In late 2020, like many people around the world,Kimbrahit a breaking point.
I wasnt really happy with how I was handling things like anger and anxiety, Kimbra tells Bustle.
Kimbra poured these feelings into her fourth studio album, fittingly titledA Reckoning.
Instead,A Reckoningsees Kimbra letting go of resentment that remained from relationships she lost and attempting to heal.
But then its also just how much we fight with ourselves.
I am always waking up to a war of thoughts, it seems.
A Reckoningcoincides with the 10-year anniversary of Kimbra winning her first Grammys.
A decade later, Kimbra says the unexpected breakout hit resonates with her personally now more than ever.
I had not even been through my first breakup when I first sung that song, she says.
Now, its suddenly my exact experience as I sung it every night.
Sometimes songs… theyre saying your future.
A Reckoningalso serves as a declaration of independence.
I feel a very rooted energy, she says.
Now, This woman knows who she is.
She knows the worst of herself and the best of herself.
On The Grammys & Gotyes Disappearance From Music
What do you remember about winning your Grammy?
These are the culture shapers of the world, of art and culture.
I also felt a deep sense of responsibility.
I think some people get those successes and then feel crushed by it.
It was nice that I actually felt liberated because I was like, oh, anything is possible.
Fill in the blank: The Grammys are…
Unlike you, Gotye has not released music since winning the Grammy.
Do you still keep in touch with him?
And he is never not working.
Its a concealed process until hes ready to share it, but he absolutely will.
I love the 80s and I feel like theyre so fun to perform.
Maybe it would be Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears.
I can imagine really powering that out in a karaoke session.
Whats a song that you would want played at your wedding?
I really have a soft spot for that song byThe Carpenters, Close to You.You know that one?
[singing] Why do birds suddenly appear?
What song would you want played at your funeral?
I dont want my death to be morbid.
I dont want it to be a downer.
Maybe it would be Prince.
Kiss by Prince at my funeral.
My life is a kiss, you know?
Whats the weirdest thing youve written a song about?
But now I look back, and its a really weird thing to write a song about.
Is there an instrument that you wish you played?
I wish I was really good at the vibraphone.
The one that you go ding, and its really big, because it just sounds so angelic.
Is there a genre that you wish you made music in?
I really like ambient music, like meditation music that has no vocals, no drums.
It would be really relaxing to make.
Complete opposite [of each other].
I mean, thats me.
No shade to Incubus, but theres just some songs that take you back a little too deep.
Is there a song that you never want to play live again?
Honestly, I love this song and Im proud of it, but 90s Music fromThe Golden Echo.
It is so high.
Every time I have to sing that live, Im like, Why do I do this to myself?
It just goes so many places, and I just want to chill when I play my shows now.
Music snobbery is…
Boring.
If you really hate something, you should ask yourself why you hate it and look deeper into it.
Being snobby about something that is genuinely one of those positive forces in the world is very cynical.
Who would you want to play you in a musical of your life?
I want to be Kathryn Hahn when I grow up.
She has dark brown hair, too.
What is the song that youve written that you’re most proud of?
I think Save Me.
I think so many people have said that it has spoken to them, which is a beautiful thing.
Im proud that I had the courage to be like, F*ck it.
Life is hard, and I feel like Im going to drown in my feelings sometimes.
Im proud that I didn’t run away from it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
