Kerli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kerli
Kerli performing at the Identity Festival in Houston, Texas in August 2012
Born	Kerli Kõiv (1987-02-07) 7 February 1987 (age 38) Elva, Estonia
Nationality	Estonian
Occupation	Singer songwriter
Musical career
Genres	Pop alternative rock electronic dance-pop goth-pop
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Stolen Transmission Republic Island Ultra Monstercat Tiny Cute Monster Seeking Blue
Signature

Kerli Kõiv (born 7 February 1987), known simply as Kerli, is a singer and songwriter from Estonia.

She was born in Elva. Kerli started in many singing contests. In 2006, she signed with Island Records. Her first music collection, Kerli (EP), came out in 2007. In 2008, she released her first album, Love Is Dead. This album appeared on the Billboard 200 chart.

The song "Walking on Air" from the album was very popular. It was downloaded over 500,000 times on iTunes. This was a record at the time. Later, Kerli's music style changed. She moved from alternative rock to more electronic and dance sounds. You can hear this in her 2010 song "Army of Love".

After Love Is Dead, Kerli worked on her next album. It became her second extended play (EP) called Utopia, released in 2013. Utopia also charted on the Billboard 200. Songs like "Army of Love" and "Zero Gravity" were released before the main single, "The Lucky Ones". All three songs reached the top ten on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Two of them even hit number one.

Kerli also helped write songs for other artists. "Skyscraper" was recorded by Demi Lovato. "I Feel Immortal" was recorded by Tarja Turunen. Kerli's own version of "I Feel Immortal" was later on the Frankenweenie Unleashed! soundtrack. In 2013, Kerli performed on Dancing with the Stars. This was a big moment for EDM. In 2013, Kerli joined Ultra Music. Her second studio album, Shadow Works, came out in 2019.

Kerli's Early Life and Dreams

Kerli Kõiv was born in Elva on February 7, 1987. Her mother, Piret Kõiv, was a social worker. Her father, Toivo Kõiv, was an auto mechanic. Her parents separated when she was 16. Kerli's younger sister, Eliisa, is also a musician. Eliisa competed in a singing show called Eesti otsib superstaari.

As a child, Kerli studied ballroom dancing for eight years. She practiced five days a week. Her kindergarten teacher first noticed her musical talent. The teacher told Kerli's mother that Kerli had "nice pitch." She suggested Kerli join singing competitions. At age eight, Kerli became interested in classical music. She only had two music cassettes growing up. They were albums by Bonnie Tyler and Phil Collins.

Kerli started writing stories and poems when she was 10. This helped her escape into an "imaginary world." She left school at 16 to follow her dream of becoming a musician.

Kerli's Music Journey

Starting Out: 2002–2005

In 2002, Kerli won a singing contest called Laulukarussell. She won with the song "Bridge over Troubled Water". Also in 2002, she entered the Fizz Superstar contest. She was too young but changed her age to enter. She won the contest and got a music contract. But the record label later dropped her.

Some Estonian media then used the term "Kerli Syndrome" for failure. But Kerli says she does not feel bad about her home country. Later, Kerli signed with another label, Stolen Transmission. But that label went out of business. At 16, Kerli moved to Stockholm. She competed in Melodifestivalen in 2003. In 2004, she was second in Eurolaul. This show picks Estonia's song for the Eurovision Song Contest.

While in Stockholm, she worked with many producers. She did not have much money. For three months, she only ate rice. She lived in an empty house during winter. At 18, she moved to the United States. She kept performing and writing songs. Finally, she got an audition with L.A. Reid. He signed her to The Island Def Jam Music Group in 2006.

Love Is Dead: 2006–2009

Kerli performing in 2008

In 2006, Kerli worked with producer David Maurice. They created songs about her life. Her first collection of songs, a self-titled EP, came out in 2007. Her first album, Love Is Dead, was released on July 8, 2008. The first song from the album was "Walking on Air". It reached number 75 on the European Hot 100 Singles. Another song, "Creepshow", was used in TV shows like Fringe and The City. It was also in the video game Burnout Paradise.

The music video for "Love Is Dead" came out in February 2008. The video for "Walking on Air" premiered in May 2008. "Walking on Air" was downloaded 550,000 times on iTunes. This was a record at the time. The song was also featured on So You Think You Can Dance?. Love Is Dead reached number 126 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2008, Kerli sang "When Nobody Loves You" for the video game 007: Quantum of Solace. She also sang "Bulletproof" for the Punisher: War Zone movie soundtrack. In 2009, Kerli performed at the Õllesummer music festival in Tallinn. She also re-released her song "The Creationist" as a duet with Italian singer Cesare Cremonini. Kerli won a European Border Breakers Award for the success of Love Is Dead.

Utopia and New Labels: 2010–2014

On March 2, 2010, the album Almost Alice was released. It had music inspired by Disney's Alice in Wonderland. Kerli sang two songs on it: "Tea Party" and "Strange". "Strange" was a song with Tokio Hotel. A remix album of "Tea Party" came out in June 2010. Kerli also covered the song "Nature Boy" for a promo for Smallville.

Kerli performing in 2011

On December 19, 2010, Kerli sang an Estonian song called "Sa kuldseks jää" ("Stay Golden"). She sang it at her grandparents' art show in Estonia.

After Love Is Dead, Kerli started working on her next album. It became her EP called Utopia. She said she was creating a "new musical style called Bubble Goth." She described Love Is Dead as "moody and dark." She said Utopia was "more fun" but still "twisted." She wanted to create a "whole new sound." She also said it was a "very strong album" about "overcoming the darkness."

"Army of Love" was first released for free on Kerli's website. It was then released as a single on April 12, 2011. The music video for "Army of Love" was filmed in Estonia. It set the mood for her new album. The video premiered on December 22, 2010. "Army of Love" reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

A song called "Skyscraper" was written by Kerli and others for Utopia. But it was not on her album. Instead, Demi Lovato recorded it for her album Unbroken. Kerli was happy with Lovato's version. Kerli also helped write "I Feel Immortal". This song was recorded by Tarja Turunen. Kerli's version of "Immortal" was on the Frankenweenie Unleashed! album.

The music video for "Zero Gravity" premiered on March 21. It was directed by Alon Isocianu. Both "Zero Gravity" and "Army of Love" were "buzz singles." This means they were released to create excitement for the album. In May 2012, Kerli said the album was finished. In September, she confirmed a new song, "The Lucky Ones", would be released. It came out on October 29, 2012. The music video for "The Lucky Ones" was released on December 5.

In March 2013, the songs for the Utopia EP were announced. It was supposed to be a full album. But it leaked online in December. So, the label decided to release it as an EP with fewer songs. The EP was released digitally on March 19. It came out physically in May in some countries.

In October 2012, Kerli joined Warner/Chappell Music. She also worked with Australian musician tyDi on "Glow in the Dark" and "Something About You." She worked with Cash Cash on "Here and Now." Kerli said she wanted her third album to be "a little more punk rock" and "raw."

In November 2013, Kerli left Island Records and joined Ultra Music. Kerli worked with Seven Lions on two songs for his EP Worlds Apart. The main song was released as a single in June 2014. A music video for it came out in August. Kerli also teamed up with Benny Benassi for a new version of "Kaleidoscope." This song was originally for her unreleased second album. In September, Kerli worked with tyDi again on "Perfect Crush."

In 2014, Kerli helped write the song "See Through" for Pentatonix.

Recent Work: 2015–Present

On November 5, 2015, it was announced that Kerli wrote a song for Eesti Laul 2016. This is Estonia's contest to pick a song for Eurovision Song Contest 2016. In 2015, Kerli moved back to Estonia from Los Angeles. She lived without running water for nine months. She used this time to produce her first independent album.

Her song "Feral Hearts" was released digitally on February 19, 2016. The music video for it came out the next week. "Blossom", the second song from her second album, was released with a video on April 28.

On June 26, Kerli released "Racing Time." She said it was one of three songs written for the 2016 movie Alice Through the Looking Glass. But the songs were not on the movie's soundtrack. On July 27, she released "Diamond Hard" with its music video.

On April 22, 2016, Kerli sang on a song for British artist Katy B's album Honey. She helped write and sang on "I Wanna Be."

On November 8, 2016, it was announced that Kerli would compete in Eesti Laul 2017 with "Spirit Animal". She reached the final and finished second. On April 24, 2017, Kerli and Illenium released "Sound of Walking Away." This song was on Illenium's album Awake.

By late 2018, the original second album was cancelled. A new album, Shadow Works, was announced for February 22, 2019. Three songs were released before the album: "Savages" (November 30, 2018), "Better" (January 18, 2019), and "Legends" (February 8, 2019). The music video for "Savages" was also released. Shadow Works came out in 2019.

On August 11, 2020, Kerli was featured on an album by the heavy metal band Motionless in White. She sang on a new version of their song "Another Life." In February 2023, Kerli released a song called "21st Century Kids." She followed it with an EP called "Oversoul" in 2024.

Kerli's Art and Style

Music Style and Inspirations

Kerli once bought The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill. She called it "one of [her] favourite records of all time." She also bought Greatest Hits by Björk. She now says Björk is a big influence and her favorite musician. Kerli also says Bonnie Tyler and Phil Collins influenced her.

Other artists who inspire her include Anouk, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Massive Attack, Kidneythieves, Pendulum, the Cocteau Twins, A Perfect Circle, Deftones, Incubus, Apparat, and Imogen Heap.

Kerli believes in angels and fairies. She says these beliefs influence her music. She loves the song "Xtal" by Aphex Twin. She also calls Sigur Rós her favorite band.

After Love Is Dead, some people called Kerli's style "goth." One critic said she was more like "bubblegum goth." Kerli liked this idea. She said, "that's exactly what I am." She created her own style called "BubbleGoth." BubbleGoth is about mixing "light and dark, opposites." Kerli says the Spice Girls were a big influence on BubbleGoth. She calls it "like a gothic spice girl."

Kerli often wears unique and colorful hairstyles. These are inspired by cyberpunk and goth fashion.

Her music style changed a lot from Love Is Dead to her later releases. Love Is Dead was alternative rock. Her current music is more like synthpop. Kerli said she felt "scattered" when making Love Is Dead. She wanted her new sound to be "radio friendly" but still unique. She said she is "not the same person anymore." She tries to "grow and do [her] best." Her music reflects who she is at that moment.

Kerli's Personal Life

"Agnus Dei" tattooed on Kerli's arm

When Kerli was 15, she wanted a tattoo that said "music" in Chinese. Her mother said she could get it if she read "every book in town" about China. Kerli did this, and her mother took her to get the tattoo. Kerli has three tattoos on her forearm. One is a butterfly, meaning to live each day fully. Another is the Triple Goddess symbol. The third says in Latin "Amicus Humani Generis", which means "a friend of the human race." A tattoo on her left forearm says "Agnus Dei" in Latin. On her right foot, she has the letter "E". In 2017, Kerli got a snake tattoo around her wrist.

Kerli does not belong to any specific religion. But she believes in reincarnation and other forms of life after death. She also believes in fairies and angels. She sees angels as beings and uses "angel cards."

Discography

Studio Albums

• Love Is Dead (2008)
• Shadow Works (2019)

EPs

• Kerli (2007)
• Utopia (2013)
• Deepest Roots (2016)
• OVERSOUL (2024)

Music Videos

• "Goodbye" (2007) Directed By Dave Schwep
• "Love Is Dead" (2007) Directed By Josh Mond
• "Walking On Air" (2008) Directed By Alex Topaller & Daniel Shapiro
• "Creepshow" (2008) Directed By Daniel Muntinen and Jaagup Metal
• "Tea Party" (2009) Directed By Justin Harder
• "Army of Love" (2011) Directed By Kaiser Kukk
• "Zero Gravity" (2012) Directed By Alon Isocianu
• "Glow in the Dark" (2012) Directed By Darren Teale
• "The Lucky Ones" (2012) Directed By Ethan Chancer
• "Worlds Apart" (2014) Directed By Bobby Galvan
• "Feral Hearts" (2016) Directed By CJ Kask
• "Feral Hearts (Sacred Forrest Session)" (2016) Directed By CJ Kask
• "Blossom" (2016) Directed By CJ Kask
• "Blossom (The Halls Heaven Session)" (2016) Directed By CJ Kask
• "Diamond Hard" (2016) Directed By Kerli
• "Diamond Hard (360)" (2016) Directed By CJ Kask
• "Savages" (2019) Directed By Kerli & Everett Lee-Sung
• "21st Century Kids" (2023) Directed By Kerli

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Kerli para niños