Kari Kimmel - March 2009 Flower-Powered Artist @ KGRL.fm.

Like this artist? Click here to tune in to our stream and discover NEW Artists.

Official Website: http://www.karikimmel.com
Myspace Page: http://www.myspace.com/karikimmel

For an independent solo artist, Kari Kimmel has done an astounding job of putting herself out there. If success for an indie singer/songwriter can be measured by the number of TV, movie, and ad placements then Kari goes above and beyond the success that most artists in the same category achieve. It is our honor to present our March 2009 Flower-Powered Artist, Kari Kimmel.

Kari Kimmel grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. She became fascinated with singing at an early age of three. She took piano lessons when she was six and voice lessons when she was ten - quitting both lessons not too long after she started taking them. It was quite apparent, at such a young age, that she wanted to do things her own way. She never gave up the idea of singing and playing the piano despite quitting the lessons proper. She made her first public performance by singing in school at age 12. Songwriting came next and it didn't take long, as she wrote her first song at age 13. And of course, the band phase came in at age 14. She took on the role of the band's lead singer. This was just the beginning of her musical career.

Fast forward to the year 2000, when she signed her first record deal with Atlantic records. She signed a year-long contract that abruptly ended when she decided to leave because she realized her record was not going to be released any time soon. She then signed a publishing deal with Chrysalis Music and a new record deal with Virgin records. She was more hopeful than ever because the president of Virgin records would be the one to personally produce her record. Alas, her hopes soon faded as the president was fired from the label. With the new president, 25 artists were dropped, including Kari.

All was not lost as she got to release her debut album, A Life In The Day, under her publishing deal with Chrysalis Music. The record was released on September 14, 2006. Kari became so adept in songwriting that she also wrote for other artists during the writing sessions for her own solo album. One of the songs written during that time is titled I Could, which became a successful hit single for American Idol Kimberly Locke. Another notable was The Backstreet Boy’s comeback single in 2005, titled Incomplete. Shortly after the release of the album, Kari opted out of her publishing deal.

Failed record and publishing deals wouldn't deter the singer/songwriter from furthering her musical career. Perhaps things happen for a reason. Kari finally decided to do everything on her own, both the business and musical sides of her career. Since then, she has managed to have her songs placed in an astonishing number of TV, movies and advertisements.

Kari has written and performed songs for movies such as "Wall*E," “White Chicks,” “Ella Enchanted,” “Shall We Dance,” “Dreamgirls,” and “The Cutting Edge II.” She sang the theme song and performed her first music video “It’s Not Just Make Believe” for the movie Ella Enchanted. She also had her songs played on numerous television shows including: “8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter,” “The Gilmore Girls,” “The Young and the Restless,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Laguna Beach,” “The Hills,” "The 'L' Word," and most recently, her music video for "Low" was being used in promotion of "Private Practice." Aside from that, she can also be seen singing the National Jello and Sara Lee/ High School Musical 3 commercials.

Kari independently released a new EP titled Pink Balloon on December 4, 2008. Some of the new songs present a stark contrast to the debut, bearing a new happy-sounding Kari Kimmel. Pink Balloon EP is an introduction to the upcoming full-length album of the same title that is coming out sometime in 2009.

KGRL is very proud to present our March 2009 Flower-Powered Artist, Kari Kimmel. Enjoy an exclusive performance shot in high-definition video and audio. Be sure to read our CD review of A Life In The Day as well as our EP review of Pink Balloon then marvel at the professionally-shot photos taken by our dear friend Jeff Koga. Our feature wouldn't be complete without a comprehensive interview, so go and check it out in any format that'll best suit you: video, audio, & transcribed form.

As per our usual monthly feature, we are giving away 3 signed A Life In The Day CDs! Just e-mail me at contests [at] kgrl.fm and tell us why you deserve to win. Don't forget that you can request a FREE copy of the FPA live session DVDs as well!

KGRL recently sat down with LA-based singer / songwriter Kari Kimmel for a comprehensive interview right after our KGRL FPA Live Sessions held at The Alley Studio - 12.22.08.

Watch the exclusive Kari Kimmel video interview using the player below!
*The player uses Javascript - be sure to enable it in your browsers.

Kari Kimmel Video Interview (Click to launch the player!)
You can use the "pause" "back" and "forward" buttons to skip back or forward each of the Q&As.
This video is embeddable - you can use it on your blogs, myspace, website, etc.!

Having trouble viewing the video interview? Hit this link for IE7 Users!

Listen to Kari Kimmel's responses in High Quality MP3 Stream using the player below:

Transcription excerpt from the interview:

KGRL: Why did you name your album A Life In The Day?

Kari: No one's asked me that question in a while, but the reason was because there is the typical saying "a day in the life", and when you really think about that -- I tend to think about things extremely deeply and like analyze everything -- so when I started thinking about a day in the life I felt like my life was more a life in the day, meaning that -- this is very hard to explain but in my own way I'll do my best -- I'm the life and I'm going through this day and no matter what happens, whether things are blowing up around me, I think that obviously you're affected by things around you but your own happiness and your attitude is really dependent on yourself, and I think that it's easy to be affected by a lot of things that are going on around you and difficult things but I think really ultimately you have control over your life and over how you react to things and how you act and I think that's really what it meant as far as a life in the day. No matter what the day brings, this life is going to be controlled by myself and I'm going to determine the outcome of it. That's really what it means.

KGRL: How do you feel when you listen to A Life In The Day these days?

Kari: That record? Well I don't listen to it that much anymore. I think in the beginning I listened to it so much because we were mixing and we were editing and we were copying. You know, we were doing the whole thing of finishing the record and I listened to it so much I probably got burned out. Every once in a while I'll go back and listen to a song or two. I'm very proud of it. I think I've developed into somebody not completely different, but definitely my music has evolved since then so I feel like I'm a bit of a different person than I was when I did that record. But I'm very proud of it and that's who I was at the time and that's what I was going through and it was a very honest and true reflection of me and so I wouldn't change a thing about it, but I would do a completely different record now, which is what I'm doing.

KGRL: In your new EP, Pink Balloon, we noticed a difference in your songwriting style. Are there any new influences that affected the way you write music recently?

Kari: Yeah, I think overall -- I mean there are definitely some songs on the record like Remember that are a little more serious and a little more introspective, maybe a little bit similar to my older record -- but for the most part my newer record is very carefree and happy and it's a little more positive, I think, than my older record.

Actually, Remember is a happy song even though it's very piano-driven and very emotional. It's about somebody who met someone and they fell for that other person but it was so soon into the relationship that they didn't know where it was going to go and so they're saying no matter what happens I'm going to remember it all. So it's actually a positive song. The other songs on the EP so far are just really happy....I did a music video for one of them and the biggest comment that comes back is you watch that music video and you have to smile, which is good because that's what I want. I think that's a big part of my personality that I want to convey, and so that's how this record is probably a little different than the first one.

-> READ the full transcript along with high/low quality mp3 of the Interview by Clicking Here! <-

It took us over two years to finally get to review the debut album of Kari Kimmel. A Life In The Day was released on September 14, 2006 but that won't stop us from sharing our experience with the album. And besides to those who do not yet own the album, this might be the review to change your mind.

To Make You Smile opens the album on a high note and indeed it will make anyone who loves pop music smile in appreciation. The full-band arrangement softens the blow of the tragic love story told within the song. It's the power of Kari's voice that jabs into the emotional side, presenting a heartbreak ballad in an unconventional way - and it works. It's a very good song and a worthy introduction to the music of Kari Kimmel.

If To Make You Smile failed to melt your heart, Seattle surely will succeed. An emotional tour de force, Seattle never backs down on tugging the heartstrings. The song was written when Kari was in a relationship with someone from Seattle, which explains how heartfelt the song sounds. The simple piano-based arrangement helps highlight the melody and emotional weight of the vocal delivery. It may not be the most downloaded Kari Kimmel song but this song is one that her fans will surely remember her by.

Admittedly, Kari felt that some of the songs on her debut album have a country feel to them. The third and last tracks, respectively titled Makin A Change and Fly, are the culprit. Both tracks have that distinctive twangy sound that permeates most country songs. Some people won't mind the presence of these songs but it definitely drags the album to a whole new territory and dilutes the cohesiveness of the record.

The fourth track, Didn't You See The Movie, is the song that made it into the Walt Disney – Pixar animated movie Wall-E. If you were not yet sold on the two robots falling in love in the movie, then hearing this song in the movie soundtrack will spark your imagination. Music has a way of turning even the most mundane scene in a movie into something memorable. This song also initiates a string of catchy pop tracks in the same high caliber, Notice Me and Sing Your Song. All three tracks are presented as well-polished recordings and are quite memorable. Kari's brilliance in writing solid pop hits is something most mainstream pop artists lack.

Dreamer is the most downloaded song of Kari Kimmel. This piano-driven ballad was co-written with Eric Foster White, who has written for artists like Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, and Whitney Houston. While it's admirable that it became a download sensation and was co-written by an established songwriter, it feels a bit bland compared to the stellar ballads on the record.

The next track Little Emily, written about a girl who took the risk of moving to a big city to pursue a career and failed, was inspired by the situation of some aspiring artists whom Kari met when she moved to Los Angeles. It's almost always a winner when a song was written from experiences and this song proves it. It starts out with a piano and effectively transitions into a full-band sound by the first chorus. It's a marvelously-constructed non-love-themed composition that is heightened another notch by Kari's strong vocal work with emphasis on the pristine and flawless high notes.

While the theme of the next track, titled The End Of Me And You, is about ending a relationship, this one is not your sob-inducing tear-jerker ballad. Instead, we are treated to an appetizing upbeat pop rocker with a matching voice strewn with strong conviction. I wasn't expecting quite a rocker song in this record. I was pleasantly surprised upon hearing one.

Remember me telling you about a string of three catchy pop tracks in the record earlier? I found the fourth song that belongs to the same high caliber pop with the song Nice To Know. It's nice to know and be constantly reminded throughout this record that Kari is so adept at writing gorgeous melodies with catchy hooks.

The album should have ended with the next track, Fallen Awake. Fallen Awake sounds so serene and gives a full sense of closure to an album chock-full of superb pop / ballad tracks. It's every ounce as emotionally-wrenching as the song Seattle. This song is definitely a personal favorite.

With an album as strong as Kari Kimmel's A Life In The Day, it's crystal clear why it's so easy for Kari to sell her songs for use in TV, movie and advertisements. The album is over two years old now, but don't let that stop you from adding A Life In The Day to your music collection. The gems on this record are timeless.

Buy A Life In The Day on Amazon.com MP3 Downloads(Click Here)!

Buy A Life In The Day on CD Baby(Click Here)!

Buy A Life In The Day on iTunes (Click Here)!

Tracklist:

To Make You Smile
Seattle
Makin A Change
Didn't You See The Movie
Notice Me
Sing Your Song
Dreamer
Little Emily
The End Of Me & You
Nice To Know
Fallen AWake
Fly

It's a delightful treat to hear a teaser of what Kari has in store for 2009 in the form of Pink Balloon EP. The new EP, released on December 4, 2008, represents a change in the way Kari writes music. Just what is it that makes Pink Balloon EP different, you ask?

We're off to a good start with the song Low. Low introduces us to the merry happy-sounding Kari Kimmel. This track makes good use of the full-band sound delivering upbeat melodic pop. And unlike the songs found on Kari's debut, Low is neither rock- nor country-sounding. It's just pure upbeat pop bliss. The song received its fair share of well-deserved exposure when the TV show Private Practice used it for promotion.

The title track Pink Balloon continues the happy pop sensation with a gentle breeze of acoustic melody. According to Kari, the whole song was written in about 5 minutes. It's true what they say: songs written in the shortest time usually turn out exceptionally-well. Pink Balloon has a laid-back and simplistic arrangement that focuses on a relaxing sound. Curious instruments, like the glockenspiel, enhances the happy mood.

Unlike the first two tracks, Remember is firmly planted in the sound of the debut album. Remember is a piano-driven ballad that produces the same chilling effect as Seattle and Fallen Awake. And while Kari raises a point that the lyrics actually draw on a happier experience, we still can't help but categorize this song amongst the emotional stunners from A Life In The Day.

Kari's version of Roxette's hit It Must Have Been Love follows up Remember's emotional overdrive. Honestly though, I'm still really tired of the original, which is why I approached Kari's version with hesitation. Upon hearing it though, I applaud Kari for keeping her version pure and simple. It makes the song much more intimate, and ultimately more emotional than the original.

The EP comes to an end with the song Great Big World, which is another happy pop song - perhaps the happiest-sounding track of all. This acoustic-guitar-driven track comes close to sounding like a children's song, and maybe it is after all. We can appreciate a good children's song every now and then, e.g. Lisa Loeb's Camp Lisa. Need I say that this song ends with a chorus of children's voices? I guess that seals the deal.

It's almost always a good thing when artists break out of their mold to offer something new to their listeners. In Pink Balloon EP, Kari Kimmel continues to deliver sensible pop songs with great hooks. But that's not all; this time around there are streaks of merry happy tunes that gives us an insight into Kari's mood. Maybe it's because she's happy with what she has accomplished thus far by doing everything on her own. Whatever the reason for Kari's happy streak, we look forward to her new record with a great big smile.

Buy Pink Balloon EP on Amazon.com MP3 Downloads(Click Here)!

Buy Pink Balloon EP on CD Baby(Click Here)!

Buy Pink Balloon EP on iTunes (Click Here)!

Tracklist:

Low
Pink Balloon
Remember
It Must Have Been Love
Great Big World

These wonderfully detailed photos were taken on the day of the session by our good friend Jeff Koga.

Live Session

KGRL proudly presents another installment of our FPA Live Sessions monthly series. This month we present the LA-based singer / songwriter Kari Kimmel. The streams can be viewed using our embedded flash player. We do hope you enjoy these wonderful exclusive videos shot in high-def video and audio. There is also a 720p (1280 x 720 resolution) high-definition video of Kari Kimmel's Seattle.

*(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman is a cover of a 1967 single released by Aretha Franklin co-written by the writing-producing team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin.

And remember, those of you who support the station by donations can request a copy of the DVD. Click here for more information on how to obtain the DVD!

*The flash videoplayer uses Javascript - be sure to enable it in your browsers.

Seattle	To Make You Smile	One Day You'll Be Fine
A Natural Woman	Little Emily	Pink Balloon

Great Big World

*Seatle performance is available in 720p High-Definition WMV-HD format.
Click here to view this video in HD!
(Warning: File size is 91.4Mb and requires WMV codec for Mac and Linux)

WMV Codecs:
For Mac - Flip4Mac
For Linux - http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/download/

Feature Credits:

Huge thanks to our March 2008 FPA, Kari Kimmel!
Photos by Jeff Koga.