ADORE (Songwriting magazine)

8/13/2019 ADORE (Songwriting magazine)

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Whats Your Inspiration+Ester Dean +2012 Songwriting Contest + Rocafella Records

The Craft of Music

Issue 1/ Jan 2013

$9.99


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Kimbra!

Whats Your Inspiration +Ester Dean + 2012 Songwriting Contest +Rocafella Records

The Craft of Music

America newes ongbird$9.99


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ADORE Interviewwith KIMBRA :Page 4

How I Started: Esther Dean opens upabout her rise to fame :Page 10

What Inspires You: Find out whatthe ADORNERS nd inspiring from

fashion to art : Page 15

Contest of the month: 2012International Songwriting Competition: Page 17

DECODE: Discover the meaning behindthe lyrics: Page 19

FASHION/ART Decode:Explore themeaning behind the latest inspirations

for Art 2 Wears spring showcase:Page 20

Own Your Own: How to publish yourwork and get credit for your talents :

Page 22

Own It: Find out more about the latestedgy production software CONTROL andwhat the experts are saying about it:Page 24

Spotlight Highlight:Introducingrising Youtube star Ruth Penado:

Page 26

Social Song:Check out the mostliked and played songs from ouronline site :Page 29

Label It:Explore the world ofRocafella Records and get an

inside look into their studio inNew York City : Page 31

History: Who is the mostprolic songwriter of the past

decade? Examine a list of the

most successful songwriterssince 2002: Page 35


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KIMBRA JOHNSONhas had a whirlwind of a year. From ahit single with Gotye (Somebody That I Used To Know) to playing her rst shows

in the US, Johnson has been on one wild ride. The 22-year-old New Zealander is

releasing her debut album, Vows, Stateside with ve new tracks today. Johnson

has been making music since her early teens, but really came into her own when

she had the chance to move to Australia, where she continued her musical pursuits

and was able to produce music that is funky, soulful, and full of fun.

Besides the ubiquitous Gotye duet, Johnson has recently come out with

another collaboration, this time with Mark Foster (of Foster the People) and A-Trak,

in support of Converse: Warrior, which ties nicely into the tour that Johnson will

be embarking upon with Foster the Peoplethis summer. We spoke with Kimbra

Johnson about her signature style, creating an album based on promises, and

being naked and covered in body paint.

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By: Ilana Kaplan


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ILANA KAPLAN: How did you meet Wally (Gotye)?

KIMBRA JOHNSON: I met Wally through a producer called Franois Tetaz.

I was working with him on my record at the time, and so was Wally. I was

a really big fan of his work, and Franois introduced me. We didnt keep in

touch for a few years, until he called me and asked me to sing on the song

with him. Obviously, that was a really exciting opportunity for me. I jumped at

the chance to work with him, and its ancient history, as they say.

KAPLAN: Your album is coming out very soon. What were some of your

inuences on it?

JOHNSON: Oh, they range all the way from Prince and Michael Jackson to

Minnie Riperton. I also listen to a lot of Stevie Wonder and Rufus Wainwright.

Also, on a more modern tip, Ive been inuenced by the Dirty Projectors and

tUnE-yArDs for their uses of amazing vocal work and layering. I also love the

Japanese producer Cornelius. A lot of lms as well, that I was watching at the

time.

KAPLAN: You were touring with Gotye. Youre about to embark upon a tour

with Foster the People. What are you most looking forward to on the tour?

JOHNSON: Yeah thats right. Im looking forward to playing some pretty iconicvenues like Red Rocks and Merriweather Post Pavilion. These are places

that Ive watched live DVDs of some of my favorite bands playing. That will

be great. Im looking forward to hanging out with those guys more because

theyre so much fun. I think its going to be a fun, little touring group.

KAPLAN: Did you always want to be a musician, or did it just kind of happen?

JOHNSON: I was doing it from such a y oung age. I was writing songs and

picked up a guitar at 13 or 14. So, it was always a thing that I had loved to have

done, but I didnt necessarily think I could do it. I prepared to go to university. I

didnt know if I would have the opportunity, but then I got offered this amazing

management contract with my manager, who is now one of my best friends. We

started working on my record, and at the age of 17, it was a chance to move to

Australia and get into it. I think that was the point where I realized, Wow, I might

actually make this a career. It sounded very cool to pursue it; to do something

really good with the thing I love to do most.

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ABOVE: KIMBRA JOHNSON.PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY SMITH


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KAPLAN: Why did you choose Vows as your record title?

JOHNSON:I listened back to a lot of the songs and realized that a lot of them

referenced the idea of promises or attachment, or also breaking promises or

detaching yourself from something. So, it was kind of this duality of making

commitments to either yourself or something else and how complicated that

can be. Vows felt like an appropriate title because it was a word that summedup a lot of things on t he record.

KAPLAN: You are obviously a very stylish musician. Where do you get your

style inspiration from?

JOHNSON: I dont follow the runway or anything, but as a kid I loved odd-

shopping. I loved going into a vintage shop and picking out an outt that felt

really exciting, different and colorful. Theres something about the shape of the

50s that I really love, that kind of theatrical look of a full-bodied skirt. I watched

a lot of Disney lms as a kid, and I think that idea of fantasy, whimsical and

escapist costuming, is exciting to me. Its really quite simple, but I know what I

like. Its not so much about following any kind of trends, if that makes sense.

KAPLAN: What was it like being naked and covered in paint in the

Somebody That I Used to Know music video?

JOHNSON: It was really a crazy experience. I had experienced body-painting

before, because of my album cover art. That was before I did the Gotye video.

I knew what it entailed, and I was sort of used to it. It was a whole other

experience because of how long I had to stand there. And obviously, being

naked in front of people who you just met. At the end of the day, we were there

to make a piece of art, and I think that is the drive behind it all.

KAPLAN: What does it feel like to have this song (Somebody That I Used To

Know) blow up around the word?

JOHNSON: Its pretty crazy. I only started to realize how big the song is in the

last six months because Ive been so busy and so has Gotye. Its not like we

go online and check where its at every day. Its more people telling us. You

kind of get this feeling of, Wow, this is really taking off. I think the moment

where I realized that was at Coachella. We went out t o sing that song and Iliterally couldnt hear myself sing because people were singing the song so

loud. It really hit me that this song is connected to people in a way t hat a song

maybe hasnt in a long time. I feel pretty blessed to have been a part of it: that

whole journey.

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ABOVE: KIMBRA JOHNSON.PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYAN HILL


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Ester Deansounds every bit as cheery as the kids shes singing to onLet It Grow, the uplifting cut and lead single from 3-D animated lm Dr.

Seuss The Lorax(in theaters today). The 24-year-old Oklahoma native and

Los Angeles transplant is not just a singer. Shes also responsible for writing

major hits for stars like Nicki Minaj, Beyonc, Us her, and Rihanna.

While she was in New York City working on her forthcoming debut album,

Dean checked in with Complex to talk about working on The Lorax, as well

as the stories behind some of her biggest records. She even revealed the

thought process that frees her up from getting too attached to songs she

writes and sells. Songwriting may not be the worlds oldest profession, but

there are certain similarities between the music game and the pimp game.

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ABOVE: ESTER DEAN.PHOTO COURTESY OF CRAIG BEAM

By: Brad Wete


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On The Lorax single Let It Grow:I just got to see the movie, so its actually nice that I know what the movie is

now. They have a lot of different songs in the movie, and one of them is called

Let It Grow. It has all of the characters singing a song about letting the trees

grow. Then they needed a pop version of something like thata version that

could go on the radio. So I came in and Tricky [Stewart] asked me to do a

song. They took it to me at 8 oclock at night, I gave it back to them at 8 oclockin the morning. That really threw them for a loop. I dont think they thought I

worked that hard or that fast. Thats how I do it. As long as somebody gives me

something and I like ityou know what Im saying? Ill do it really fast.

In L.A.thats where I liveI go walking in the trails and walk through the trees

and stuff like that. And its so crazy because that week before they sent it, I had

been trying to write little freaky songs and just different songs that I normally

write and I just couldnt. I was just wondering why I couldnt get out what I

wanted to get out. And it wasnt that I was trying to get out that, I was just trying

to get out something. And when that song came I sung it and my mom came in,

and my sister came in, and it was like an experience for me. I got to say what I

believe in. Even though theyre talking about seeds, Im talking about planting

seeds in the state of the mind and letting them grow. Because I believe in mind

states, you know? Somebody can say something good to you and somebody

can say something bad to you, but at the end of the day those are all seeds. So

I was coming from that place.

I also did [a soundtrack cut for the movie] Rio. I did Let Me Take You to Rio.

Its so funny because I never mean to sing the songsall these songs that you

hear are demos. Theyre demos, and when the movie people get it they have

other people sing it. Once they hear the difference, theyre like, Ah well, can

we keep Ester on it? Like, Let it Grow, I sang that for somebody else. And then

they came back to me. I wrote the end-title song for Ice Age: Continental Drift,

so thats coming out. And with that one, its going to have the cast in it, and then

I got a part in that movie. But, its all demos.

On her solo career:As of right now we have Gimme Money and its featuring Nicki Minaj. Ive been

working on my album for like two months, and the thing is, I write songs every

day. So, all we do is look at the songs and see which ones belong to me. And I

could have written something super, super hot. But if its a better t for anotherartist, Ill give it away. Were about to work Gimme Money. So Gimme Money is

my single already. Its a song that I was getting ready to put out. And [manage-

ment] was, like OK, but you cant just have one single. So I had to hold Gimme

Money from the time that I wanted to put it out, and I had to go back in there

and I had to really work. And I had to stop focusing on any other artists, and

start focusing on myself. So if any artist comes out now, and they have my song,

it was probably sold to them a while ago.

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ABOVE: ESTER DEAN.PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL JEAN

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ADORE (Songwriting magazine)