Kerli Kõiv (born February 7, 1987), better known mononymously as Kerli, is an Estonian recording artist.
She was signed to Island Def Jam Music Group in 2006 by LA Reid and in 2008, she released her debut album, "Love Is Dead" which charted at 126 on the Billboard 200 in July 2008 and at 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart the following month. The album contained the singles "Love Is Dead", "Walking on Air" and "Creepshow", with "Walking on Air" being the most notable. It charted at number seventy-five on the European Hot 100 and was featured twice on the United States television dance competition "So You Think You Can Dance?".
In 2010, she appeared on the "Almost Alice" album — music inspired by the film "Alice in Wonderland" — with the song "Tea Party" and the song "Strange" with Tokio Hotel.
The lead promotional single from her sophomore album, "Army of Love", was released for free via download on her official website on December 16, 2010 and the music video was officially released a week later. "Army of Love" peaked at number 1 for the week of May 7th, 2011 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It was released for purchase as a single on April 12, 2011. The album is not expected to be released until early fall of 2011.
Childhood
Kerli was born in Tartu County, Estonia in the municipality Elva, with a population of 5,000 during the Soviet occupation of Estonia which ended when she was four years old. Her mother was a social worker and her father was an auto mechanic. Her parents separated when she was 16. Kerli stated when she wrote "Supergirl", a song about domestic violence from her upcoming album, she "put [herself] in [her] mother's body and said things that [she] wished that [her mother] would've said to her dad when [she] was little". Her younger sister, Eliisa Kõiv is also a musician and competed in season three of Eesti otsib superstaari. Her great-great-grandmother, nicknamed "Beautiful May" for her beauty, was a maid to a duke in Germany, with whom she had a baby.
As a child, she studied ballroom dancing for eight years, practicing five days a week. She was first introduced to music by her kindergarten teacher when she told her mom that Kerli had "nice pitch" and that she was interested in taking her to various singing competitions. At 8 years old, Kerli gained interested in classical music and as there was an absence of music in her early life, she only possessed one cassette by Bonnie Tyler. She was also a big fan of The Spice Girls. She began writing stories, mini books, and poems at the age of 10 to escape from her "abusive" household to an "imaginary world". Despite being discouraged, Kerli dropped out of school at the age of 16 to pursue her musical career.
2002–05: Career beginnings
In 2002, Kerli competed in the singing competition Laulukarussell in the age group category 13–15 and on May 18, won with the song "Bridge over Troubled Water". Also in 2002, she lied about her age to enter the Baltic song contest Fizz Superstar, as the minimum age was fifteen. She ended up winning the contest, gaining a singing contract to Universal Sweden. She was later dropped as the person who signed her was fired. Later, the media in Estonia labeled failure as "Kerli Syndrome". Kerli has stated she feels no resentment towards her home country, as she told in a 2008 interview:
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No, I don’t feel any resentment. For a while, because I left Estonia and Estonians didn’t hear anything about me so all these Estonian young singers were like… I guess they’re slowly turning around now and understanding that I really was doing something here.
Kerli was later signed to an independent label founded by the person who was previously fired from Universal Sweden but the label went bankrupt. At the age of 16, Kerli moved to Stockholm where she competed in Melodifestivalen in 2003 but was eliminated in the second semifinals. In 2004, she was the runner-up in that year's Eurolaul – a televised competition that determines the song that will represent Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest – with her song "Beautiful Inside".
While in Stockholm for two years, she worked with numerous producers and due to lack of money as the contracts she had gained previously were unsuccessful, she ate nothing but rice for three months when she lived in an abandoned house during winter and slept on a cot. At the age of 18, she moved to the United States where she continued to perform and write songs, ultimately getting an audition with L.A. Reid, who signed her to Island Def Jam Music Group in 2006.
2006–09: Kerli EP and Love Is Dead
In 2006, Kerli signed a contract with Island Records. Kerli worked with producer, songwriter, and mixer David Maurice on an autobiographical set of songs, the first set of which were released on a self-titled EP in 2007 and her debut album, titled "Love Is Dead" released on July 8, 2008. The music video for the song "Love Is Dead" was released on February 29, 2008 and the music video for "Walking on Air" premiered on MTV Overdrive on May 20, 2008. Starting in mid-July 2008, "Walking on Air" got minimal rotation on Top 40 stations. "Walking On Air" was also the free "Single of the Week" on iTunes for the week of July 21, 2008.
During the 2008 season finale of "So You Think You Can Dance?", Fox used Kerli's video for "Walking on Air" for part of a commercial promoting their new show Fringe. Kerli also performed the song at the 2008 Scream Awards. Kerli's song "Creepshow" was used in the game Burnout Paradise for its in-game soundtrack and by Fox for its promotion of Fringe's April 7, 2009 return.
She was chosen to perform the theme for the 2008 videogame Quantum of Solace, "When Nobody Loves You." She also performs the song "Bulletproof" on the official soundtrack of Punisher: War Zone.
In 2009, Kerli performed at the Estonian music festival Õllesummer in Tallinn. On September 10, 2009 Island Def Jam announced Kerli's iPhone application and the first song, Saima was released the following month. Kerli re-released the single "The Creationist", which is a duet with the Italian songwriter Cesare Cremonini.
Kerli received an European Border Breakers Award for the success of the album Love Is Dead in Estonia.
2010–present: "Tea Party" and upcoming sophomore album
On March 2, 2010, "Almost Alice", a compilation album featuring music inspired by Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" was released. It contains two songs performed by Kerli, "Tea Party" and "Strange", the latter being a collaboration with Tokio Hotel. A remix maxi single of "Tea Party" was released on June 15, 2010. She covered the song "Nature Boy" for a promo for the tenth season of Smallville.
On December 19, 2010, Kerli performed a song in Estonian titled "Sa kuldeks jää" ("Stay Golden") at her Grandparents' art show in Estonia. Kerli has stated that she wishes to officially release the song in Estonia to gain local airplay.
Kerli is currently working on her second studio album. She has stated that she's developing a "new musical style called Bubble Goth" and that the "Love Is Dead" album was "really moody and dark and introverted, so this album is actually more fun, but it still has that twistedness" and that she's "trying to develop a whole new sound-scape that [she doesn't think she's] heard before". She has also said that it is a "a very strong album" about "overcoming the darkness in [her]..overcoming blaming the world for what's wrong...taking responsibility, being inspired and inspiring others." The album is slated for an early fall release. Currently, the only confirmed tracks are "When You Cry" (written by Kerli, Jean Baptiste–who co-wrote "Army of Love", Nick Marsh and Bonnie McKee) and "Supergirl". The song "Army of Love" was released for free via download on Kerli's official website. It was then released as a single for purchase on April 12, 2011. The song is currently being considered for promotion to become the album's lead single.
The music video for "Army of Love" was filmed over several days in Estonia during early November. The video "sets the undertone of [her] entire new album". It is directed by Kaimar Kukk (Caviar Productions). On December 1, Kerli began a series of five video blogs via AOL's PopEater blog that documented the production of the music video. "Army of Love" (the song) was released on December 16, 2010. The music video officially premiered on December 22, 2010. "Army of Love" peaked at number 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart for the week of 07 May, 2011.
Style and influences
She frequently cites Björk as a major influence and one of her favorite musicians and Sigur Rós as her favorite band. Among her other influences are Anouk, Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin.
BubbleGoth
After the release of "Love Is Dead", Kerli was labeled as "goth" and a disagreeing critic said she was more along the lines of "bubblegum goth". Kerli stated "that's exactly what I am" and that she was "going to take this concept and ... roll with it" and she created the derivative "BubbleGoth". Described by Kerli, BubbleGoth is "putting together light and dark, and ... opposites, and ... things that you don't really necessarily think ... go together."
Kerli cites the Spice Girls as being a major influence of BubbleGoth, which she stated is "like a gothic spice girl".
Public Image
She frequently wears three dots called "moon marks" that represent integrity, love and unity, three things that are also followed by Moon Children: an elaborated fan community/street team established by Kerli in 2006 for people who "feel too much and find it hard to exist in this world, so that they wouldn't think they're crazy." It originally began as a "gathering for Indigo kids" but developed into a "movement of Integrity, Love and Unity" which is "trying to be the best you can be, taking responsibility for your reality and living with your eyes open. It's not some religious preachy thing, rather being a passenger in this dimension, trying to make the most of your experience and striving for perfection while understanding it's okay not to be perfect."
In regards to LGBT rights, she has stated that she wishes "the world would already be in a place where everyone is equally able to marry, adopt and live their life without having to explain themselves" and that it is "not a matter of political views, it's a matter of human rights. All humans need to have equal rights, straight or gay. As long as one likes to go to church and believe in god and that makes them a better, nicer person, that's great. Once hatred and superiority comes to play, I'm against religion."
While not belonging to any religion, nor labeling herself as such, Kerli believes in reincarnation as well as other forms of life after death, fairies, angels and demons, although once defining them as "reflections" of one's "inner light" and "inner darkness" respectively. However, besides thanking her guardian angels in the liner notes for "Love Is Dead", she has also stated she feel angels are beings, as well as using angel oracle cards.
She also strongly opposes censorship.
In 2011, Kerli was listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Estonian Women.
Personal Life
Kerli has five tattoos. At the age of 15, Kerli asked her mother for a tattoo that states "music" in Chinese ("音乐"). Dubious, her mother told her that if she read "every book ... in town" on China and did a report on it, she would allow her to get the tattoo. Kerli did as requested and her mother took her to get the tattoo the day before her 16th birthday. She has two tattoos on her forearm: one of a butterfly which symbolizes "living everyday like it was [her] last" and that she would never "leave a person that [she loves] without them knowing how much [she loves] them" and the other tattoo states in Latin "Amicus Humani Generis" which Kerli translates "a friend of the human race." On her left forearm, again Latin, states "Agnus Dei" which Kerli translates "a servant of God." On her right foot, she has the letter "E", an initial of someone who "broke her heart."
Kerli currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Curiosities
- I cry a lot.
- Also for reasons of joy and sadness.
- I have at least 5 personalities.
- Crowds make me anxious, except when I'm on stage.
- I hear colors, I see sounds.
- I believe in fairies.
- I change my mind 5 in 5 minutes.
- If I can't write music for more than two days I'll go crazy.
- I never feel that I am part of the world.
- I feel very uncomfortable with the human experience.
- I like bad movies. I am extremely ambitious.
- I'm crazy for food.
- I love everything that shines.
- I grew up in the middle of a forest in Estonia.
- I believe that love is one of the most powerful weapons, but not because I'm naive because I tried to fight with everything else and failed.
- I can't live without black eyeliner.
- I love songs of only one word.
- I believe that everything happens for a reason, but that everything that happens around us is a reflection of who we are or what we need to learn.
- The things that I carry out in my suitcase make guards airport feel ahshamed.
- I try to face my country as a fortress and not a victim.
- I love candies.
- The most important thing I have is my laptop. If there was a fire and I had to choose between my cat and my laptop, I would save my laptop.
- My music is where my life is.
An Introduction to new fans
Not sure if you guys realized that these "dots" that Kerli always has in her photos/videos/etc. They aren't simple points, they're called as MoonMarks, which translated is: Marks of the moon And what are those marks? Are brands which Moonchildren use. And what are the Sons of the Moon? Are people in this world to fight for ILU = Integrity, Love and Unity. Or I Love U. And ILU also means BEAUTY, in Estonian. So the marks of the moon are three points.
Hope you guys - new fans - understand that Kerli isn't just another singer in the market. It goes much further.
That's right! Kerli's sophomore record is most likely being released in July or August of 2011! I'll post more info when details are announced. WHO'S EXCITED?
We now have an approximate release date for Kerli's next album!
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Most Americans have never heard of Kerli, an Estonian pop artist signed with Def Jam Recordings, though she is well known in her home country and was recently named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Estonian Women.
Though her promotional single "Army of Love" from her upcoming second album hit number four on Billboard's Hot Dance/Club Songs chart for the week of April 16, it is uncertain whether Kerli will be accepted into the mainstream American music scene, since her "Bubble Goth" aesthetic differs so dramatically from most listeners' expectations.
With a cult-like following, Kerli calls her fans "MoonChildren" because they abide by her mantra of integrity, love and unity.
"'Bubble Goth' is the scene that I'm creating with the MoonChildren," she said. "'Bubble Goth' is just as much a sound as it is visual or fashion. It's all about putting together light and dark, cute and hard, the opposites. Putting an unexpected twist on everything."
The official "MoonChildren" symbol is a teddy bear named I-Loo who "is actually our guardian angel who we collectively named," she said. "He is wearing a gas mask to protect innocence."
In her earlier album "Love is Dead," Kerli said, "my writing process was very introverted — it was just me and music. With the new album I'm going out into the world and trying to tap into what people are feeling and thinking."
Since then, Kerli's sound has switched from slow instrumental chanting/soft rock/pop to upbeat, techno pop. Her second, currently unnamed album was inspired by artists like Enya and "90s Euro-trash like Aqua" and is set to release in late summer or early fall of this year. Her lyrics are inspired by Estonian cultural elements, which include nymphs and fairies.
Some listeners might be put off by Kerli's "Bubble Goth" movement, but maybe the generation that accepted the weirdness of Lady Gaga and Rihanna will accept Kerli as a household name too.
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Eminem, Coldplay, Foo Fighters and Kerli To Headline 2011 Lollapalooza
The lineup for the 2011 Lollapalooza Festival has been announced, and, as expected, it’s chock-full of big names.
Eminem, Coldplay, and Foo Fighters are among the biggest names selected to headline the three-day music bash, taking place August 5-7 at Chicago’s Grant Park.
Cee-Lo Green, Muse, Cold War Kids, Kerli, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, and a solo Patrick Stump are just a few other names announced for the festival.
The complete lineup and ticket information can be found at the official Lollapalooza website.
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Kerli is going to give a presentation at a restaurant/nightclub very famous in Hollywood called Eleven. The performance will take place on May 20th (next Friday) at 9pm.
But the amazing thing is that no one else, none other than Kylie Minogue will be there too, and make a presentation shortly after Kerli. It's not known which songs Kerli will sing.
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Soo, we’ve been waiting for about 2 and a half year on your second album. How is it all going? What have you planned? I’m very excited
Oh, I have so many things planned for it! It’s kind of a concept album, that’s why I haven’t given away the title yet or the story but I’ve been crafting it carefully for 2 years now.
For this new music, I’ve become a student of human behavior. I’ve restlessly gone out to the world to study their feelings and thoughts and what they’re up to. I call it “gathering”. Then I go home, switch my phone off, don’t see anyone for 3 days and write and program. Sometimes I find a title I need and write like 5 songs with the same title until I nail it. One of my favorite songs from the album actually, I wrote like 5 versions of it before I wrote the right one.
I tried to make it this one spectrum of colors: whites, pastels and metal. Now I need this one song that is really dark blue and purple and I’m working on this one that is all red. Although I really don’t like red in music, I feel like I need this kind of a song for live stuff. I see music in colors so I don’t know if any of what I’m saying is making any sense. lol.
This album is really about overcoming struggle but it sounds really positive and although I know some fans are expecting the same darkness that Love is Dead had, I just can’t do it anymore. I’m in such an amazing place. I wanna write stuff that makes people feel like they’re winning. It’s not like self-congratulatory party music but it’s noticing everything beautiful and celebrating all the aspects of life.
When it comes to sounds, it has some dance in it, it has some hip hop, it has some rock. I’ve been listening to a lot of church and choir music for inspiration as well as classical and healing music. Also getting inspiration from cartoons, anime and computer games for the sounds. And a massive touch on the whole thing is super trashy euro music from the 90′s like Aqua and all these people with neon colored hair and insane cartoon lyrics.
So it’s like music about some pretty dark stuff like domestic violence and personal struggle – the struggle of wanting to make art I believe in, the struggle of being a girl in a world where women still earn less and get less respect than guys, the struggle of being a human.
But when you listen to the music, u’re not thinking about the struggle..you’re overcoming it with me.
I’m trying to write music where I win so u could sing along and win in your head as well. And then go out to the world and spread that light and be a blessing to every person that comes in contact with you.
Is your image created and inspired by you or did someone say, “Hey, I think this would suit you”, type of thing. How does it all come about? Your beautiful all the time, but are you always gothic in your private life?
My image is just a reflection of who I am at the time. And since I’ve been able to deliver visuals that people seem to dig, my label doesn’t even give me advice in that department anymore. I just do what I want. All my photoshoots I do with my best friend in his house. I do the hair, make up and make the clothes and he’ll shoot and edit. Then we just give it to the label and my team and they’re usually like “ok”. At first when I wanted to do “out there” kind of stuff, they were all freaked out cause crazy visual stuff wasn’t mainstream yet when walking on air came out. But now I have total freedom.
It’s funny when people compare my style to other girls in pop cause I don’t even have a stylist or a creative director or anything. I make everything you see.
It hasn’t been a choice of mine..it’s kinda just happened out of necessity. I didn’t have anyone on board throwing money at me so i had to figure out how to create outfits and pictures and videos and content by myself. I write and produce and even all the nitty girtty stuff like behind the scenes videos etc – I edit in my laptop.
I’m kinda like the amish people versus the modern society. When the internet disappears, the world is gonna go to **** but the people that have figured out how to generate their own electricity, how to grow their own food are gonna be fine.
So yea, you can add layers to my stuff by throwing more money into it and putting me in the room with the best of the best to elevate everything but if that’s not happening, nothing is gonna happen to me and what I do because I’m completely self sufficient and do all this stuff anyway regardless of who’s on board or how many people are watching.
Hey kerli my life’s a mess and I feel like I can Get some really good advice from you,so if you can take your time and answer me id appteciate it ^_^ I’m a gay fourteen y/o and I come from a Christian family and I heard that since I’m gay I’m going to hell
No baby. You’re not going to hell. You can love whoever you want. There is nothing wrong with you at all. We’re all going to heaven. This right here kinda is heaven too, if we choose to see it<3
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Some days ago Kerli performed "Army Of Love", "DollFace" and "SuperGirl" to Cambio.com.
Army Of Love
DollFace
SuperGirl
This is all the information I have for now, but keep a lookout for more soon!
In the meantime, check out some more pictures of a recent Kerli's photoshoot!
We also know:
4 confirmed tracks ("When You Cry", "Army of Love", "SuperGirl" and "DollFace")
And in case, if you haven't seen Army Of Love's video.
I LOVE Kerli but honestly, the lolita-bubblegoth thing is going to be off-putting to American mainstream. Gaga is weird, but culturally relevant. That's the difference between Gaga's "weirdness" and Kerli's "weirdness". Gaga represents fame and the gay rights movement, both of which are big things in the US. Unfortunately, the masses of America are far too narrow minded to accept an artist like Kerli. There aren't enough people that can relate to "bubblegoth".
Sadly, people are just going to label her as a GaGa wannabe, even though that's further from the truth. I wish her the best of luck with this new "Bubblegoth" movement!
I love Kerli and her music so much. I really hope she makes it big in America. I've always felt that she is the more hardcore version of The Fame era Lady Gaga (I know that she hates the comparison, though, and I'm on her side with it), even though Kerli was doing it before Gaga. But you know what I mean. She incorporates all of this crazy, beautiful, weird fashion into her videos and performances, and it's just amazing to watch. I just don't know if America will be as accepting of her music, since it is a little... different. But I guess everybody has to keep an open mind, seeing as just 5 years ago, there weren't songs like "Only Girl", "Born This Way", "Hold It Against Me", etc. on the radio. The music scene is constantly changing and evolving.
Sadly, people are just going to label her as a GaGa wannabe, even though that's further from the truth. I wish her the best of luck with this new "Bubblegoth" movement!
Right? That's what sucks, most people I know DO label her as a Gaga wannabe. But Kerli was out first, and she was doing the futuristic fashion and white hair with bangs first. No Gaga shade intended at all. Gaga was just the first one to make that whole weird, fun, futuristic thing popular in America.
I am noticing that Kerli's style has changed alot since her last era, though. It's more edgy and dark now than before. So hopefully, that's what her new era will be like.
I've been waiting for the release of her second LP . I didn't know that AOL had charted that high . I've been in love with her since I heard Love Is Dead and I'm already in love with the new songs she performed at SXSW . Though, I don't think that she'll have that much success in America, because people are always going to be quick to compare her to Gaga -_-
Me likey a little, her song "Walking On Air", it's hypnotizing She reminds me so much of Natasha Bedingfield! I'll wait to see if I like more of her songs later on .......