Goth Goddess Kerli opens up to Nexus about her experience working with some EDM producers. She compares her song-writing sessions with making porn:

“I think that the best writers are the ones that just go in there, and you know carry their heart on their sleeve, and just say how they feel, and talk about life and talk about their experiences and the pain and the joy and everything. You have to be able to put everything on the plate about yourself in front of people you’ve never met… this is like doing porn, at first its really embarrassing and you’re kind of nervous”.

The ‘Raindrops’ vocalist completely unloads on the EDM scene (save SNBRN) for not taking women producers seriously:

“When I first started making Electronic music i was really excited about it because I thought it was all going to be PLUR, and its just like this amazing family of music makers and ravers and its all about the kids and community and the music… it’s not. It’s actually pretty cold and more often than not, me as a female ..I’ve had more bad experiences than I’ve had good experiences working with people in electronic music unfortunately.”

DJ Ron: Hey this is DJ Ron with talking to Kerli. How are you doing today?

Kerli: We are doing awesome, how are you Ron?

Ron: I am doing incredible. I am talking to Kerli how can I not be doing incredibly well.

Kerli: Likewise.

Ron: You put the most amazing quote out there, and I want you to explain it. Are you ready?

Kerli: Yes.

Ron: Writing sessions are like one night stands. You gotta make yourself completely vulnerable to a stranger and be ok with never seeing them again.

Kerli: Well you know, I kind of… I really compare writing and making art with other people is like doing porn, you know, and at first it is like very nerve wrecking. You know I remember like times like where I can be like in the bathroom praying because it is so personal  and you know you wont get really any really great stocks out of it, unless you are completely vulnerable, you know? And I think that the best writers are the ones that are able to just go in there and carry their heart on their sleeves and just say how they feel and talk about their life and talk about their experiences and their pain and their joy and everything. They have to be able to put everything on the plate about yourself in front of people you have never met. So i’m always like “this is like doing porn” you know but im sure its really embarrassing and you are kind of nervous, but after you have done it a couple of years, its kind of like “ok lets get on with it”. And I am a really sensitive person so its actually like complicated for me to go and connect on such a deep level and then not remain like really good friends. Do you know what I mean?

Ron: That makes perfect sense actually, i’ve never heard it explained that way but that makes perfect sense. So moving forward, what was it like working with Sunburn?

Kerli: It was really, really fun. We actually…We had a really nice little space by the beach. He is honestly one of the nicest kids I have had the honor to work with.

Ron: Is there a difference between working with a pop producer and working with a dance producer?

Kerli: When I first heard him making electronic music I was really excited about it because I thought it was going to be slur and its just like this amazing big family of like music makers and like ravers and its all about the kids and the community and the music. Its actually pretty cold and more often than not, me like I can see now that also producers and it’s like techy. I have had more bad experiences than I have had good experiences working with people in electronic music, unfortunately.

Ron: Alright, remind me to connect you with with Dani Deahl. She is a female producer that you should definitely hook up with. I actually want to ask you your experience in the music industry, when I heard you wrote the song for Demi Lovato, Skyscraper, I always kind of thought that was about your journey in the music business, am I close?

Kerli: Actually it was more about life in general, but yea you could, yea defiantly it’s not an easy industry, like you know.

Ron: Oh yes, if you could work with any musician, alive or dead, who would it be?

Kerli: Kurt Cobain

Ron: I could totally see that, just to work with?

Kerli: No. He was actually really sensitive, it so crazy. When I read his interviews he was so sensitive. I’ts like everybody remembers him as this really tough person but then I read stories when he said like he was in school and he had the one guy friend who was gay, because the gay friend was like the only guy that he knew that was comfortable with like saying “I love you” and hugging so he was craving this kind of love that people don’t even allow themselves to feel.

Ron: That ‘s so true, that’s so true. If you today could talk to yourself at age 18, what would you say to yourself?

Kerli: I would say that everything is going to be [bleep] great. I would just give myself a big hug.

Ron: Love that, and what would you like to say to all of your fans  and all the [inaudible] children out there?

Kerli: I would like to say, I think the biggest thing that I am working on right now is absolute self love, like shameless self love you know just really trying to train, to not have like any decreasing thoughts about who you are, like every time a fear comes in saying “oh, I cant do this”. Anything that keeps me small,  I am trying to really eliminate, you know just to fully live an amazing existence. So the one thing that I would like to say I guess is, love yourself. And it kind of sounds like cliche but there is nothing more important in the world than to love yourself. Know your value and know your worth.

Ron: I love that. Well Kerli thank you so much for talking to us today using radio. Watch out for her new single with Sunburn, its called Raindrops its on Ultra Records. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today, I really appreciate it.

Kerli: Thank you so much for taking the time.