Kia ora Kimbra! Every time you put out some new music, I can't help but go back and rinse your past albums! For some reason listening to "Stuff I Don't Need" I felt a lot of resonances sonically with some older tracks - sometimes just very short phrases, flickers of sounds or even just triggering a really specific but amorphous feeling. I don't want to project onto your work, but I was wondering if sometimes you pick up threads from previous work and explore them in different ways? Or how you understand your body of work, whether this changes over time? (also hi from a fellow ex-hillcrest high schooler tehehe)
Speaking as an illustrator myself, I have found the artwork for Idols & Vices to be absolutely enthralling. Paired with the music, the art itself seems to posses a much more potent connection to the viewer/listener. At least it did for me! From what I’ve seen so far, the amount of creativity on display has been incredible. It’s been a treat to behold, and I want to spend as much time as I can exploring it.
Visual art and music both have a way of changing over time despite not changing at all. You could look at one painting every day for a week and still see something new in it if you’re really looking for it. Music of course does the same, and we can hear new things in songs that we’ve heard a million times, or have a new feeling be evoked by that same song depending on our mindset when we listen to it. When those two things are paired together, they build off one another in such incredible ways.
I think my favorite medium for art is the graphic novel since illustrations are such a powerful vehicle for storytelling, but obviously they lack a soundtrack. When reading a graphic novel, I can think of the music in my head, but of course that music wasn’t originally meant to be put alongside the story I’m seeing unfolding on the page. It makes me want to go out and MAKE something like that of my own. My love for illustration started with watercolor painting and the has evolved into graphic novel styled illustrations using graphite and ink, so to see those kinds of art used here inspires me so much!
My question(s) then is: Was the decision to incorporate this kind of art into this album something you had decided on early on, or did it evolve from a single piece of art initially? Did the art inspire the music or vice versa? Has your own growth with watercolor painting been a source of inspiration for this album and its artwork?
What goes into your preparation for creating a setlist? Do you mix your discography? Is it more about the feelings or topics of a song?
I was at the Greek theater, and masonic lodge shows and was very much impressed with the variety of the songs, which included tracks going back to 2011. I'm absolutely astonished with every one of your performances, Kimbra. I was glad to see you getting so excited to receive flowers at those shows. Haha
Also would this video chat be recorded? I don't know if I'm able to catch all of it. Thanks!
I look forward to this Q & A, this is very much worth the price of admission. On your “Why it’s necessary to fail” post I felt like I was in a master class for song writing. Your approach to Save Me was mind blowing. I have always had difficulty separating ego from the divine experience of song writing where I am just a vessel. I am beginning to explore your method.
I have three questions I would like to ask.
1) Did you on your new release, and do you always begin a song from the sound, rhythm, vibration and sort of native tongue chanting place, way before the lyric evolves? Can you talk more about this if there is something you haven’t already said on this subject.
2) After realizing during the making of your last release that you actually had two projects, I would like to know more about how you could tell the difference other than what you’ve already described as one being more reflective of internal struggles and the other being more joyful and playful? How did you move from one state of heart to another? Was it actually a schedule that you pre-set or did you just fly where the soul took you each day?
3) Maybe off topic but here goes: Have you met Brian Eno and/or ever worked with him? He is such an incredible force in music for years now and I have long thought you two would really connect on so many levels. The latest thing I have learned about you is your interest and work in drawing, video and illustration art forms. This is just one more avenue where you two connect.
OK, that's more like twelve questions ;) so just choose what you find relevant and want to discuss.
Thank you for considering mine and everyone else's questions and this opportunity.
PS: I hope on your next tour you will be out of the dark themed lighting that seemed to be so prevalent on your tour with Jacob, in particular, at the Masonic Loge in Hollywood. I was close but could still hardly see you. Part of the experience of Kimbra for me is your vulnerability, layered beauty, peculiar expressions, and your magical movement. They help me better connect to your music the way you mean it to be.
Are there certain visual fashion/video choices that you feel are essential to what makes up your music?
For example in Vows you almost always appeared with the same hairstyle and it looked sometimes like it was taking influence from female R&B and Jazz singers like the ones who influenced the material of that album. And from then on you usually appeared with long straight hair.
Is there a certain visual theme of this album as well that may be similar or different from the past?
Since we are having Idols and Vices Volume 1, have you already finished recording Volume 2? I really can’t wait for the album to drop and we all hope this will be release in vinyl too. Always remember that any music you birth will always be a gem for us, I can say that I’ll forever be a fan, bless you more and more power to you, Kimbra. 🪩💗💅🏼☁️🙌🏼✨
Thank you for this opportunity. Here are my questions:
What do you think are the differences women bring to music? How are we different and how can we use it in our version of collaboration?
How do you create safe spaces for collaborations so everyone feels comfortable to be vulnerable?
Collaboration, as I’m sure, is an essential part of your creation of music. What are your (sub) roles as a producer and what are the roles you prefer to delegate?
Lastly,
How do Idols and Vices fit into your becoming? How does it create this new version of you? What are the revelations you’ve had that were affective in your creative process?
It has been such a joy listening to you speak and get in touch with your creative spirit. I look forward to hearing more tomorrow.
So many wonderful questions have already been posed! I'm excited for tomorrow's Q&A, and will ask a question then if one arises within me in the moment.
Love the themes & vibe of "Stuff I Don't Need" - it's stuck in my head, in all the best ways. 💜
What was it like receiving a Grammy from Prince? Does he still influence your songwriting? And would U ever consider recording at Paisley Park for the next album?
Talking about the toxicity of celebrity and the roles and identities that are created to safeguard your heart and your being, my mind goes to people like Syd Barrett, (Pink Floyd), whose journey was singular and one of the first real casualties of toxic celebrity. Then thinking about what The Beatles had to endure, (God knows what Tayler Swift is going through)! 2 movies come to mind that addressed these things in very different ways. A Face In The Crowd (1957) starring Andy Griffith, presented in a regular story form, as the person chosen that ascends into madness and ego mania. The other movie which is presented in a fully self referential way and was meta before that was a term. The movie HEAD (1968) starring The Monkees and written by Jack Nicholson, Bob Rafelson and the Monkees.(and yes. THAT Jack Nicholson)!
For anyone who think it is just an outgrowth of the tv show in its bubblegum sheen, the movie is gritty, difficult, challenging, disturbing and still relevant to this day. Without letting anything go, the first scene is Micky Dolenz jumping off of a bridge committing "suicide". It's about as heavy as it gets. I would be curious if you have seen it and if not you should, (on the Criterion channel!) as this album concept fully brings me to that place that they were in after the craziness of their very quick ascent into the mania that they were a "victim" of. It's pertinant.
HEAD especially has been written about a lot as to the general psychology that is on display here. Multi layered and indeed, at first it seems utterly nonsensical, as it flows as a stream of consciousness, (seemingly).
- Do you have gibberish versions of hip hop releases? Like RNTBCK?
- I feel like I'm missing what toxic celebrity worship is. I've read all but I feel like I miss the point. I think it's because it obvious in your culture so you don't even say what is important for understanding but in Poland we don't do that toxic celebrity stuff at all. I think. So what it is? Because for now for me it's something like "artist has great carrier but in some mysterious way she can't handle paparazii and gets depressed and kills herself". Sorry for speaking this way but for real - I have no idea.
And it would be cool to explore cultural aspect of creating music. TRUE cultural aspect. Believe or not - it's not about apperance of the body at all. For example I didn't want to sign up for Koru because Kimbra said it is like "inner circle". Which in my culture just cannot be good - it reminded me history lessons about european history in xx century, it reminded me of Dante's vision of hell... it CAN'T be good. But then again - graphic on Idol's&vices is EXACTLY how I imagined this inner circle. And I think it helped me process it and overcome my interpretation. (and I find curious that there was even a poem about circles and fear) So through art it was possible for me to connect even from different culture.
So I would like to explore it and my question is: have you ever encountered other examples of art helping overcome cultural differences? You travel so much!!!
FINE, I made up my mind while baking pizza. I actually had even broader question and I'm going to fix it now. So I kinda "skipped" the part when I was supposed to say that I can feel that this toxic celebrity worship maybe just blaming relation between listeners and artists. But it is easy to blame audience because they are first to eat fruits. So if fruits are poisoned then they are first to get sick. I feel like actual source is your music industry and relation between artist and rest of workers. Despite superficial appearance. And I didn't want to share it because my thoughts have roots in book I'm reading right now (Damn the machine - The story of Noise records) and I wasn't sure because I'm about to finish it so it is shallow for me. (thoughts need to settle). BUT APPARENTLY I loved new track from the album and somehow I couldn't listen to it. And I caught myself red-handed that I speak in half-truth, so there it is. Fix. But there is more to it - I noticed that A&R guy has credit in tracks and it is in contradiction with earlier posts. (this is why we have armor now????) But it's not really my stuff so.... WELL APPARENTLY IS because I love new track and I want it! So there we go, I have now BOTH pizza AND music, that's something for friday. (with salami - simplicity brings understanding!)
> Since “A Reckoning” was so vulnerable and revealing, I was able to put back on the armour and fanfare when I worked on this record
Thank you for taking these out of your being, and putting gold like these in your writings. I am eagerly waiting for the new releases. Have presaved it!
Kia ora Kimbra! Every time you put out some new music, I can't help but go back and rinse your past albums! For some reason listening to "Stuff I Don't Need" I felt a lot of resonances sonically with some older tracks - sometimes just very short phrases, flickers of sounds or even just triggering a really specific but amorphous feeling. I don't want to project onto your work, but I was wondering if sometimes you pick up threads from previous work and explore them in different ways? Or how you understand your body of work, whether this changes over time? (also hi from a fellow ex-hillcrest high schooler tehehe)
I love this question / reflection Olive... already planning what I'll say to this on Sunday. Thank you for the thoughtful note, see you then
Speaking as an illustrator myself, I have found the artwork for Idols & Vices to be absolutely enthralling. Paired with the music, the art itself seems to posses a much more potent connection to the viewer/listener. At least it did for me! From what I’ve seen so far, the amount of creativity on display has been incredible. It’s been a treat to behold, and I want to spend as much time as I can exploring it.
Visual art and music both have a way of changing over time despite not changing at all. You could look at one painting every day for a week and still see something new in it if you’re really looking for it. Music of course does the same, and we can hear new things in songs that we’ve heard a million times, or have a new feeling be evoked by that same song depending on our mindset when we listen to it. When those two things are paired together, they build off one another in such incredible ways.
I think my favorite medium for art is the graphic novel since illustrations are such a powerful vehicle for storytelling, but obviously they lack a soundtrack. When reading a graphic novel, I can think of the music in my head, but of course that music wasn’t originally meant to be put alongside the story I’m seeing unfolding on the page. It makes me want to go out and MAKE something like that of my own. My love for illustration started with watercolor painting and the has evolved into graphic novel styled illustrations using graphite and ink, so to see those kinds of art used here inspires me so much!
My question(s) then is: Was the decision to incorporate this kind of art into this album something you had decided on early on, or did it evolve from a single piece of art initially? Did the art inspire the music or vice versa? Has your own growth with watercolor painting been a source of inspiration for this album and its artwork?
Such great questions! Can’t wait to answers these on Sunday! See you there Matthew :)
What goes into your preparation for creating a setlist? Do you mix your discography? Is it more about the feelings or topics of a song?
I was at the Greek theater, and masonic lodge shows and was very much impressed with the variety of the songs, which included tracks going back to 2011. I'm absolutely astonished with every one of your performances, Kimbra. I was glad to see you getting so excited to receive flowers at those shows. Haha
Also would this video chat be recorded? I don't know if I'm able to catch all of it. Thanks!
I look forward to this Q & A, this is very much worth the price of admission. On your “Why it’s necessary to fail” post I felt like I was in a master class for song writing. Your approach to Save Me was mind blowing. I have always had difficulty separating ego from the divine experience of song writing where I am just a vessel. I am beginning to explore your method.
I have three questions I would like to ask.
1) Did you on your new release, and do you always begin a song from the sound, rhythm, vibration and sort of native tongue chanting place, way before the lyric evolves? Can you talk more about this if there is something you haven’t already said on this subject.
2) After realizing during the making of your last release that you actually had two projects, I would like to know more about how you could tell the difference other than what you’ve already described as one being more reflective of internal struggles and the other being more joyful and playful? How did you move from one state of heart to another? Was it actually a schedule that you pre-set or did you just fly where the soul took you each day?
3) Maybe off topic but here goes: Have you met Brian Eno and/or ever worked with him? He is such an incredible force in music for years now and I have long thought you two would really connect on so many levels. The latest thing I have learned about you is your interest and work in drawing, video and illustration art forms. This is just one more avenue where you two connect.
OK, that's more like twelve questions ;) so just choose what you find relevant and want to discuss.
Thank you for considering mine and everyone else's questions and this opportunity.
PS: I hope on your next tour you will be out of the dark themed lighting that seemed to be so prevalent on your tour with Jacob, in particular, at the Masonic Loge in Hollywood. I was close but could still hardly see you. Part of the experience of Kimbra for me is your vulnerability, layered beauty, peculiar expressions, and your magical movement. They help me better connect to your music the way you mean it to be.
Are there certain visual fashion/video choices that you feel are essential to what makes up your music?
For example in Vows you almost always appeared with the same hairstyle and it looked sometimes like it was taking influence from female R&B and Jazz singers like the ones who influenced the material of that album. And from then on you usually appeared with long straight hair.
Is there a certain visual theme of this album as well that may be similar or different from the past?
Got lots to say on this. Let’s dive in to it on Sunday. Great question
Since we are having Idols and Vices Volume 1, have you already finished recording Volume 2? I really can’t wait for the album to drop and we all hope this will be release in vinyl too. Always remember that any music you birth will always be a gem for us, I can say that I’ll forever be a fan, bless you more and more power to you, Kimbra. 🪩💗💅🏼☁️🙌🏼✨
I think you’ll be excited to hear my answer to this Patrice. Let’s just say there’s lots in the making. I’ll unpack more at the Zoom event!
Kia ora e hoa,
Thank you for this opportunity. Here are my questions:
What do you think are the differences women bring to music? How are we different and how can we use it in our version of collaboration?
How do you create safe spaces for collaborations so everyone feels comfortable to be vulnerable?
Collaboration, as I’m sure, is an essential part of your creation of music. What are your (sub) roles as a producer and what are the roles you prefer to delegate?
Lastly,
How do Idols and Vices fit into your becoming? How does it create this new version of you? What are the revelations you’ve had that were affective in your creative process?
It has been such a joy listening to you speak and get in touch with your creative spirit. I look forward to hearing more tomorrow.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koe
Always.
So many wonderful questions have already been posed! I'm excited for tomorrow's Q&A, and will ask a question then if one arises within me in the moment.
Love the themes & vibe of "Stuff I Don't Need" - it's stuck in my head, in all the best ways. 💜
Love the new track, kind of a FlyLo vibe which can only be a good thing
Hi Kimbra,
What was it like receiving a Grammy from Prince? Does he still influence your songwriting? And would U ever consider recording at Paisley Park for the next album?
is the koru necessary vs just doing the regular five dollar subscription? aka for poor people like me?
can i not join the zoom if i am not koru?
Talking about the toxicity of celebrity and the roles and identities that are created to safeguard your heart and your being, my mind goes to people like Syd Barrett, (Pink Floyd), whose journey was singular and one of the first real casualties of toxic celebrity. Then thinking about what The Beatles had to endure, (God knows what Tayler Swift is going through)! 2 movies come to mind that addressed these things in very different ways. A Face In The Crowd (1957) starring Andy Griffith, presented in a regular story form, as the person chosen that ascends into madness and ego mania. The other movie which is presented in a fully self referential way and was meta before that was a term. The movie HEAD (1968) starring The Monkees and written by Jack Nicholson, Bob Rafelson and the Monkees.(and yes. THAT Jack Nicholson)!
For anyone who think it is just an outgrowth of the tv show in its bubblegum sheen, the movie is gritty, difficult, challenging, disturbing and still relevant to this day. Without letting anything go, the first scene is Micky Dolenz jumping off of a bridge committing "suicide". It's about as heavy as it gets. I would be curious if you have seen it and if not you should, (on the Criterion channel!) as this album concept fully brings me to that place that they were in after the craziness of their very quick ascent into the mania that they were a "victim" of. It's pertinant.
Oh cool, so there is a lot of thought into it. I'm interested as psychology major, I will check your materials!!
HEAD especially has been written about a lot as to the general psychology that is on display here. Multi layered and indeed, at first it seems utterly nonsensical, as it flows as a stream of consciousness, (seemingly).
Yes! So interesting. I wrote a whole article on the idea of fame, idolisation of celebrity and how these interact with our increasingly digitalised world: https://open.substack.com/pub/dariadae/p/fame-attracted-to-the-light?r=19l1l4&utm_medium=ios
Stoked to listen to this full album! Kimbra is a true artist!
- Do you have gibberish versions of hip hop releases? Like RNTBCK?
- I feel like I'm missing what toxic celebrity worship is. I've read all but I feel like I miss the point. I think it's because it obvious in your culture so you don't even say what is important for understanding but in Poland we don't do that toxic celebrity stuff at all. I think. So what it is? Because for now for me it's something like "artist has great carrier but in some mysterious way she can't handle paparazii and gets depressed and kills herself". Sorry for speaking this way but for real - I have no idea.
And it would be cool to explore cultural aspect of creating music. TRUE cultural aspect. Believe or not - it's not about apperance of the body at all. For example I didn't want to sign up for Koru because Kimbra said it is like "inner circle". Which in my culture just cannot be good - it reminded me history lessons about european history in xx century, it reminded me of Dante's vision of hell... it CAN'T be good. But then again - graphic on Idol's&vices is EXACTLY how I imagined this inner circle. And I think it helped me process it and overcome my interpretation. (and I find curious that there was even a poem about circles and fear) So through art it was possible for me to connect even from different culture.
So I would like to explore it and my question is: have you ever encountered other examples of art helping overcome cultural differences? You travel so much!!!
FINE, I made up my mind while baking pizza. I actually had even broader question and I'm going to fix it now. So I kinda "skipped" the part when I was supposed to say that I can feel that this toxic celebrity worship maybe just blaming relation between listeners and artists. But it is easy to blame audience because they are first to eat fruits. So if fruits are poisoned then they are first to get sick. I feel like actual source is your music industry and relation between artist and rest of workers. Despite superficial appearance. And I didn't want to share it because my thoughts have roots in book I'm reading right now (Damn the machine - The story of Noise records) and I wasn't sure because I'm about to finish it so it is shallow for me. (thoughts need to settle). BUT APPARENTLY I loved new track from the album and somehow I couldn't listen to it. And I caught myself red-handed that I speak in half-truth, so there it is. Fix. But there is more to it - I noticed that A&R guy has credit in tracks and it is in contradiction with earlier posts. (this is why we have armor now????) But it's not really my stuff so.... WELL APPARENTLY IS because I love new track and I want it! So there we go, I have now BOTH pizza AND music, that's something for friday. (with salami - simplicity brings understanding!)
> Since “A Reckoning” was so vulnerable and revealing, I was able to put back on the armour and fanfare when I worked on this record
Thank you for taking these out of your being, and putting gold like these in your writings. I am eagerly waiting for the new releases. Have presaved it!
All the best and thank you.