Winners
2011
Winner: Kimbra Johnson "Cameo Lover"
Maybe you know her independent hit singles Cameo Lover and Settle Down, which won her 1st place in the Pop Category of International Song writing Competition; or you're one of the 1,000,000 total views of her stylish videos on YouTube. The name may ring a bell from any one of her electric live shows: the beautiful sun-down slot at the Meredith Music Festival, or her sold-out performance at the Corner Hotel, and more recently opening for the APRA awards in Sydney. Perhaps you recognise Kimbra from her contributing vocals to Miami Horror's I Look To You, or her upcoming collaboration with Gotye on his forthcoming sophomore Making Mirrors. Kimbra also been touted as one to watch from music media including The Music Network's Top 10, Triple J's Cream of The Crop, plus The Age, Herald Sun and Rolling Stone.
The point is: if you don't know Kimbra by name, you soon will.
But the story goes further back. Spending her early years gigging around her native New Zealand, it was only once Kimbra borrowed a small eight-track recorder from her school's musical department that her song writing blossomed in earnest. This new tool opened up a new perspective, leading to a flurry of tracks that featured her signature layered vocals, including the inkling that became Settle Down. Discovered by Manager, Mark Richardson at the tender age of 17, who enabled her to relocate to Melbourne to follow her musical path.
Kimbra's debut record Vows, three and-a-half years in the making, charts not only her growth and development musically over this time, but personally as well. Recorded and arranged at home as well as in various studios, it presents her unique worldview on life and love. Even at twenty-one years of age, Kimbra already possesses the maturity and musical sophistication of the mavericks she is so often compared to - from vocal legends Nina Simone and Jeff Buckley, to radicals the likes of Prince, and contemporary artists such as Björk and Janelle Monaé.
Kimbra self-produced Vows alongside Australian Urban export M-Phazes (Amerie, Pharoahe Monch) and the refined skills of François Tétaz (Bertie Blackman, Gotye); whose focus on imagery taught her to treat the album like a film. If Vows is a film then, what is it about?
Vows could be seen as an ambitiously eclectic journey of joyful triumph but also darker introspection. A smoky romance one scene, a film noir the next, in a dazzling, colourful display with a multifarious soundtrack to match; travelling its conceptual groove through a diverse mix of styles. Migrating confidently from triumphant neo-pop built on stacked harmonies and joyful hooks, to moodier, reflective moments that showcase her sophisticated vocals. A voice that centres the record as it slinks effortlessly from sly croon to emphatic wailing, layered through the record or left hanging vulnerably, warping and flexing in tone but consistently delivering the greatest character of expression: honesty.
Already complemented by a band of funky virtuosos, Kimbra is set to brighten up stages across the country with appearances at Splendour In The Grass and Parklife, as well as a headlining national tour in support of the album. Vows, released 2nd September 2011 through Warner Music both locally and internationally, establishes Kimbra as a significant talent. A fresh, exciting voice in today's music industry.
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