Kimbra: ‘You’ve never seen anything like the show we’ll give you on Friday’
Kiwi pop star promises an explosive set at #MADFest2014
New Zealand-born, Los Angeles-transplant Kimbra is an ambitious, complex yet sophisticated singer.
Just like her latest album, “The Golden Echo.” Each of the album’s 12 tracks is an impressive blend of genres in which hip-hop beats mix it up with catchy melodies, electronically altered vocals and jazzy tempi.
In a press briefing for her upcoming headlining performance at the 12-hour MadFest Music & Arts Festival at Mall of Asia Concert Grounds on Friday, Dec. 5, Kimbra points to various songwriting influences.
Props from Prince
“Michael Jackson is my biggest inspiration because he connected with the people in a universal way. Bjork is also an influence. She’s different. David Bowie and Kate Bush, Queens of the Stone Age are also big influences. I also love funk music. Earth, Wind and Fire. Marvin Gaye. Soul of course, is music that speaks to the emotions and the heart.”
Kimbra considers Prince to be her role model. She’s amazed at Prince’s ability to innovate, to push boundaries.
“I was told recently that Prince listened to my new album and I’m all excited. ‘Carolina’ is his favorite song from the album.”
Begins with the beat
Kimbra’s own innovation does not come through when she begins working on a new song.
“I start with the drum beat. I sit on the computer and put together a drum pattern that gets me in the groove or gets me thinking about an emotion,” she said.
“Sometimes. I use applications on my IPad to make music. I work on a chord pattern then I put down all my ideas by just singing along, then down line I’ll think about replacing the sound. The way I compose, the music comes first, then the lyrics.”
Being on the road keeps her music fresh
The innovation part comes when she takes her music on the road.
“I get bored easily and I play my songs a lot on tour. I think of ways to make them fresh and really exciting,” she said.
“For me as an artist, I’d like to live on the edge. I’m aware of stuff that could sometimes go wrong but I want to take some risks to keep my music exciting.”
Obsession
“When I make records, I live inside them. I think about my songs in the studio. I sleep and when I wake up, I’d think again about them,” she said.
But, then she’s quickly on the next thing once the process is done.
“Since the Golden Echo came out, I haven’t listened to the whole album. When you’re finished with something so free, you let it go and think about the next thing,” she said.
The next thing
That next big thing for Kimbra was her recent contribution to the “We Love Disney” compilation, a new project inspired by the success of the “Frozen” soundtrack.
Kimbra chose the ethereal “I'm Wishing” from the 1937 movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
Almost ghostly is how Kimbra describes her version. “To me, there’s something eerie and scary about Snow White. It’s a children’s film but I wanted to express interesting emotions in my song.” .
“When I heard the beautiful melody, it brought me back to my childhood days. It brought back a lot of memories that it drove me to find a new way to showcase the song.”
Fave records
That constant quest for innovation can be perceived in her eclectic selection of her favorite albums of all time.
“’Off the Wall’ by Michael Jackson. I was lucky enough to work with the drummer who played on that album, John JR Robinson, (reputed to be one of the most recorded drummers in history.)
“Another favorite is ‘De-Loused in the Comatorium’(by American prog rock band Mars Volta),” she said.
On her collab with Gotye and Mark Foster of Foster the People:
The album that changed her life
“But the album that changed my life is ‘Fragile’ by Nine inch Nails. It’s amazing how multi-dimensional it was, how creative the production was. The music was exploding all around you.”
That whole quest for the new, on the edge and an explosion of the eclectic comes together when she hits the stage for the upcoming MadFest.
“I’ll promise you’ve never seen anything like the show we’d give you on Friday.”
JACK TV’s MAD Fest 2014 happens on Dec. 5 at the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. the following day. Aside from Kimbra, local acts playing are Kjwan, Urbandub, Sandwich, Imago, Flying Ipis, Cheats, Motherbasss, Chocolate Grass, Toni B and BP Valenzuela. Visual artists include Leeroy New and up-and-coming artists from ImagineNationStudio, Jagnus Design Studio and Secret Studio, with spoken word performances from Kooky and Richard Tuason and dance from Team Vibe. Tickets at P2450 and P3450 are available at SM Tickets and Ticketnet Online.
