Kerli’s life story is nothing short of a Cinderella story. Growing up in Elva, Estonia, a then Russian-occupied town of 5,000 residents, Kerli had dreams and aspirations that pushed way beyond the boundaries of her communist surroundings. A product of “tough love,” she spent most of her childhood trying to mentally escape and did so by immersing herself in the arts, studying singing, ballet, acting and classical piano. However, she soon realized what would be her main focus. “By the time I turned 14, I was so sure that my life was going to be all about singing, I quit everything else,” Kerli recalls.
Her first breakthrough came with participating in Fizz Superstar 2002, a young Baltic talent competition equivalent to American Idol. She first heard of the contest through a television advertisement that stated 15 as the minimum age to enter. Being 14 wasn’t going to stop her, so she lied about her age and entered. Her unquestionable natural talent shined through and she was crowned the winner, gifted with a record deal as the prize. Unbeknownst to her, her career was about to skyrocket. Eventually she caught the ear of executives at Island Records, a label based over 4,000 miles from where she got her start. In June of 2005, Kerli was invited to perform for IDJ Chairman L.A. Reid; he was blown away by her performance and she was signed to Island on the spot.
Kerli takes inspiration from everything and everyone around her. She cites the universe as her muse. “I appreciate all the music in the world. Music is sacred. It's the language of God.” Her songs encapsulate emotions of heartbreak and rebellion but are sung with a twinge of playfulness. The songs are somber and intense, but also mischievous and impishly dynamic. “I’m trying to create a world around my music. And this world needs to be pure, real, honest and beautiful but still a little interesting, dark and definitely mysterious.” Kerli notes Love Is Dead as her favorite track off her debut album. “It's hard and dark enough, yet beautiful and light. When I shot the video for that song, I looked into that camera and sang to every person who has ever hurt me. It was almost like a therapeutic experience.”
Kerli has undoubtedly created anthems for the youth of today. Her beautiful voice is strong, determined and at some times unpredictable, not unlike her personality. She has admitted to not wanting to follow the example of any of her musical peers or predecessors. “Silence and my own thoughts are much more inspiring to me than someone else’s song. I don't think any other artist has ever even influenced me that much, really. Music just comes from such a sacred place and it either comes to you or not.”
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