Kristyn: Can you tell our readers a little bit
about yourself? Where do you pull your inspirations from?
Kerli: I get my inspiration from everywhere. My
own life is very inspiring, so is other peoples. I get inspired
by the weirdest things.. like some cab driver humming some random
melody or someone saying something cool. Everything that moves
me, inspires me. I hear music everywhere.
Kristyn: What kind of message can listeners expect
from "Love is Dead"? Is there significance behind the
title?
Kerli: Well, Love is Dead is an angry song. I was
extremely hurt and lonely when I wrote it.
At the beginning, it was meant to be about a relationship, but
later on, I started seeing it as a song about the world. There
is much anger and pain in this world nowadays. We are very lost
and confused. I hope it's gonna change. Love isn't really dead,
it just isn't ruling the world right now.
Kristyn: I read that you are from Estonia, how different is
music/culture in Estonia, compared with that to the U.S.?
Kerli: Oh, everything is absolutely different in
Estonia. I grew up in the city of 5000. It's kinda inside a forest
and there's little houses between the trees pretty much. People
earn like 500 dollars a month and life is way more simple. I sometimes
miss that nature and that safe feeling. However, I never felt
like I belonged. I always wanted something more that going to
school, getting a job, getting pregnant at 17 and living in your
parents apartment until you die.
Kristyn: Who are some of your main influences
musically?
Kerli: I can't really say I have any big influences.
But I am very receptive, so everything I hear and like, certainly
influences me. Most of the time I just trust that sacred place
where music comes from and just do what feels right. I never even
listened to music until like 5 years ago. My parents never listened
to anything while I grew up. I had like one cassette - Bonnie
Tyler. And I knew all the songs by heart! I did study lots of
classical music since I was 8 years old though. And I've always
had amazing people to make music with in my life. From an awesome
singing teacher in the kindergarten to my grandfather, who is
a composer.
Kristyn: What comes first in the writing process?
For example, the hook, lyrics, or melody?
Kerli: It's such a different process every time.
I don't have any formula for this. Different things come to me
at different times.
Kristyn: You music seems to be categorized as
Goth in a lot of places? How do you feel about this categorization?
How do you feel about music categories in general?
Kerli: Oh, I would never identify myself. It makes
me feel very restricted. I hate feeling restricted. Music is art.
It doesn't need explanation. U have to feel it. Like u feel a
great painting. I guess people are just not able to receive without
over thinking and labeling everything. Call me whatever u want,
I don't care.
Kristyn: How do you feel about MySpace as a way
to communicate with fans? Do you maintain your own MySpace page?
Kerli: Yes, I maintain my own page and I think it's
an amazing place to communicate with fans. Fans are the most important
part of what I do. I really appreciate someone taking the time
and sending me a letter. I try to read them all and answer, but
it's been a bit difficult lately.
Kristyn: Can you tell our readers what you enjoy to do in your
spare time when you are not making music?
Kerli: I haven't really had any spare time for a
while, but I usually like to just be alone and burn candles and
do nothing.
Kristyn: Do you have an U.S touring planned for
next year in support of your new album?
Kerli: I don't have anything planned yet, but I'm
pretty sure I'm gonna tour next year.
Kristyn: I was checking out the blog section
of you MySpace page, and I see your friends are making a movie
about "the peace pilgrim" How do you feel about her
and the overall cause?
Kerli: Peace Pilgrim was a saint, a messenger, the
servant of god. I have much respect to her and to what she did.
And I believe this story deserves to be told and people need to
hear it.
Kristyn: How do you feel about music downloading/
leaking of unreleased material via the Internet?
Kerli: I get surprised when people are not even
aware that free downloads is stealing. You don't go and steal
a painting from a painter. Why do u go online and steal music
and treat it as if it wasn't someone's hard work and source of
income? So there is this reasonable part of me that sees it for
what it is and wants to be able to pay her rent. And then there
is of course the hippie part that wants to give away all the music
for free and doesn't give a shit about anything else than people
being able to listen.
Kristyn: Which other artists are you listening
to these days?
Kerli: I don't really listen to much music. I prefer
silence when I'm not writing.
I have some favorites right now thou. I've been listening to lots
of cocteau twins. And Thom Yorke's solo record is really good
too. There is so much great music in the world. People play me
stuff that I like all the time. But I'm really bad with names
so I forget about it quickly.
Kristyn: "Creepy" seems to be a vibe in your music,
and mentioned quite a bit in the lyrics to "Walking on Air"
and of course "Creepshow"? What is the meaning behind
these songs? Do you have a favorite track off "Love is Dead"?
Kerli: Walking on Air is pretty much my story. It's
about following your dreams and just going with the flow. All
these cats and hats and rocking chairs are from my own life too.
I always used to wear hats when I was younger. They were all like
ten years old and looked really worn but It kinda became my thing.
And I once rescued a homeless cat. I even got some kind of a disease
from it. hahaha. Creepshow is about not belonging. Where I come
from, being different is not really accepted, we don't even have
any other nationalities besides Russians. Everyone is like living
in a box. I always felt like I needed more of an open minded environment.
So suddenly I was living in a more creative place but I couldn't
really decide if I liked it. And it felt like even more of a creepshow
than this little town environment that I wanted to get out of.
Kristyn: Just for fun, please tell our site readers
an interesting fact about you that they may not already know?
Kerli: I was the biggest fan of the spice girls
when I was younger. Me and my friends had our own spice girls.
I was Geri:) I even had a little dress with English flag and massive
platform shoes. We coloured our hair with markers and performed
shows in my town.
Kristyn: Please feel free to add any additional
comment or message you would like to share with our readers!
Kerli: I just wanna tell everyone to follow their
dreams and never give up.
It sounds cheesy but it's true. Simple truths are actually the
most complicated ones to follow.
Be sure to check out Kerli on MySpace
to hear tracks off her up coming CD "Love is Dead"
Audio Streams:
"Walking
on Air"
"Love
is Dead"
