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Kari Kirkland

Performing on flying trapeze and aerial bungee came naturally to vocalist Kari Kirkland, a former Ironman Triathlete competitor and daughter of an Olympic-drafted swimmer. “Live music is not unlike Flying Trapeze; one must be confident, fully engaged, and ideally, joyful.” says the former co-owner of Emerald City Trapeze Arts. After eight years in Seattle working as a professional circus artist, the mystery of the Southern California desert beckoned. She left the dazzle of the circus and the death-defying practice behind to become a full-time musician. Kari remarks, “There is inherent magic in the desert… a stillness and an energy that coexist like nowhere else on earth. What better place to be an artist?”

Kari’s debut album, Wild is the Wind, was inspired in part by David Bowie’s performance of the title track. “It’s been one of my favorite songs since I was 18”, says Kari. “I heard an interview with Bowie where he considered his version (an homage to Nina Simone), to be the closest to his ‘true’ voice ever recorded. I had a chance meeting with him in Vancouver, BC in 1997. I told him how inspired I was by “Wild is the Wind,” and we had a laugh because he said it was recorded almost exactly when I was born.” This idea of the “true voice” intrigued Kari, having spent most of her life in bands singing to suit the occasion. She wanted to get deeper inside the songs and allow her emotions derived from the lyrics to drive the vocal performance. The collection of contemporary and jazz standard songs on the album have more in common than one might notice at first glance. Kari remarks, “the majority of songs are about unrequited or forbidden love. For me, this kind of love is rooted in pain. It’s easy to access the idea of pain, but very difficult to genuinely express it. Producer Shelly Berg would come into the booth just before a take, and we’d talk through the lyrics and share stories that connected with the song. He helped me achieve a sentimentally-raw state, allowing me to deliver a performance that was authentically painful, and occasionally playful.” In the gospel-inspired ‘Jealous’ and the contemplative and orchestral ‘I’ll Be Around’, the emotion is palpable. “I couldn’t get through either song without crying. We tried a few takes, took a few breaks, and still, the tears would come at the close. In the end, we kept the original takes. Those performances felt powerful, and thoroughly cathartic”, remembers Kari. Drawing from a darker underworld of emotions, ‘Do It Again’, ‘Secret’, and ‘Steamroller Blues’ gave Kari a chance to untether a sultrier, sexier vocal that spoke to a more visceral part of her.

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Take Five With...

Take Five with Kari Kirkland

Read "Take Five with Kari Kirkland" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Kari Kirkland Kari Kirkland's debut album 'Wild is the Wind' was produced and arranged by four-time Grammy©-nominee, pianist, composer, and arranger Shelly Berg. He assembled an impressive cast of players for the recording: legendary guitarist Dean Parks, Kevin Axt (Tierney Sutton) on bass, and drummer Gregg Field (Frank Sinatra), with Berg himself on piano. The roster of musicians also include session percussionist Brian Kilgore, three-time Grammy©-winner John Daversa on trumpet, and two-time Grammy©-winner Roy Hargrove on trumpet and flugelhorn. ...

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Music Industry

Vocalist Kari Kirkland’s Single, 'Break Your Heart' Enters Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart At #30

Vocalist Kari Kirkland’s Single, 'Break Your Heart' Enters Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart At #30

Source: GoMedia PR

New Video Is an Endearing Story Focusing on Animal Welfare Singer Kari Kirkland’s debut album, Wild Is the Wind, was released in February of 2021 and immediately earned the former Ironman Triathlete competitor and flying trapeze and aerial bungee artist considerable critical acclaim. Jazz Times selected the album as an Editor’s Pick, concluding “…artfully walking the line where jazz and adult contemporary meet, Kari Kirkland proves that she’s finally right where she belongs.” JW Vibe noted the “pin drop purity ...

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Recording

'Everybody Wants To Rule The World,' First Single And Video From Vocalist Kari Kirkland’s Upcoming Album Wild Is The Wind, Now Available

'Everybody Wants To Rule The World,' First Single And Video From Vocalist Kari Kirkland’s Upcoming Album Wild Is The Wind, Now Available

Source: GoMedia PR

Produced and Arranged by Shelly Berg, Wild Is The Wind Also Features Roy Hargrove and John Daversa Kari Kirkland has just released the first single and accompanying video from her debut album, Wild Is The Wind, which itself is scheduled for a February 26 release. On “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” a jazz-inflected rendition of Tears for Fears’ 1985 chart-topping single, Kari’s honeyed vocals move the song’s original disheartening perspective on the state of the world to a much ...

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