A vivid reckoning for Kimbra

Between 26 May and 17 June, Sydney’s Vivid Festival will be presenting what is possibly its best musical lineup to date, containing some of the best female artists in the world.

 The names Cat Power, Weyes Blood, Jaguar Jonze, Jen Cloher, Ellas May and Jaeji are featured, but few will be as anticipated as Kimbra, who is appearing in the Sydney Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre, Friday, 26th May.

 An artist possessing extraordinary musical prowess, Kimbra first took to her native New Zealand stages at age 10, before relocating to Melbourne in 2008.

 Her incredible vocal range means that she can effortlessly tackle RnB, jazz, dance and pop, and she was already establishing herself as an artist with a body of work and a reputation for powerful live performances when at the last moment in 2011, Wally De Backer, aka Gotye, called her to supply backing vocals to a song he was working on in his parents house on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula.

The track was “Somebody I Used to Know” and it blew up around the world, making the names Gotye and Kimbra household names.

It would soon receive a Grammy, reach number one in 23 countries and go onto to become one of the most streamed songs in the world.

For a rising artist such as Kimbra it could have easily become a millstone, but she has a different and more generous take on the period of her life.

“It’s a gift for sure, especially because neither of us (Gotye) saw the phenomenon of it coming” Kimbra said.

“It’s the great mystery of making music, you never really know where it will take you and how it will connect.”

Kimbra now had to juggle promoting the Gotye single worldwide while simultaneously promoting her new album and fulfilling festival dates across Australia and New Zealand.

Relocating once again, this time to Los Angeles, Kimbra did her best to work within the constraints of a record company, until she couldn’t any more.

Her latest album, A Reckoning, released in January, is her fourth studio album.

Kimbra co-produced A Reckoning with Ryan Lott of Son Lux, releasing it through an independent label.

“It’s very cathartic to release music that’s a soundtrack to your own life story and growth over a period of time,” Kimbra said.

“I think this body of work exhibits a strength and autonomy that I’ve been exploring, so it feels great to know that it might evoke those same feelings for someone else.”

The Joan Sutherland Theatre is the second largest within the Opera House and is home to Opera Australia.

For one night only it will be home to Kimbra in what will be her first Vivid experience.

“I have not experienced Vivid before, but I have always respected the diverse artistic curation,” Kimbra said.

“I cant wait to perform in such a beautiful theatre and am planning to make use of the opportunity in a unique way.”

May 26, 8:30pm

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point

www.vividsydney.com