//Neon Limelight Interviews: Kerli//

July 8, 2008 by Amanda Bradshaw
Filed under Exclusive, Interviews

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Kerli, the 21-year-old ice blonde from Estonia, will officially be part of the music scene when her album, Love is Dead, hits stores on July 8th. With a mix of angelic beauty and gothic glam, Kerli is an old soul churning out music that is a pleasant blend of Bjork and Pink. She comes from a small Estonian town of five thousand people, where she dreamed of breaking free from her surroundings. After competing in several singing competitions, Kerli finally got signed to Def Jam/Island records when she was fifteen years old. Def Jam/Island, known as a hip hop label wanted Kerli to go in that musical direction, but Kerli stayed strong and true to what she wanted sing and the image she wanted to portray.

Kerli came to the U.S. at age eighteen, then only known to those in Estonia where she had become almost a cautionary tale. But in just a matter of days, Kerliwill have something out. And not just anything: an authentically great sounding album with thoughtful lyrics and a powerful, haunting voice to boot. Kerli is a rare soul. She is very much aware of who she is, what she wants to do, and how she wants to do it. Unlike some other female artists, Kerli is genuinely not trying to impress anyone – she just wants to make music. Great music.

I had the opportunity to speak to Kerli to discuss her music, life, and everything in between.

Within the first few sentences, she immediately put me at ease. Although I am two years older, I felt like I was speaking to an adult. When she speaks she gives a strong sense of comfort. She’s knows exactly who she is and is not about to become something she is not just to please the world. Keri is genuine, calm, comforting, and peaceful and speaking to her made me feel the same. Putting a genuine personality to the fantastic music made me like her even more.

How do you feel about celebs who spend millions and millions of dollars on unnecessary things and do reality shows, etc? How do you feel about that kind of celebrity?

There’s enough space in this world; there’s a place for everybody. I just wish sometimes, you know, looking at some artists that, you know, when you have the power to speak and you have the power to influence that many people, I just wish that they would use it better. But, everyone will do what’s right for them. I’m definitely not going to judge anybody. I just know what I wanna be and that’s not it.

What is the message behind the video for Love is Dead?

The story of a human being who goes through life and always feels like love is dead. The video didn’t quite come out the way it was actually supposed to. If you look at the director’s cut without any of the background stuff, that is more of what it was supposed to be like. It was supposed to be like this artsy [video], and it was kind of like therapy, and time is reversed so it’s almost like questioning the concept of time.

They stick butterflies and all this shit in the background. Am I’m like, yeah, alright, I understand you’re ADD. Actually as I was supposed to get younger and the world around me and my sweater was supposed to get older. It was supposed to be this reverse thing, but then we ran out of budget. I’m glad I did it because I think it’s like a bold statement for a 21-year-old female to like have her first look [to be] ugly. I just wanted to be like I don’t care about looking pretty, I want to be more than looking pretty.

Are you about female empowerment? Is that something you’re influenced by?

I believe in human empowerment. I believe in believing in the power of your mind and creating yourself. So it’s not male or female it doesn’t quite matter. But yeah, I feel like there isn’t enough women in this world who respect themselves so I always want to be that voice.

What is the story behind the “Creepshow” nursery rhyme?

It’s a real Estonian nursery rhyme and I have a video of myself singing that when I was 3 years old. So if we’re ever going to make a video for that I’m going to put that home video in that. It’s about a rabbit and a dear and the rabbit is being chased by an evil hunter in the forest as he’s going to visit the deer.

How did this record or the record you envisioned change over the 7 years it took you to become a singer and get the record out?

I started working on this when I was 14 and I first got signed when I was 15 so at first this whole thing was about breaking out from my surroundings and leaving Estonia and becoming a singer/pop star so my reasons at first weren’t quite right. Therefore I’m really grateful that I was never able to release an album before because right now it’s just passion for music and understand that you’re a servant, you’re serving the world, you’re serving the people. You’re given the power to be heard, so now I just want to do really good things with it.

What is your favorite track on the album and why?

Every track represents a very different and important part of my life simply because I’ve been writing these songs for 5 years. “Love is Dead” I’m probably the proudest of as a songwriter. “Walking on Air” is kind of like my life story, therefore that song is really important. And “Butterfly Cry” is the first song I wrote when I came out of a very long and heavy depression so this is like my enlightenment song.

What was the most difficult thing to get used to here [in America]?

The hardest thing is more personal than it had to do with America. The hardest thing was to realize that as an artist you’ve got to be totally self-sufficient. Staying true to my vision and wanting to create this fairy-tale-ish theme was kind of hard to get across at first. It wasn’t something that people have dealt with before. I’ve been really blessed with these great working relationships, but it’s been hard to stay kind of true and stick with my vision. Understanding that you’re actually all alone: that was the hardest and also the best part. You’re doing your own thing and people you work with will either follow it or they won’t, but you’ve got to really really sit down and think and come to terms with yourself about who you are and why you’re here. I didn’t know why I was here and why I was making music, but I know now.

Do you feel any resentment from back home or are they supportive?

No, I don’t feel any resentment. For a while, because I left Estonia and Estonians didn’t hear anything about me so all these Estonian young singers were like….it was called the “Kerli syndrome.” This term in Estonian press that was called “Kerli syndrome” that meant failure. So the young artists were like, “I don’t want to be like Kerli and go get signed and go to America and have nothing out.” They just didn’t know that I was actually working on a project the whole time. It’s like when you’re caught up in that little bubble and you don’t really know that taking and going to a larger place just takes more time. I guess they’re slowly turning around now and understanding that I really was doing something here.

Does it bother you at all?

No, it’s just part of the process. I don’t regret anything and I don’t hate anybody. I never really look back; I only look forward.

You seem to have found a very peaceful place, would you say that’s true?

I think so, yeah.

We don’t see you as a “pop” artist. How would you categorize your music?

I’m so against all the categories and identifications. When I feel like doing industrial or trance or whatever kind of music my next album, then I’ll do it. I know it’s a little funny when people are labeling you and then someone will think I was just like this put together pop thing that like came out of the forest and then just somebody made me “good.” It’s kind of funny for myself, too, but hey, if all the creative people can make peace and light “pop” then let it be pop. Pop is just popular and if we’re able to make something real, and it’s pop then let it be. Who cares?

Have you thought about doing any R&B or is that something that if it happens it will happen?

We’ll see where things go. When I first started writing this album, my audition was at an R&B label and they really wanted me to go in that direction. But it’s not me really. But if I feel like doing it in 6 months, then I’ll do it.

Are there any musicians (dead or alive) that you’d like to work with or meet?

Janis Joplin, The Doors, Beethoven. A lot of these really big songwriters and producers that are known for like they’re really big pop stuff. A lot of these people I’ve met and it’s like I go in there and they play be this whatever pop track and they’re like, ”Kerli, you should have this track”and I’m like “No.” Why would you play this when you wouldn’t play this for anyone else and that’s when they’ll come up with the really good stuff. These people are known and respected for a reason. They actually are geniuses, but they’re doing pop because that’s what pays their bills.

Learn more about Kerli and listen to some of her music at: www.kerlimusic.com or www.myspace.com/kerlimusic

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