MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Records is pleased to announce that it has signed international pop newcomer Kimbra to a worldwide deal. The label will release the 21-year-old singer and songwriter’s debut album, Vows, on Warner Bros. Records.
Kimbra grew up in New Zealand where her gifts as an artist were recognized early on. She won two local grants, one of which resulted in a recording session with Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers), and relocated to Melbourne to cultivate her musical profile (and a growing and restless creative ambition). In Melbourne, she teamed up with producer Francois Tetaz (Bertie Blackman, Gotye) to begin work on her debut album.
Since then Kimbra has been hard at work on Vows, which showcases her ability to mix styles and moods with confidence, as well as her voice — a rich, expressive instrument that settles somewhere between the honeyed croon of a soul singer and the acrobatic flair of an indie rock girl. “If you like Nina Simone, Florence & The Machine, and/or Bjork, then we think you will enjoy Kimbra — her music reminds us of all those fierce ladies!” wrote Perez Hilton after seeing the video for her single “Settle Down” — a rhythmic collage of handclaps, cheeky horn parping, and a ballooning bassline married to an escapist lyric about domesticity. Another Australian single, “Cameo Lover,” finds Kimbra exploring a soulful, Motown-influenced sound delivered in a fresh way with the help of Aussie hip-hop producer M-Phazes (Pharoahe Monch, Talib Kweli).
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Both “Settle Down” and “Cameo Lover” were playlisted on Australia’s nationally networked Triple J radio station, while the “Settle Down” video has racked up more than half a million views on YouTube since being posted in July 2010. Kimbra has also attracted widespread media attention Down Under, earning critical notices as an artist to watch in 2011 from several outlets, including Rolling Stone, and features on more than 500 international music blogs.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kimbra to the Warner Bros. Records family,” says WBR Chairman Rob Cavallo. “She is an authentic young voice who brings something new and exciting, both musically and visually, to the pop singer-songwriter landscape.”
“Kimbra is an exquisite talent,” says Kimbra’s manager, Mark Richardson of Outpost Management. “We are excited that in partnering with Warner Bros. Records she will have access to a wealth of expertise to help build her creative and commercial future. Artist development is in their DNA.”
