L.A. based singer/songwriter and vocal producer KARRA (born Kara Jillian Madden) has made some serious waves as a woman not only in the music industry, but more specifically in the world of production and sound design which through the years, is known to be predominantly a male-ran industry. In May of 2016, KARRA appeared on independent electronic music label Monstercat for the first time as the featured vocalist on Unlike Pluto’s single, ‘Searching For You’. She went on to appear on Monstercat several more times as a featured vocalist for Trivecta, Paradigm, Au5, Notake etc. As she built her resume and turned heads in the world of EDM, she went on to work with well-known producers such as KSHMR, Armin Van Buuren, Seven Lions, Sam Feldt, Alan Walker, Timbaland and more. KARRA is a BOSS and is now known for having Splice’s (music creation and collaboration platform) best selling vocal sample packs, and for a company worth over $500 million, that is saying a lot. KARRA has collaborated with Splice and launched KARRA Presents which is a new vocal label to highlight upcoming vocalists. In 2020, KARRA released her debut solo project ‘No Evil’ via KSHMR’s label, Dharma as well as her website iamkarra.com. Her website is particularly unique as it offers full length music industry master classes as well as digital downloads. One of my favorite features on her website however, is some of her merch with the label ‘Girls Don’t Produce’. The letters ‘n’t’ are scratched out to leave the word ‘Do’ and I think that is absolutely brilliant and inspiring for young women in the industry. Recently, she has started her own independent label called Lazer Jungle Studios and has since released multiple solo originals including ‘Underwater’ and ‘Tempo’.
On August 20th, KARRA released her electro pop single ‘Tempo’ accompanied with an extremely vibrant and psychedelic professionally illustrated lyric video. When asked about the single, KARRA says, “‘Tempo’ differs from my past releases stylistically in many ways. Since most of my catalogue consists of electronic dance music collabs, I always had to follow the lead of the producer I was working with. Now that I’m releasing my solo music, I can really show my personality and explore the wide range of sounds that inspire me. It’s very high energy and in your face, just like me! You’ll hear a lot of worldly rhythmic influence in the drums, and syncopated 808s that are sonically aggressive. The vocal mimics a nursery rhyme, so it’s easy to remember and very catchy! Ultimately this song shows my fun side, all while appreciating and paying homage to sounds that you’ll find all over the world!”. KARRA mentions she wrote the track three years ago and says, “The song is about one moment in time where I was looking into my boyfriend’s eyes, and I started to see this golden light radiating off of his skin and deep in his eyes. I felt like it was the first time I really saw his soul, and he saw mine, thus our connection deepened in ways I never thought was possible. Fast forward three years later, and I have a production deal with my boyfriend, Reid Stefan, and hit making producer KSHMR. Reid and I took the demo to KSHMR, and he helped us transform the song into what it is today”.
When watching the animated lyric video, you are immediately transported to the night sky filled with cartoon elements of twinkling stars and constellations such as Ursa Minor and possibly a few zodiac signs as well. It is clear to the viewer that this video accompanies the official music video, as the characters are based off those in the live action video dancing in front of the moon. You can sense the deep connection between the two lovers as they embrace one another. As the lyrics read “I see the lines that cross as we connect the dots” we notice that our male protagonist is illustrated with glowing star formations. This video is celestial and it’s as if a jungle took place on a different planet. The colors are bright and stimulating, consisting of tones of golds and pinks with the odd pop of green and blue.
One of my favorite cartoon elements of this video is the jaw dropping animated KARRA head. The likeness is dead on and she is just as stunning in cartoon form as she is in reality. Her face is contoured with darker gold tones and pinks and her hair is made up of the night sky. It’s as though she is the creator with her one earring being the moon and her other earring being the sun. We also see visuals that seem to be inspired by Hamsa or the Hand of Fatima which is an ancient symbol that can mean many things including protection or even relates to our five senses. It can be used to ward off negative energy and in Christianity, it aligns strongly with femininity. When asked about the lyric video KARRA says, “When I sent the team at LyricVids my vision board, I really didn’t know what to expect because it was very dynamic. I’m very inspired by bold colors, psychedelic visuals, and intricate designs, so when I got the first edit back I was absolutely shocked at how spot on they were with my inspirations. It’s hard to pick a favorite part because I love the entire video so much, but I would have to say the way they recreated me in animated form was so cool to see! It’s amazing how I am able to star in my own animated video!”.
We asked KARRA why she chose a lyric video and she said, “One of my biggest pet peeves is when various lyric sites or YouTube channels create a lyric video of your song and post the wrong lyrics. It’s very important for me to be the first to post the lyric video, so that the lyrics are correct and my fans can learn the words and sing along. I also think an animated video brings a unique perspective, and gives people a break from looking at me in every video! It’s nice to switch it up!”. We couldn’t agree more! KARRA recognizes that she is new to the pop scene and she wants to give people ample time to discover her through her music and her incredible online presence. She is committed to releasing a whole batch of new singles as she continues to build her story. She says, “A huge part of my brand is teaching people about the music industry, songwriting, singing, and production, so I launched my website to provide my audience with custom made vocal templates, courses, sample packs, merch, and more! It’s amazing to be able to provide these tools to the masses, and help them accomplish their goals all while being an artist!”. With nearly 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify and over 100 million plays, it comes as no surprise that KARRA is donning the crown in the world of music production and sound design. This eye-catching animated lyric video is a beautiful representation of her art and her creativity. You can find her on YouTube and all social media platforms as @iamkarramusic or check out her website at www.iamkarra.com
Check out the vibrant animated lyric video for ‘Tempo‘ on KARRA’s official YouTube channel here: