Indiepop singer-songwriter Kerry combines tightly-produced pop tunes with colorfully imaginative visual imagery to probe the complexities of life contemporary society. Consider, for example, her recent single, “Get Me a Doctor.” The cover art depicts a young woman dressed like Alice (of Wonderland fame) sitting down to a breakfast of multicolored pills while the song juxtaposes a fun, poppy musical track with lyrics that describe the harrowing cycle of finding the right balance of meds to address anxiety and depression. To learn more about the person behind that tune and others, I dropped Kerry a line…

How long have you been making music?

I’ve been practicing music since I was 16. I came to it after I gave up dancing, which I thought was the meaning of my whole life, and I thought I would devote myself to this craft, but when I was 13, I burned out and I turned on another path. From the age of 16 to 18, I took my first steps in vocals with two teachers who taught me mostly academic vocals. But at the age of 18, I switched to a jazz-pop teacher who could find my sound and style. At the university I performed a lot, had experience working solo, in the duo, in trio and quartet. That’s when I started making a living by performing music at events, weddings, and working at a restaurant as a singer. From 25 to 28, I had a pretty big baby break. But at 28, I went back to music and I came back with the intention of writing my own songs, not just covers. 

Your songs have an incredibly slick feel. Do you record everything on your own or work with a producer? What’s your usual approach to recording?

Most of the songs released were recorded at home. All because I feel much more comfortable in my home than in the studio. I love that I have no time limit, that I can record one piece of a song today, that I can record a second piece tomorrow, and then on the third day I can pick up the good doubles and then send everything to the arranger for mixing.

Usually the song is written in this way: I make up a melody on chords, send a demo for arranger, together with this demo I send references: we discuss the mood of the track, what instruments I would like to use,  in which genre to do the song and then the arranger does his job.  After I have the finished arrangement, I record the finishing vocals. I always pay a lot of attention to backing vocals and 2-3-4 voices. After all the vocals have been recorded, I send the project to my producer, he takes it down, he makes mastering and the track is ready. It happens that for mastering I appeal to other people, but most of all we work in a pair. 

In terms of writing, your songs definitely have an air of social awareness. “Get Me a Doctor,” which I mention, is about anxiety. “Funeral Party” offers an interesting take on the multiple roles that women in particular often occupy. What draws you these topics?

To begin with, I love psychology very much. I also had experience in personal therapy with a psychologist who helped me very much to solve certain problems. But music is a kind of therapy for me and I really wanted to combine these two components in my work. 

I don’t like writing empty texts where words are made up for rhyme or rhythm. I love when lyrics have meaning, when they bring up important topics. 

All my songs are very therapeutic for me personally and in my opinion could help other people who have faced similar situations and problems easier to deal with.

I would like to heal the souls and hearts of people not only with the voice, but also with the texts. I think this is a great way of dialogue between the artist and listeners. 

Despite the weight of these topics, there’s also a playfulness in your approach to them; themusic is bright and fun. Why is that sense of playfulness important to you?

To be honest, it was a mystery to me initially why Funeral Party and Get Me a Doctor I want so much to make playful,  fun and dance. After all, the topics are raised there are quite unhappy. But then I realized that it is likely that I just feel easier to live my experience. Laughing a little at the situation, not telling it seriously and tragically. Of course, this does not mean that all songs on serious topics I will be playful or fun, but I like that I always have the opportunity to make them more positive. 

In general, if you think about it, from the viewpoint of perception, contrasting works are always better remembered by the listener. 

You also put a lot of effort into the visual side of your art. The video short for “Funeral Party,” for example, juxtaposes the vibrant image of a sultry lounge singer with somewhat subdued shots of what might be described as a “plain Jane” who’s held back by what appear to be marionette strings. How do you see music and imagery complementing each other?

I’ve been making music for a very long time without any image or a clear visual concept. But everything changed when I came up with the cover of Get me a doctor. First of all, I wanted to keep my identity, so I started to build on who I am and how I live. By and large, I am a simple housewife, let’s face it (who, for all her supposedly good life, suffers from anxiety and depression). 

So I started there. 

And where did we all see women dressed up and smiling with a vacuum cleaner? Right, in the 1950s. And behind the scenes, they were poor housewives with a lot of disorders. It was at that time that there was a surge of dependence on tranquilizers, which were so easily prescribed to women by doctors. I thought this story was perfect for the Get me a doctor track, so I made it happen on the cover. 

I realized that I had a fondness for the fashion of the 50-60s, so I chose this visual style. 

The Funeral party track also has this vintage mood. And as for the images of the diva and the puppet, they seemed to me and the photographer to be ideal for transmitting the meaning of the track. 

In the near future two tracks will be released, where my love for retro themes and vintage will be very well felt. The story will refer to the history of the 1950s and 1960s America. 

Along similar lines, do you see yourself as more than a singer-songwriter? I’m wondering if you see yourself as an artist in broader terms than music.

I’d really like to see myself in different roles. 

Both as a singer and as a songwriter for other people. I dream of writing for movies and TV shows. 

I dream of giving concerts, what to hide.

It would also be really cool to produce my own or someone else’s video. Video is my favorite part of the process of making a track and promo.

In an even broader sense, perhaps I would try myself in film, but I’m afraid I have no talent for this))

Who do you look to for musical inspiration—or artistic inspiration in general? Who are some of your influences, and what do you like about them?

I love Billie Eilish very much. As a singer, as a writer, and as a human being. I think we have a similar way of writing songs and a similar way of looking at creativity in general. I am also close to her position on matters not related to music. 

I’m inspired by JLo’s ability to work and focus, she’s like an eternal engine, this is very inspiring. 

Vocalists such as George Michael and Mariah Carey were my first idols and it did not go without a trace. Their music still means a lot to me and is very inspiring. 

Among the rising artists I would single out UPSAHL (incredible energy), EMEI (unique style) and KING MALA (I adore her dark pop songs). 

I also draw inspiration from films and TV shows. To name specific actors, it is Jodie Comer, Bryan Cranston, Morgan Freeman, Meryl Streep. 

Is there anyone you’d like to work with?

I would love to work with Ryan Tedder and Ed Sheeran, they are incredible songwriters. It would be very interesting to see how Olivia Rodrigo works, she has interesting songs. I would love to do a duet with Jesse Rutherford,  Khalid and Sampha. Yeah, I am a person who dreams big. lol

Do you ever get a chance to play live?

I used to perform a lot, then there was a long break and now I’m even afraid to come to the stage. But the desire to go back to live performances is definitely there. I just need some practice and the right attitude. I hope to be able to resume them this year. 

What’s on the horizon?

In 2024, I will be writing songs to order, continuing my training as an artist manager, releasing at least five new tracks, and a couple of collaborations. I also want to keep a course towards rapprochement with the audience.  And I really want to do a live performance by the end of the year.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!

Thank you so much for such interesting questions, it was a pleasure to answer them!