Wörni : A new album ? How it is calles and when will release ?
Karen : Nice hearing from you! I hope you are doing GREAT! The new record will be called IDIOT SAVANT and I don’t have a release date. The great thing about not being on a label is I can allow the music to grow naturally at its own pace and I will share it when it’s done in the oven! It’s going very well, though. I am extremely excited about it.
Wörni : Do you think again on an action like once with the first album "Pay if you can ..." ?
Karen : That is something I haven’t given much thought to yet. My list of people who want the next one is so much bigger than when I released PLAYGROUND ISOLATOR. I will have to see what I can afford to do. A label usually puts out the money to produce thousands of CDS. I am independent, so it will just have to make sense financially. I would like to make sure the people who paid for the last one receive priority, though. I appreciate their honesty and our trust.
Wörni : Is it true there will come out a book from you ?
Karen : Yes, I am also working on a book that will be a partner to the new record. I have written hundreds of blogs and thousands of songs and yet, I have never done a book. This is a new adventure for me! It will be set in the 1930s and will be focused on “Ian” who is a young musical savant.
Wörni : What about concerts ? Are you often on stage in den USA ? And when your European fans can see you on stage ?
Karen : I really miss playing live, but I have two other companies that are taking much of my time. One is jammit.com (which is releasing in the fall) It is an app which allows musicians to jam along with their favorite songs right from the original master tracks. The other is thepublicrecord.com which is a collaboration community we started. I hosted a project where over 100 people contributed their thoughts and musical ideas. All the money from the song will go to charity. The video for that single will be out very shortly. Idiot Savant would require a very large choir and orchestra for on stage. It’s enormous.
Wörni :Did you ever come th Europe, especially Germany ?
Karen : My family name is German, so it is my dream to visit Germany because there is a Stever river and a Stever Castle there! Germany is the number one place in the world that has stolen my heart! My German friends ROCK!
Wörni : What other artist did inspire you most ?
Karen : I was mostly inspired by male vocalists like Freddie Mercury from Queen and Ian Gillan from Deep Purple. Lisa Dalbello is the female vocalist who made me feel brave enough to be me and Beethoven still sits at the top of my list for favorite artist of all time.
Wörni : Are there any connections between your lyrics and your real life ?
Karen : I am able to write pure fiction, but all the lyrics from PLAYGROUND ISOLATOR are directly from my battle with a relationship during a very bad Depression. This next record will still be heavy and orchestral but I felt very happy and creative even though it’s a very dark story. I started to fall in love with the characters and writing again.
Wörni : One of my favourite songs is "Get Outa My Head" - How did you come to this song ?
Karen : ‘Get Outa My Head’ was written based on feeling like my body was attractive to someone but my brain wasn’t. I felt like my intellect was unimportant and my Depression was being ignored. I was sexually abused as a young girl and those thoughts came flooding back too. It was terribly painful to write and sing that one.
Wörni : Are there plans for merchandisins like T-Shirts or any other stuff ?
Karen : I have had thousands of requests and I just can’t seem to do it! Keep bugging me to do it, ok? hahaha
Wörni : What do you think about the D.I.Y.-lifestyle and especially the D.I.Y.-labels ?
Karen : It’s the only way. It’s the only choice. Labels have offered me contracts and they are rape. There is no money there and they control every aspect of what you do. They are not for me. Doing everything yourself is hard work for some, but I have such a great relationship with my community where everyone makes it a joy to share what I do. That is all I do…create and then share. I never try to sell anything. I don’t like to be sold to, so I don’t do that to others. People either like it or they don’t and that is totally cool with me.
Wörni : Some words to your fans here ?
Karen : Dear friends;
I will never call you fans…ever. ;) Your friendship is so treasured. I learn something new from you every day and your love is enormous. I will never thank you for your support, because I don’t think you are a bra. Ha! I don’t want anyone’s support because that is something artists say to fans and it has no meaning anymore. I only want to enjoy a relationship with you where we inspire each other and show the world that love is still the strongest force on Earth. Much love on ya! ~Karen J
Big thx to you Karen for the interview ... hope to see you sometimes ...
Cheers, Wörni
