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Singer-songwriter Karen Atkins recently sat down with VENTS Magazine to talk about her stunning new track. The interview can be found below!
What inspired you to first start creating music?
I first started creating music when I was about 6 or 7. It came out of a desire to somehow express the emotional intensity I felt on so many occasions and didn’t feel I could express any other way. I would sit down at the piano for hours at a time, which was the only thing that would consistently bring me to a state of peace and contentment.
The music video is absolutely beautiful, what was your creative thought process behind it?
Thank you! I wanted to generate that feeling of movement and spontaneity that often accompanies a new relationship or exciting new venture. Since we were in so many beautiful places in Mexico, I wanted to share some of that beauty and interact with nature a bit. I also wanted to include the locals as much as possible to see what kind of chemistry we could create with the energy of making new friends while simultaneously creating art together. The Mexican people are so friendly and alive and willing to engage and it was such a wonderful experience to approach them and see how delighted they were to be a part of the process. I’m also working on becoming fluent in Spanish, so it was a great exercise to approach people and direct them in Spanish. We made a lot of friends during the process.
Is there a certain type of energy or feeling that you try to show in your music?
In general, yes, I tend toward wanting to express a feeling of wonderment and awe at the beautiful things we can experience in life. The beauty of nature, the magic of connection to one another, the anticipation of exciting experiences to come, the confidence that we can generate infinite possibilities and often the expansiveness that comes with feeling unconditional love in all of its manifestations.
If you could collaborate with any other music artist in the world, who would it be? And why?
Hmmm, that’s a tough one! If you asked me when I was 15, I would have said Jimmy Page without a second’s thought. But now I think it would be more someone whom I could dance with vocally, play with the arrangements and generate an emotional tapestry through the production of a recording, so maybe George Martin (if he was still alive) for a more old school production or Max Martin for something a little more current. I absolutely love how George Martin arranged and produced music and how all the instruments flowed together. His work with the Beatles and with America is beyond brilliant. Max Martin because he really understands how to take the elements of a good song and make them really accessible to a wide audience without compromising the integrity of the song. And I’m just so curious how he would work with an artist like me who is not so mainstream. I would also love to co-write a song with Alfie Templeman. I’m obsessed with his song “Colour Me Blue” and I think he is a super talented artist and very real.
If you were about to play your music for the first time for someone, what would you tell them to expect?
Expect to hear lots of vocal harmonies, passionate and soulful lyrics that take you on a melodic journey, lots of guitar melodies and riffs, and multiple decades of stylistic influences. You may feel more calm, comforted and connected during and after listening. You may also find yourself singing or humming the chorus later on in the day. I can’t guarantee that you’ll love all of the music, but I’m pretty sure you won’t be bored.
Was music always your first passion in life?
Yes. From the age of two I wanted to learn the piano and begged my mother to let me take lessons. I had a favorite song at the age of three and the majority of the most deeply touching moments of my life have at least included music in some way, if not centered around it. Music can change my mood and help me feel more connected and centered and brings a strong feeling of bonding and affection in me.
What is the number one message that you try to express to your fans in your music?
Life is a gift. Do your best to listen to yourself and tune into what truly makes you light up and go in that direction —no matter what. Let go as much as you can and love as fully as you can. When you feel a strong no, say ‘NO’. And when you feel a strong YES, go for it!
What do you have planned for the future in 2024? Any new songs or albums that you are hoping to release soon?
Yes, I have lots of musical plans for 2024. I have 2 songs that I recently recorded and plan to release this year and they are both quite a bit different from some of my previous work, production-wise. I’m excited to share them with my listeners. I’m also in the middle of recording another 2 songs that I’m really excited about. One of them is a ballad and has become one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written and the other is a song that I wrote a number of years ago, but never released because I wasn’t satisfied with the lyrics. I recently rewrote the lyrics to tell the story of my move away from city life in New York City and how that impacted my life to this day. I plan to finish recording those 2 in the next few months and hopefully release them later this year or early next year. I’m also writing another new song that I can’t listen to without wanting to dance like crazy. I’ll also be touring around a bit this summer in the Pacific Northwest of the US with my band and teaching some songwriting master classes.
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