There’s a vibe about doing Zoom interviews that I just haven’t gotten used to. We’re so reliant on human interaction to understand someone’s personality that when you have a virtual conversation, it just isn’t the same. But when Kara Marni leaped onto the call, her energy and enthusiasm was so captivating it was like she was in the room with us. Despite waking up moments before (with the mayhem of lockdown to blame) Kara’s humour, charm and bucket hat instantly lit up our screens to talk about her latest music video ‘Trippin’.
But before we could talk music, it was her red lip that caught our eye. “One of the things I’ve learnt through lockdown is the magic of red lipstick. I’ve got no foundation on, no brows but it just does the trick!”, said Kara as she showed us her collection of MAC Lipsticks from behind the camera. Kara was glowing but, understandably, when you’re as busy as her, who’s got the time? “What’s been amazing about lockdown is all the new skills I’ve learnt. The songs I’ve released have been recorded in my shed, or shed studios, as I like to call it, which I’ve been really proud of.” With the lack of freedom that lockdown has imposed, it’s always been music that Kara has turned to as an escape.
“I’m proud of how I’ve been productive and self-sufficient to still get my music out there.”
Kara Marni
With the release of her new cosmic enthused music video, Kara sat with us to share the powerful fashion features and creative processes that inspired ‘Trippin’.
What was the creative process like behind the styling for ‘Trippin’?
“I had so much fun when going through the creative process. It was a cool dynamic between communicating with my hair and makeup, my stylist and the director. Obviously, I had my own ideas with mood boards and wanting to have a galactic theme to the video, but I think it was amazing for us to all to come together. We even shot it on the moon! Obviously not the real one, Elon Musk couldn’t quite get us there.”
How involved do you get with your glam team when you were selecting looks?
“I like to get really involved with my glam team. It was so important that the stylist and my hair and makeup were on the same page as the glam team works synonymously with the stylists to help create those looks. We needed to make sure that with each look we knew how the hair was going to be, how the makeup was going to be structured. As much as it was hard work communicating between us, it came together and made it feel worth it.”
What was your inspiration for the music video and how did that reflect your outfit choices?
“’Trippin’ was the first song I wrote during lockdown. One of the first lyrics is: ‘I’m rolling, rolling in and out of space when you look at me’, so I really wanted to push that space theme in the video and have this cosmic vibe. That’s why I wanted to set it on a ‘moon’. It’s got a super futuristic vibe to it that needed to be reflected in the outfits as well. Luckily, the director, Samuel Douek, was really on board with the theme so it worked really well.”
We spotted you in a Mugler Bodysuit. Can you go through this first look with us?
“If anyone knows me, they know I’m obsessed with Mugler. I’ve always wanted to wear his stuff. My stylist is unbelievable so she was able to pull the bodysuit for the shoot. It was the first time I’ve ever worn Mugler and It made me feel so empowered, sexy and just gave me everything I wanted to feel. I thought it was important that that was the opening look as I think it set the tone for the video and really helped my performance. Even when I’m on stage, if I don’t feel comfortable in my outfit, I feel like I can’t perform as well.”
What was the inspiration for the Selfhood Official look?
“For the second look I am wearing a custom gold two-piece by Selfhood. It may have been uncomfortable at times and was a little bit risk-ay, but it had to be done! I also had to wear pearl dots on my face and under my nails which was used for the tracking, as there are animated parts to the video. As for my hair, I had it styled quite differently. It was the first time I’ve had my hair in a long braid. I was absolutely obsessed with it. My outfits were so out there, especially with this look being a metallic two piece, so it was really nice having slicked back hair.”
For your last look you’re wearing Paco Rabanne. Tell us about your final look!
“I was wearing chain mail Paco Rabanne dress with a black bodysuit underneath. The other two looks were very structured so for the Paco Rabanne I wanted to be able to move around and dance about the place. I felt like I gave myself whip lash doing a thousand head spins but it was really fun! This was also the first time where my hair was down so I wanted it to be able to flow properly. The plait I had with the gold look was so heavy so with this last look it was all about movement.”
Finally, what was your favourite look from the three pieces?
“If I had to choose, obviously I love all three, but I would say the gold Selfhood piece. It was custom so that was one of the reasons but the jewels I was wearing with it were unbelievable and the glasses were super fun. Because gold is so beautiful, and it just looked so cosmic and perfect for the video.”
While the Pandemic has been difficult for any artist, it’s clear that Kara’s determination and ‘can do’ attitude has been getting her through. While she is still emersed in the buzz from ‘Trippin’, its sounds like there’s some exciting projects in the pipeline. “I wrote a song in lockdown called ‘Sick of Me’. It’s about being stuck with my own thoughts to the point where I’m sick of myself.” Still waiting on a date, ‘Sick of Me’ will be in Kara’s next project, but ultimately, it’s getting back on stage and doing what she loves that Kara can’t wait for.
MAC Retro Matte Lipstick
Interview Jyoti Matoo, Words by Clare Stephenson, Graphics by Millie Pollok
