Feeling so incredibly proud of Gotye for his achievements last night. One of the greatest artists & friends I have been lucky enough to know & now the owner of 3 Grammys! It's been an incredible trip and I feel so massively grateful to have been a part of the ride & the magic. Massive congratulations to producer Francois Tetaz also. There is no better way to top off the last couple of whirlwind years than being honoured by your idol - the one & only Prince.
Hey guys,
I'm very excited to show you my new video for the song 'Come Into My Head'. This video was an exhilarating, challenging and wild experience to shoot, it's my favourite one yet! The song itself was recorded in the US last year with producer Keefus Green and features the magic drum explosions from Deantoni Parks from The Mars Volta. This film clip was made by the amazing Guy Franklin & cinematographer Ed Goldner (the wizards behind the film clips for 'Settle Down', 'Good Intent' and 'Cameo Lover')... I want to thank them and everyone else who was on this shoot for the incredible hard work they all put in.
Frengers!!!
Apologies for the push back on the video release date, I want this video to be the best it can possible be and have had to extend the time a little bit to allow for a few last minute changes and edits, it'll be worth the wait! I know you're going to love this one, it's my favourite yet and I'm excited to reveal that this video comes to you from the same team who created Settle Down, Good Intent & Cameo Lover (directed by Guy Franklin and cinematographer Ed Goldner) - I can't wait to show you & thankyou for all your amazing support! More sneak peaks coming soon...
Hey everybody,
Just a note to say how excited I am to get on tour around Europe and US over the next few months. I can't wait to see places like Ireland & Spain for the first time as well as returning to Germany, Holland and many more to play shows with my amazing live band. We will also be embarking on our very first headline American tour through September & October and it's going to be a grand affair accompanied by an amazing band called The Stepkids - these guys are from New York and you must get down early to catch their set. It's magic. Check out a couple of videos here:
Suburban Dream (Live):
Brain Ninja:
Their album is on iTunes now.
Watch out for upcoming collaborations between me and these dudes, we're planning on doing some writing on tour! Speaking of which, I am now about to take some time out in Montreal for the next couple of weeks before we start our Europe tour which kicks off in Paris at the Rock en Seine Festival.
Looking forward to finally getting some rest time and new inspiration. I'm already excited about the new material that's starting to come forth from the last few months. The amazing Thom Kerr, responsible for that psychedelic forest photoshoot I did in New York, will be helping us out with a custom-made backdrop for the US tour & the Stepkids will be bringing along their crazy projections too! It shall certainly be a feast for the ears & the eyes! We will also be adding a lot more songs to the set (tracks off VOWS we have never played till now!) so it'll be fun to debut some fresh material.
Look forward to seeing you very soon! See the Shows Page for all upcoming dates!
Love,
Kimbra x
Hey guys! I'm very excited to share Warrior with you! This collaboration between Mark Foster, A-Trak & I happened almost entirely over the internet and across 21 cities & 4 continents! Below are the various places we all worked on this song (between the three of us).
Hamburg
Cologne
Dusseldorf
Paris
London
Auckland
Melbourne
Austin
Washington
Philadelphia
New York
Los Angeles
Boston
Las Vegas
Honolulu
Salt lake city
Guadalajara
Mexico City
Colombia
Buenos Aires
Jamaica
Now that's what I call 'world music'.
Being a big fan of both A-Trak and Foster The People, I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with them for Converse, especially considering the calibre of past collaborations that Converse had orchestrated (like Gorillaz, Andre 3000 & James Murphy for example!). We worked mainly over email because of our hectic schedules but Mark and I later got to work on the song together in LA and I finally met A-Trak at SXSW in Texas which was great. I'm super honoured to have worked with both these guys.
Being a once-off collaboration, this opportunity really allowed for us to let loose and have a bit of fun without being too attached (like we all tend to be when it is a song purely written for our own records). I could explore a different territory vocally and we could all experiment with a vibe we might not of delved into without the influence of each other which is what the Converse collaborations are all about. It's always refreshing for me to jump onto an entirely different project as most of you know i have been on the VOWS bandwagon since I was about 17... ha. There's nothing like a fresh collaboration to re-inspire, and it's always funner when it's in a different sonic world to the one I usually create.
The track first came about in NY when A-Trak and Mark did a session together. They sent me through their beat with the music/chords Mark had written as well as the hook over the chorus that he sings. I was in an airport in Hamburg, Germany when I received the track - feeling pretty glum because I'd just had to cancel 2 shows with Gotye due to mild tonsilitis and a loss of my voice! However, it turned out to be perfect timing as I had heaps of ideas come to me when I heard the track and nuzzled into my Macbook to sing my vocal melodies (hoping people in the airport wouldn't notice and think I'm crazy) just before we boarded our flight. Ha! I went on to complete the rest of the vocals/ lyrics (and writing the bridge) in a hotel in Cologne while communicating with Mark and Atrak who were in LA and Paris (respectively) at the time. This is what they call a 21st century collaboration people!
Funnily enough, we actually felt there was such a vibe from some of the airport/ Macbook takes that a lot of them actually made it into the final version of the song! Ha! Let that be an encouragement to fellow macbook music-makers! Lo-fi is so hot right now. We had a lot of fun making this video too. Stunt doubles, roundhouse kicks, luchadore masks, everything I love! You can check that out here.
I also really enjoyed writing the lyrics to this track. Mark's initial suggestion after writing the 'pushing me down' hook was that we try and write the song about something or someone who threatens to take away our joy. There are people who always want to bring you down, and 'Warrior' is about standing up for what you believe and following your convictions even when people want to prove you wrong or explain away the mystical or extraordinary experiences you have. There are people who try to take away our sense of beauty and awe of the world by rationalising it all away with human theories and therefore cheapening our emotions by minimising them to pure math or chemical reactions. Although these views are valid and can be worthwhile and progressive in their own right, this song is a call back to embrace that child-like wonder and strength in 'feeling' things, while not always fully understanding them. There's a war-cry at the heart of this song that I feel strongly about.... Will we raise our men and women to be strong in heart & 'to cry for the ones they love'? Or just automated to be strong in body and mind, but lacking in empathy? Hold onto your light.... follow it to the end... and fight the man! Preferably with a roundhouse kick to the face in a Luchadore mask and spandex leotard!!! Haha ;) But of course & as always, make of it what you will! That's just my slice of the pie x
Warrior
My hands are tied
But my eyes are open
This modern denial
Has me broken
Nothing mystical
No hullabaloo
Just chemicals
And no one looking down on you
What am i thinking? (If you're so sure it's rational)
While the worlds shrinking? (but that don't make it logical)
What am i thinking? (If you say i'm just an animal)
I feel like I'm sinking (you can't explain away the way I feel!)
You’re just crushing me down
crushing me down crushing me down
(They tell you 'Trust your head, be like men' but never feel like you're good enough)
You're just pushing me down
pushing me down
pushing me down
(They wana take our light, make us fight, but never cry for the ones you love!)
(I'll be your warrior, warrior)
You're taking over
And I'm feeling small
When I was a child
I knew it all
Nothing magical
No hologram behind the door
Just a chain reaction
But I know i'm made for more!
What am i thinking? (If you're so sure it's rational)
While the worlds shrinking? (but that don't make it logical)
What am i thinking? (If you say i'm just an animal)
I feel like I'm sinking (you can't explain away the way I feel!)
you're just crushing me down
crushing me down
crushing me down
(They tell you, 'Trust your head, be like men' but never feel like you're good enough)
and you’re just pushing me down
pushing me down
pushing me down
(They wanna take our light, make us fight, but never cry for the ones you love!)
you're just crushing me down, crushing me down, crushing me down
(You wana change the world, but your girls will be seen and not be heard!)
You just pushing me down, pushing me down, pushing me down
(They wana take our light, make us fight, but never cry for the ones you love!)
Hello Fräuleins & Hommes! This is my second blog entry for the year and boy do I have a few updates! In the last month I have been to Germany, England, France, Holland & America playing solo shows and with Gotye on his European tour - it has been an absolute blast and I have officially fallen in love with Europe all over again. I was lucky enough to experience France (mainly the South) for a month when I was 16 but this was so much more fulfilling, now knowing more about Europe's history and getting to interact with all the wonderful people and see how they have been touched by my music! We started the tour in Amsterdam, the Living Postcard City. This might have been my favourite city of the whole trip - I loved the quaint side streets and canals (they were even frozen over when I arrived!) and the beautiful people I was able to meet. Below are some favourite snaps from my wanderings!
We then ventured onward to Berlin. What an incredible city. I had a day off here (luxury!!!) and managed to cram in some fantastic sight-seeing, particulary the amazing street-art and some of the War museums, which were heavy but incredibly eye-opening. I also got to spend time with my very good friend Timothy Armstrong who is a name you really should know about as he is one of my most talented musical friends. Hailing from Wellington, he's now based in Berlin and working on his 3rd album. You should all head down to his website timothyarmstrong.com and download his album Digits. He also has 2 other records up there which are amazing also but Digits is my current jam. His music is confronting, cinematic, uncomfortable at times, mesmerising at others… and not only does he play, write and produce it all, he is also the talent behind all the artwork AND these incredible stop-motion animation video clips.
See music video for Digits here:
And promo video here:
There's ya inspiration for the week! Now back to Germany. We played a really fun show in Berlin at the Paradiso! I took my loop pedals & iPad on this tour (as I couldn't take the full band this time) and opened for Gotye with a few songs on my own. This was quite a nerve-wracking experience actually, as I haven't played solo for over a year (although this is how I started out!) and have become so used to playing with the band. It was a great opportunity to get out my comfort zone though and I'm glad I got to explore a different way of interpreting my songs in the live setting. Watch this space - maybe i'll pull this set-up out on my next
Here's a clip of my reinterpretation of 'Settle Down' live in Berlin.
Then came the Tonsilitis. Yes, it hit in Hamburg and I officially lost my voice mid-way through 'Somebody I Used To Know' (…luckily everyone helped me out by singing along extremely loudly haha) and I had to pull out of the proceeding shows in Cologne and Munich :( However, this provided time for me to rest up and start work on my latest collaboration with Mark Foster & ATrack for a song we've recorded for Converse! I retreated to my hotel room and worked away on this track via Skype with the lads and a very exciting song came out of it. I love it when something negative like falling sick actually results in something positive! There will be some exciting teasers coming soon from this collaboration (like sneak peeks from the video clip we recently shot in Los Angeles as well as pics of me and Mark Foster in the studio!!). I'm really stoked to be working with these guys as they are such talented producers and writers. As most of you know, I am going on tour with Foster The People in June so watch this space for more exciting collaborations! Also check out the latest Converse '3 Artists, 1 Song' collaboration. It features Gorillaz, James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and Andre 3000. Sheesh now THERE'S a match made in heaven!
Next stop was Dusseldorf in Germany, we played a radio set in Oberhausen then caught a train to Paris! How I love trains. I had been to Paris before and loved revisiting the country and the language! For those of you who might not know, I speak recreational French (as in I love to speak it and plan to reestablish myself in the language by living in the South of France one day and writing french albums ha!!).. it was a lot of fun meeting the French label and regaining my confidence in the language. There are some exciting discussions being had about possible translations of some songs into French, watch this space! It's an ambitious plan but one I'm excited about nonetheless!
Couldn't resist a quick touristy snaps in Paris. We only had about 6 hours in the city but got a lot done in the time we had!
We then took the Eurostar to London! Yes! My first time to London! And it was everything I imagined and more. However, I only got to see it through the hazy windows of a cab whilst doing a recorded interview (which I'll get to share with you soon). The interview was pretty schizophrenic as I had to stop mid-answer every few minutes to goggle at icons like Buckingham Palace & Big Ben!) but I'm glad I got to see a few sights despite only having the one night in London to cram it all in! I'll be back very soon however, and I can't wait to dissect this incredible city. We played our last show at Sheperds Bush Empire and finished the night off with a leisurely drink at the Soho House where I got to catch up with another extremely talented friend of mine, Chester Travis. Comedic legend and musician, you can check out his latest masterpiece which is an upcoming mockumentary called 'How To Be Gay'. It follows two outrageously awkward characters in an attempt to come to terms with their sexuality and find success in the world of internet dating. It's a bit amazing. See the trailer here :
You need good comedy on the road. And I'm about to embark on possibly the busiest few months of my life thus far. I'm about to arrive in Austin, Texas where i'll be playing a total of 9 showcases in 5 days - phew! Then its off to do about 23 dates round America with Gotye including 2 headline shows of our own in New York and LA (both of which sold out in a matter of minutes!). I'm so excited to share the live band with you all. After the American tour we are straight into Groove In The Moo, a regional festival that tours the country throughout April & May and crazily we're going to fit our own headline tour in between these festival dates before heading out on tour with Foster The People for another 7 weeks in June & July - HA! Sleep was overrated anyway. It's going to be hard work but also an incredible experience and one I have been waiting for and working towards for a long time. This stuff doesn't happen overnight and I just feel blessed to be taking such a great team with me. I'm going to try and keep a good collection of tour footage for you all while I'm on the road so keep reminding me okay! It's time to sign off for Blog Entry #2 but I'll leave you with my latest favourite albums/books and films that I've discovered in the last few weeks as well as some fun snapshots. SXSW updates will be coming soon as well as some exciting teasers and sneak peaks into my album VOWS which now has an official release date of MAY 22nd for USA & UK!! Woo! I shall see you all soon.x
If you're in Australia make sure you grab tickets to my upcoming headline dates! I am bringing Daniel Merriweather along on the tour as well as Sam Lawrence who features on my song 'Wandering Limbs' (see an acoustic version we did below
Tickets are looking ilke they'll sell fast so don't miss out! Details on poster below x
One last thing.... I recently had the honour of working with Melbourne-based artist Vincent Fantauzzo on his latest entry into the Archibald. He painted an incredible and confronting portrait of me for this years competition. This painting is life-size!!!
We also collaborated on a moving image to accompany the portrait set to an edited version of my song 'The Build Up'. It was an amazing experience and I hope you enjoy it! See the video here:
You may know Vincent's work from the highly acclaimed portrait he painted of Heath Ledger weeks before he passed away. This is stunning.
He is an incredible artist and I was so honoured to be involved with this years Archibald. You can check more out of Vincent's work at his website here: vincentfantauzzo.com
Below are some musical and visual highlights I've discovered... Hope you enjoy. Until the next time!
Kimbra
FAVOURITE NEW ALBUMS & OLD SCHOOL RESURGENCES
NEW FAVOURITE LIVE BAND
Hey Frengers (friends who aren't strangers coined by one of my favourite bands 'Mew')…. Welcome to my new website. This is where i'll be able to update you with upcoming tour dates, new music, videos, photos and also interact with you via the blog section. I'm going to try to keep this blog up to date with all that's going on! There's been so much taking place that it's hard to know where to start…
Well, I had to kill 16 hours at Dubai airport the other day, that's worth mentioning. I'm notorious for escaping into my 'zone' (mixing a new song, listening to my current favourite album etc) and retiring into oblivion at the cost of a flight home or something else important that I manage to miss. It wasn't awfully fun but hey, I made it back to Melbourne in the end. And more to the point, I had an amazing time in NY city. Played a couple of shows there with Gotye (Bowery Ballroom, live for VH1) and also did a showcase of my own for MTV which I will hopefully have footage of for you soon. I got back on my loops and guitar which is always a bit nervewracking (so used to the comfort of my full band these days) but actually surprisingly fun and rewarding. I will be doing sets like this in Europe next week and I think it's gonna be fun to get back into a more intimate vibe as me and the band have been playing festivals for a while now!
Speaking of which, Big Day Out was so much fun. Highlights for me were Battles (our new friends) and Foster The People (also buddies and soon to be Tour Pals!!!), it was an awesome experience. See some photos below from Melbourne!
Once again, BDO was an opportunity to sport some exciting frocks, one of which was custom made by the one of a kind Jaime Lee Major (www.jaimeleemajor.com), she whipped up that banana delight I wore in Melbourne! Fruity. We're excited to continue collaborating this year and I feel blessed to be able to help give a platform to such a talented designer!
Also on the BDO tour, I wore this dress by Emma Mulholland at the Gold Coast (Jetsons Disney Space Odyssey dress I like to call it!) See below.
....& another darker number by one of my favourite Australian designers Romance Was Born at Sydney BDO!
These guys are all really forward thinking fashion designers that I'm honoured to be working with. I also got to wear a new piece by Elliot Ward Fear recently at the Rolling Stones Awards (where I took home the prize for 'Artist To Watch'!) which was awesome. I love his eye for structure and angular shapes.
Recently met Carson Kressley in New York last week and dropped all these names to him so you never know when they might end up on US runways!
All this fashion stuff is quite funny for a girl like me, I rarely spend over $50 on clothes and usually get pumped on the challenge of finding a sweet outfit for $30. Salvation Army is my local haunt, Lost and Found, Camberwell Markets, that kind of thing - so to be wearing dresses from the catwalk is a new experience for me but one that I feel still strongly represents the things I love about style. I'll always be about the Vintage but when you can mix it with a modern feel and create a memorable visual stage experience for people, then I think it becomes a fantastic extension of the music, another opportunity to to strive for originality and pair the sonic experience with a psychedelic eye feast too!
Speaking of which… The most inspiring DVD you will ever watch. Cornelius' Sensuous Synchronised Show. Live in Japan. It's hard to get but you won't regret it.
So before Big Day Out wrapped up, some of you may know about my escapade to LA to play Jimmy Kimmel. That was a trip. Jumping straight back into the car after performing then arriving back into Adelaide 2 hours before walking on stage. Made for some good stage banter that's for sure. As if that wasn't enough, I flew to NY straight after Perth (a 25 hour flight)!! That's 2 trips back and forth from American in 1 week. No complaints here though, I feel blessed to have this as a job, of course. But don't count on getting much sleep if you're thinking of getting into the industry. Ha! If you missed the Jimmy Kimmel performance - you can check it out here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO56dYMc0Ps
For those of you who may not know yet, I am off to London on Friday to join Gotye for his European dates! Unfortunately I won't be bringing my full band for these dates however I will be playing a small solo set before Gotye takes the stage and I'm sure we will be back very soon for our own shows! See dates here! :
Dates appearing with Gotye:
Feb 12 Amsterdam- Paradiso
Feb 21 Berlin- Helmathafen
Feb 24 Hamburg- Uebel & Gefaehrlich
Feb 25 Cologne- Live Music Hall
Feb 26 Munich- Freiheiz
Feb 29 London- Shepherds Bush Empire
I am really excited to see Berlin, and London. I have never been to these places so it'll be such an inspiring experience and this will be a nice way to get a taste of Europe before we return with the full shebang! After Europe it's back to Melbourne for a few days then jetsetting off to SXSW (We will be at SXSW from March 13 – 17th) which sets off our full American Tour supporting Gotye!! Below are the full list of dates for the Gotye US tour, AND the recently announced full USA Tour with Foster The People & The Kooks!! (SO EXCITED FOR THIS):
Dates supporting Gotye (w full band!!)
March 22 Washington, DC- 9:30 Club
March 23 Philadelphia, PA- The Tower Theater
March 25 New York, NY- Terminal 5 (Onsale Feb. 2)
March 27 New York, NY- Webster Hall
March 29 Boston, MA- House of Blues
March 30 Montreal, PQ- Corona Theatre
March 31 Toronto, ON- Kool Haus
April 2 Ypsilanti, MI- Eastern Michigan University Pease Auditorium
April 3 Chicago, IL- Aragon Ballroom
April 4 Minneapolis, MN- Epic Event Center
April 6 Denver, CO- Ogden Theatre
April 10 Seattle, WA- Showbox SoDo
April 11 Portland, OR- Crystal Ballroom
April 12 San Francisco, CA- Independent
DATES SUPPORTING FOSTER THE PEOPLE:
May 29 – Rumsey Playfield – New York, NY
May 30 – Rumsey Playfield – New York, NY
June 01 – LC Pavilion – Columbus, OH
June 04 – Verizon Theatre – Grand Prairie, TX
June 05 – The Backyard – Austin, TX
June 07 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Alpharetta, GA
June 10 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia MD
June 11 – Summerstage – New York, NY
June 12 – Lachine Canal – Montreal, QC
June 14 – Mann Center for the Performing Arts – Philadelphia, PA
June 15 – Bank of America Pavilion – Boston, MA
June 16 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
June 19 – Downsview Park – Toronto, ON
June 20 – Congress Theater – Chicago, IL
June 21 – Congress Theater – Chicago, IL
June 22 – US Bank Theater – Minneapolis, MN
June 25 – Deer Lake Park – Vancouver, BC
June 26 – S – Seattle, WA
June 27 – Edgefield Amphitheater – Troutdale, OR
June 29 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
June 30 – Gibson Amphitheatre – Los Angeles, CA
July 1 – Gibson Amphitheatre – Los Angeles, CA
July 3 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
July 5 – The Great Salt Air – Salt Lake City, UT
July 6 – Commerica Theater – Phoenix, AZ
July 7 – The Pool at The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas, NV
I can't wait to play these shows, make sure you come down early to see our sets, I am especially excited to be celebrating my birthday in New York this year! We'll be playing Webster Hall that night, can't think of a better way to spend it. I think NY is calling me. But the prospect of a proper 'home' this year feels as though it is slipping away by the minute. That's okay though, home is where the heart is right? And the friends that keep you lifted. And my books! I have plenty of both those things. Here's a little snap from my time in NY.
Now as for music news, fruits from the various American trips will be food for your ears very soon, I am currently in the mixing process with 6 NEW songs as potential additions to Vows! They won't all be added to the revised tracklisting but any that won't, will find their way to you as B-Side's, I'm sure. I'm very excited by this new direction/ sound. There are collaborations with the likes of Greg Kurstin, Mike Elizondo, Keefus Green and featuring musicians like Deantoni Parks (The Mars Volta), Chris Bruce (Meshell), Trevor (Herbie Hancock) and so many more. I am already planning for the second album and can't wait for Vows to have it's second run in the US & the UK.. It is officially time to set that little bird free.
I feel I need to record and collect some of the hilarious and wonderful parodies of my songs that I sometimes stumble across on YouTube. I'm sure many of you have seen a hundred versions of 'Somebody That I Used To Know' - I am always fascinated at the various ways people interpret my part in the song. Seems to be always men with wigs and over emphasised shoulder movements… (You try standing for that many hours and see if you can stand still!!!) but I'd like to showcase some of the lesser known parodies of some songs off Vows which I think are worth checking out. This is my current favourite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86oGIv8MlZE
I am also going to try and record some of my favourite quotes here in this blog section as well as books I have been reading and new music I have been listening to. I hope it serves as inspiration to some of you! I find Twitter so hard with it's limited characters so hopefully this will allow me the chance to share a little more with you all :) I'll try to keep this updates when I find the fragments of time to spare over the next few months. In the meantime, hopefully see you at one of our shows!
NEW MUSIC I'M LOVING
Field Music - Plumb
Battles - Gloss Drop
A Single Man (Soundtrack)
RECENT REVIVALS ON THE POD
California - Mr Bungle
Maggot Brain - Funkadelic
Solo Piano - Gonzales
The Sensual World - Kate Bush
QUOTE THAT SPOKE TO ME
'When love beckons to you, follow him
Though his ways are hard and steep
And when his wings enfold you, yield to him
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you
And when he speaks to you believe in him
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden
For even as love crowns you, so shall he crucify you
Even as he is for your growth, so is he for your pruning
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth
When you love, you should not say, "God is in my heart,"
but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.'
- Kahlil Gibran
BOOKS I'VE RECENTLY ENJOYED
'The Vakyries' Paulo Coelho
'The Prophet' Kahlil Gibran
'The Strength To Love' Martin Luther King collection of Sermons
'The Four Loves' C S Lewis
'A Confession' Leo Tolstoy
FILMS FOR INSPIRATION
A Single Man
Toast
The Trip
The Princess and The Frog
Over and out, much love,
Kimbra
x
