It’s Official, Kimbra Is the Coolest

New Zealander Kimbra is officially the “coolest” according to Nylon magazine, telling their readers that if they’re not already familiar with the singer then, “it’s time to get acclimated.”

“Her music has the power to transport you to a beautiful hallucinogenic dream world, with musical inspirations like Nina Simone, Björk, and Prince, and spiritual influences like C.S. Lewis and Thomas Merton.”

Kimbra, 24, gives the fashion magazine a lesson in New Zealand slang, beginning with adding “as” to statements.

“So we go ‘sweet as’ if something’s awesome, or even ‘rad as’. Like ‘a-s’, not ass,” she explains. “So it’s a way of kind of reaffirming that you like something …”

“We also say “bro” a lot – everything’s ‘bro.’ ‘Sup, bro?’ Yeah, that’s a good one to practice. We use ‘bloody’ heaps. Like ‘bloody idiot!’”

Nylon asks what’s the deal with Taylor Swift’s album 1989 and Kimbra’s own single, 90s Music.

“The early 90s are definitely making a resurgence,” she says. “It’s long enough ago where it’s a kind of a throwback but people are bringing back so many fashion ideas, music ideas, and just recycling it for this culture. Rehashing it … but in a new way, so I think it’s like that collective consciousness, isn’t it?”

Kimbra’s second album The Golden Echo was released in August 2014. In 2013, Kimbra and Gotye won the Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance awards at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards Show for Somebody That I Used to Know.

Original article by Leila Brillson, Nylon, November 21, 2014.

Photo by Atisha Paulson.