Kerli Interview

By: Jennifer Wagner

Wednesday March 12, 2008

"Absolutely EVERYTHING Inspires Me."
I'll admit that young Kerli was much more than I'd bargained for. At just 21 years old, and having grown up in Estonia (Russian occupied until Kerli was 5); I was convinced that this gorgeous kid was gonna prove as silly and unrefined as she was attractive. Some stuff she'd said in other interviews made my eyes roll; not interested in fame or money, never having been influenced by another artist, etc. To be truthful, she never did answer my question about having no interest in fame or wealth.

But the questions she did, she took on with bravado, creativity, and an articulation that belies her age and notably limited cultural exposure.


Jennifer Wagner: If you can assess this, how has growing up in a Russian-occupied Communist country influenced your perspective of the capitalist United States? Are you politically-minded? Would you say that some of the (admittedly naïve) stereotypes countries like the U.S. have of Communism hold true – specifically, how do you answer to the picture a lot of American citizens have of poverty, oppression, and creative suffocation hold up to the reality of your Estonian childhood?

Kerli: It was definitely suffocating. People were not supposed to have an opinion. They couldn't listen to the radio or read the news about the rest of the world. They couldn't sing about Estonia or wear the colors of our flag (blue, black and white) all together. Neither could u celebrate Christmas or say anything bad about the Russian occupation. I don't remember it all too well because Estonia got free when I was 5 years old. But I remember how my grandmother used to sing me songs about Stalin the mass murderer instead of cute lullabies.

And I remember not being able to have an opinion...and how strict everything was and how people could beat their kids up and nobody would think that there was anything wrong with it.

I don't think most Americans realize how free this country really is. People have the freedom to dream here. And they can actually make their dreams come true if they work hard enough. I can't really see myself living anywhere else in the near future. I have the freedom to be who I am here.

On musicdownload.com, your bio quotes you as saying "I don't think any other artist has ever even influenced me that much, really..." and then your Myspace page you say "Every single song I hear and like, makes a difference in the next song I'm about to write." How do you reconcile these two apparently polarized ideas?

I simply mean that I am such a sponge to new information and ideas that absolutely EVERYTHING inspires me. That's why I can't name any artists in particular. It's like picking something whole apart. I just wanna say that the universe has inspired me.
Kerli
How do you react to comparisons to Hilary Duff? Avril Lavigne? Bjõrk? Where can you see similarities in each respect, and where to you believe you artistically depart?

All these comparisons are hilarious. People can identify me all they want, I don't really give a shit.

Your Myspace page says you would like your music to have such impact that it could "Maybe change [someone's] mind before they start to kill themselves." Do you have an outside interest in crisis prevention, and if so, do you think that the most direct route to this sort of altruism is through your music?

Because I have been in pain a lot in the past and gotten over it, I feel the need to help others who suffer. I hope I am able to inspire others with my story. Coming from nothing and becoming everything that I wanna be. It's not really about me anymore. It has almost become an experiment. How powerful is a human mind really? At first I chose music because I couldn't think of any other ways to get out of my country. Now, making music has just become my way of existing.

What's the release date of your Island Def Jam debut, Love is Dead? What are your plans for promotional touring? Can you talk about the single "Love Is Dead" and meaning behind it. Also saw that a video was released. How was filming that? Can you talk further about the experience?

The album release date right now is 22nd of April. It's out of my hands so if it doesn't come out on time I hope people won't be disappointed.

"Love is Dead" was a love song at first. I was really angry when I wrote it. But the more I lived with it, the more I realized that it's not just one person or situation. It's all the suppressed pain and anger from my past too. So writing that song was like a therapeutic experience.

As I was shooting the video, I cried for real and sang to the camera like it was everyone who had ever hurt me. I feel amazing wearing my heart on my sleeve. People can say what they want about me, but they can't say I'm not sincere. In the end, that's all that really matters.

Have you changed your stance on men with mustaches since the tender age of six?

Men, women, young, old - I don't really care anymore. People are not sexual beings for me really. I want to connect to the soul - the purest form of being. I wouldn't be surprised if I'd never get married and live in celibacy for the rest of my life. I just wanna be this crazy old lady with blue hair, living in some fairy house in the mountains and serving tea for all the pilgrims who happen to find my place. People are afraid of getting old, but I'm actually quite excited to get old. I feel like a crazy old hermit inside. One day I can actually look like it too. It's cool.

Happy belated birthday. How did you celebrate?

I hate times when I am supposed to be happy, you know? I don't drink alcohol, so the big 21 was kind of a joke. I had dinner with a bunch of people and then we went back to my room with this amazing band called Inner Party System and listened to their music until 3 am.


I have to be honest, I tried to backhand her a little bit (likely I'm just envious of her hot young hot youngness), but she handled herself with poise, intelligence and grace.

It's hard to picture Kerli as a youth in Estonia. She is clearly a bright and unique individual more at home somewhere like Berkley than a traditional, minuscule Eastern European country. I can't help but think she was destined to make her way to a cultural mainstream like Los Angeles, Stockholm, or Somewhere...