The real Rebekka
That mix of the rhythmic and melodic has earned Karijord comparisons with her friend and fellow Norwegian, Ane Brun, with whom she has toured extensively, including a date in Dublin a couple of years ago. When Karijord plays her own headliner at the Workman’s Club next Friday, she’ll be bringing her electric harp, along with a couple of drummers and a guitarist. “It’s four or five onstage, and a lot of voices. All of them are singers. It’s more energetic and louder live than it is on record. Very dynamic. From the small, silent, minimal, only one instrument, to total mayhem.”
Ask Karijord about her influences, and she’ll cite everyone from PJ Harvey to Patti Smith to Björk to Buffy Sainte-Marie to Sheila Chandra, but what most influenced her was her mother’s storytelling when she was a child, which she says fired her imagination and opened all sorts of creative doors in her mind. The influence is there on such tracks as Prayer, Your Love and Multicoloured Hummingbird, and also on the single Use My Body While It’s Still Young, which drew criticism from this very Ticket for its provocative title.
“I thought it was a very simple interpretation. It’s not about sex. It’s provocative, yes, I know that, but I wanted to be a little provocative, because I think that’s when pop music is at its best. I tend to try to not explain what my songs are about, because it takes away the magic, but I can say that to me it’s about memento mori – remember that you’re gonna die one day, so embrace your life.”
Rebekka Karijord plays the Workman’s Club on Friday, January 18th. Her new single, Multicoloured Hummingbird, is out today on Control Freak Kitten Records
