Karra Rhodes on Being a Mum, Dog Mum, Musician and Her Love for Country Music
I had the absolute pleasure to have a chat with upcoming Christchurch-based country musician, Karra Rhodes. All photos provided by Karra.
Recently, I caught up with the uber talented, lovely Karra Rhodes for an interview about her busy life, her upcoming album and how she is delving into the Scottish music scene, as well as the New Zealand music scene.
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Hey Karra! Thank you so much for coming on Welcome to the Gig for an interview. How are things going since your newest release of your single, Why Can’t I Love You Less?
Karra: It should be me saying thank you for having me! I love your writing and the time you have for us artists; it means a lot.
Honestly, things have been great, chaos, but great! I am loving the journey and the connections with other musicians I have made along the way. If you’d told me I would have been here a year ago, I would have been shocked. Songwriting is my biggest crux, I love it! So the opportunities just this one song has opened and created has been almost overwhelming, in the best of ways.
Tell me about the inspiration for Why Can’t I Love You Less and what the feedback has been like since release!
Karra: When I write, I tend to write metaphors / analogies etc – Why can’t I love you less was about stripping it back to the storytelling aspect – mentioning songs on the radio, mentioning literal activities (put on that little black dress… throw back the shots…). This song was inspired by the thought of listening to a radio and it not feeling how it should when you aren’t singing along with that special someone anymore and how you should be out moving on, but it’s hard when everything around you just doesn’t quite sit right.
You've so far released four songs in total. How do you feel your music has evolved since your first single?
Karra: I still feel connected to the first three songs, in particular, My own Mind is very personal… but the genre it fell into wasn’t me. It was produced fantastically by an awesome EDM producer, but my heart and soul are country all the way. Working with Greg Haver on the new music (fourth single onwards) was just a ‘yup yup yup’ moment knowing it ticked all my boxes of what I was looking for in my music. I used to want to be edgier and cooler, but to be honest I have given up on that... I like writing what comes to my mind and what feels right. If you listen to the music, hopefully you’d see a natural evolution of confidence and just believing that I can, and should, write about what matters to me.
You’re a pretty busy lady! What do you do in your spare time away from creating your magical music?
Karra: Oh boy my life is busy! I love music so it does take up a lot of my time creating it… But apart from that, I love writing too, especially fantasy books – such a nerd for anything to do with writing! I also study a lot now which is no fun at all but it’s a must to get onto that next stage of my life. And I have two beautiful, wonderful little kids who keep me busy as well as my dogs and fiancé.
I know that you’re originally from Scotland, which is so exciting! Had you attempted to delve into the Scottish music scene, or is that something you’re just doing in New Zealand?
Karra: I have started to dip my toes into the Scottish music scene but not nearly as much as I would like to, it will be something I will work towards in the future as it is so important to me that my family and friends back home can sort of share that experience with me and have part of me back there.
I hear you have an album on the way! Are you able to share anything regarding that?
Karra: I am terrible at keeping secrets aren’t I!? I probably should have kept that under wraps… But I get too excited! I have so many songs and melodies and lyrics that have just been bursting to get out of the little shadowland of songs I put them into, so it’s very exciting that they will now have a home… You will definitely have regular music coming from me and you can keep that full album on your radar! And after that, I can guarantee it won’t be too long before there will be another album in the works… There’s no stopping at this point!
You’ve had some awesome radio play across New Zealand and Scotland, what’s your reaction like when you hear your own music on the radio?
Karra: I am quite an awkward person, like seriously, if my song comes on – I love it of course – but it’s like when you hear yourself talk, you’re like oh boy this is strange ha-ha so if you’re with me, I will be like ummm should we listen to this, or I can turn it off right?? But gosh I did love the response, and to hear that my music is out there, and it is enjoyed, means more than words can actually express.
What does a typical day off look like for you?
Karra: Like there’s a zombie apocalypse and it’s a scramble for survival… I am joking, but in all seriousness, it’s full on during this period of my life. Trying to be the best mum I can be, while working full time, trying to always make sure my dogs are loved and walked and played with, while studying and making music…. There’s very little down time (for now) but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
If you could liken your music to any country in the world, which country would you choose and why?
Karra: I would like to think even though my music falls under the country genre (USA), that it has its own sound and doesn’t quite fall under any country… I have moved and lived in many different countries, so I feel I have taken inspiration from many sources. I’d hope so anyway!
What do you hope that your music brings to the world?
Karra: I was talking about this with someone recently. Honestly, I want the lyrics to mean something. I want someone to hear it and think – I can relate – or just feel part of the song. I want it to be something that means something – corny and cliché right? But if it can help someone or if it can be someone’s ‘song’ that resonates with their life and is their song, well that’s what I want.
You’ve got this beautiful country sound! Is country always the way that you knew your music would go and are you considering adding in other genres in the future?
Karra: Country has always been my go to music! Throughout my teenage years I think I was the ONLY one in my friendship group who was obsessed with country music and I think subconsciously I adopted that tone / style. I just feel that country music has stories – and I feel with a lot of other songs they lack that. The realness that country music has – that was always what I wanted. However, in saying that, I love exploring other genres, I am not a closed book to any genre (maybe except rap, although to be honest you’d be surprised how many rap songs I know every word to hah!)
Thank you so much for your time, Karra, I’m very excited to hear your album when it’s released! Is there anything else you would like to add to close out the interview?
Karra: One thing I want to do in the future – is primarily be a writer for other musicians or with other musicians (co-writing). I will always have my own music, but there are far too many lyrics and melodies in my head to be just for me, it would be a waste! I am always open for collaboration…
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Make sure that you keep up with Karra’s exciting adventures at the below links -