The lovely ladies of Karmina (AKA Kelly and Kamille) were kind enough to answer a few questions I sent them and I thought their answers were fun and gave a lot of insight into their lives as indie musicians. Enjoy!
Assume the people reading this article have no idea about you or your music, what would you tell them about yourselves?
We are sisters who write indie pop/sparkle rock music (sparkle rock is our self-proclaimed genre). We write about truth and harmonize as much as possible.
You've just come off an amazing west coast tour, are you planning another tour anytime soon?
Yes! Our next tour will probably be on the East Coast. We're in the process of planning that right now.. After that.....we'll probably tour Europe again!
I'm a big supporter of tools like Kickstarter for helping artists finance albums/tours, and I know you've used it to finance your most recent EP "Car Train Ship Plane". Do you see yourselves doing another fundraiser in the future?
Kickstarter was an amazing experience for us. It once again challenged us to think creatively, and work to give back what we were getting. We'd definitely do another campaign like Kickstarter, but we try to be very picky about when we do things of this nature.
As a follow-up to the last question, even though your last EP is only a few months old, I know you guys write a lot, is there new music on the horizon?
So much! That's a very interesting question for us because we constantly want to add new music to our set lists when we're on the road, but we have to exercise a little will power and play the music that we're promoting, even though we've heard it maybe a trillion times. We love our new album, but the newest stuff is always the most fun to play live!
As independent artists, what is the most gratifying part of not being a signed artist? Conversely, what is the most difficult part?
Best part: you get to do everything yourself. Hardest part: you get to do everything yourself! But really, being independent gives us complete creative freedom. we don't have anyone questioning our inspiration. If we think of something creative that we feel strongly about, we get our hands dirty and do it! The most difficult part is probably the financials of it all, and juggling the many roles of an artist team between two people.
However, we see this as a worthy challenge of our art. you have to figure out how you're going to supplement the money you're about to spend making a new merch item, or the money you're about to spend getting up and down the west coast on a tour. Sometimes you barely break even, sometimes you go home a little bit richer. It's just part of the struggles and triumphs of an indie artist. and the triumphs feel that much greater when you've gone through so much to achieve them.
You've done some live shows on StageIt.com and I've loved them, is that something you plan on continuing to do?
We *love* StageIt! It's the coolest thing ever for artists to be able to perform from their living room or bathroom or bedroom for fans around the world! It's an experience for both parties (artist and fan) - It's also very interactive, and you can communicate with your fans in real time!
Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
We are inspired by so many people and things. To name a few: Bjork, Imogen Heap, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Coldplay, Elliot Smith, Third Eye Blind. We're also very much inspired by indie artists, as much if not more than mainstream artists.
Finally, what advice would you give other independent artists based on your own experiences?
If you love what you do, never give up. Be humble, never take yourself too seriously, and always strive to be better.
Thanks once again for taking the time for this interview, I loved it!
Please check out Karmina's music on their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter!
