By the time I was finished ... I realized sort of subconsciously that I just love to play music and I just wanted to write great songs and that became the No. 1 priority going into the second album.

"I was a little less clouded -- I had a little more vision -- and I just returned to where I was able to focus more. It came together with a lot more grace, I think."

While Kreviazuk says life isn't as glamorous as some might imagine -- "there's not like this big party where all the stars hang out," she says, laughing -- she's pleased with her success so far.

"I'm truly the luckiest person in the world," she says. "To be able to write songs and record them and go through that painful and rewarding process ... and then to give them to people, that's a real thrill, and I'm really excited for that to happen again."

A GOOD SPORT
The Royal Bank free stage at the 1999 Pan Am Games is where Canadian recording artists come to play. Winnipeg singer Chantal Kreviazuk shares her thoughts on the Games.

Why Play Pan Am? An opportunity to preview songs from her forthcoming album, Colour Moving And Still, for a hometown audience that could top 50,000. "It's going to be a pretty big event. I'm really excited."

Sports Nut Or Not: "A serious sports fan," she says, sighing. "For instance, I've been trying not to like golf and I can't even help but enjoy golf. I'm a sucker for watching tennis, watching hockey, watching baseball, watching golf, now (laughs). I love watching women's sports these days ... I like to participate as well."

Spectator Status: "I need to take a look at the scheduling and see what's happening. I would love to go see baseball because it's in the new facility. I would love to (go to some events). I hope so. I'm here. It would be crazy if I didn't."

By: Riva Harrison