Line #79 Music/Kimbra


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/downloadkimbra.jpg]]
2	%%[[caption-width-right:350:2014 promo shot]]
3	Kimbra (born Kimbra Lee Johnson on March 27th, 1990) is a singer from UsefulNotes/NewZealand, although she has moved to UsefulNotes/{{Australia}} and then to the UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates. Her main genre was initially soul, though she has since branched out into R&B, funk, and electronic music. Her breakthrough came when she was featured in Music/{{Gotye}}'s "Somebody That I Used to Know" in 2012; aside from that, she's released three albums: ''Vows'' (2010/2012), which got two separate releases internationally and in the United States, and ''The Golden Echo'' (2014), which was released internationally, as well as ''Primal Heart'' (2018).
4	----
5	!!Discography:
6	* ''Settle Down'' (EP) (2011)
7	* ''Vows'' (2012)
8	* ''The Golden Echo'' (2014)
9	* ''Primal Heart'' (2018)
10	* ''A Reckoning'' (2023)
11
12	----
13	!!Tropes in her songs include:
14
15	* TwentiesBobHaircut: She had this hairstyle, often with QuirkyCurls, early in her career. Since then she's grown her hair longer so it resembles a HimeCut.
16	* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: The song "Old Flame" seems to be about a lover from back in the day who doesn't share the feelings she still has for him.
17	* ActionGirl: Really. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PUUivXgJ2S4 In the video for "Warrior",]] where she beats up a crime lord and finishes him off with a RoundhouseKick. (She regretted that she didn't get to do that last move herself but a stunt double did.)
18	** ActionDressRip: Which reveals she is wearing a LeotardOfPower.
19	* AffectionateParody: Both the song and video of "90s Music".
20	* AlbumTitleDrop: In "Settle Down":
21	-->Let's make our ''vows''...
22	** Also in "Human":
23	-->Got a ''heart'' that's ''primal''...
24	* AlmostKiss: In the video for "Good Intent".
25	* AntiClimax: "The Build Up", a very quiet and surreal song at the end of ''Vows'', could be seen as the musical equivalent of this. Also qualifies as a NonIndicativeName, though this is explained in the lyrics: "I wanted love without the build up."
26	* AntiLoveSong: "Settle Down".
27	* BedlamHouse: The video for "Come Into My Head" has her as a patient in an old-fashioned mental hospital with apparently very lax security while TheShrink (type 2) tries to calm her down, but doesn't have much luck.
28	** "Madhouse" also uses this trope as a metaphor for a chaotic relationship.
29	* BilingualBonus: In the video for "90s Music".
30	** Kimbra's dance moves include quotes from the song's lyrics in Australian Sign Language that was choreographed by a Deaf fan. (Note that Left Eye of the band Music/{{TLC}} (who is mentioned in the song) was known for using sign language in their videos.)
31	** In the background some lyrics from the song also appear in Japanese, like 日常 "everyday", リスニング "listening", and 音楽 "music".
32	* BodyPaint: Used on the cover of ''Vows''.
33	** Also in the video of "Somebody That I Used to Know".
34	* CallBack: An untitled interlude heard at the end of "Limbo" (or "Posse" on the international version of ''Vows'') reprises the "Star so light, star so bright" melody from "Settle Down".
35	** The intro to "Goldmine" is a brief snippet from the end of "Cameo Lover", from four years before it.
36	* TheChanteuse: Her role in the music video of "Good Intent".
37	* CounterpointDuet: The most famous example is definitely "Somebody That I Used to Know", but other songs of hers have done it as well, such as "Wandering Limbs" and "Everlovin' Ya".
38	* DarkerAndEdgier:
39	** The alternate version of the video for "Everybody Knows". The original, while a little somber, is Kimbra dancing in a field; the remix is a PSA about domestic violence.
40	** According to Kimbra herself, she intended for her cover of the song "I'm Wishing" from ''WesternAnimation/{{Snow White\|AndTheSevenDwarfs}}'' to be darker than the original.
41	* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The video for "Human", and "Goldmine" (which also has gold foil as a SplashOfColor).
42	** "Come Into My Head" has the Limited Palette variation, with almost everything (including Kimbra herself) being white and black with some red here and there.
43	* DenserAndWackier: ''The Golden Echo'', which was no easy task, considering the already sophisticated pop/R&B style heard on ''Vows''.
44	* DifferentlyDressedDuplicates: In the videos for "Good Intent" (also counts as ColourCodedForYourConvenience) and "Human".
45	* DramaticWind: The first video for "Everybody Knows" is shot in a field with her, a white sheet, and plenty of this.
46	* FadingIntoTheNextSong: "Two Way Street" into "Old Flame".
47	** This is done quite a bit on ''The Golden Echo'', with the sounds of children playing, birds chirping, etc. filling in the gaps where there would normally be silence between songs.
48	* FakeOutFadeOut:
49	** Seems to happen twice near the end of "Love in High Places".
50	** The StopAndGo variant happens on "Nobody But You", which stops abruptly and then restarts as a funky remix of itself before fading out for real.
51	** Inverted on "Teen Heat", which stops quite suddenly where you would expect the final chorus to continue all the way through.
52	* FashionableAsymmetry: Around the time of ''The Golden Echo'', she often wore a crucifix earring in one ear. She wears various mismatched earrings in the video for "90s Music". Also, in her videos from the ''Primal Heart'' era it can be seen she has a tattoo on her right forearm (she explained the significance of it on her blog).
53	* {{Foreshadowing}}: The melody from "Carolina" briefly sneaks into the end of "90's Music".
54	* GirlishPigtails: In the "90s Music" video.
55	* GirlySkirtTwirl: In the videos for "Cameo Lover" and "Miracle".
56	* GladiatorRevolt: The plot to "Warrior" is this but with MaskedLuchador wrestlers and Kimbra being held captive as the singer for a mariachi band.
57	* HappyFlashback: The extremely dark video for "Everybody Knows", which depicts a couple in a dysfunctional relationship where the man is a DomesticAbuser and the woman may be cheating, shows a FallingInLoveMontage after showing them fighting and being violent with each other.
58	* GenreRoulette: Over the course of both of her albums, she puts her own twist on modern dance and indie pop as well as incorporating vintage jazz and soul sounds, and even covering NinaSimone.
59	* GenreThrowback: Many songs of hers, e.g. "Miracle" and disco; "Past Love" and doo-wop; "90s Music" and, well, 90s R&B.
60	* GoshDangItToHeck: Her apparent aversion to "hard" swears is discussed briefly in "Posse":
61	-->You cuss and curse
62	-->So they think that you're rough and tough
63	-->But I like [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]]
64	-->And I find "dammit" heavy enough
65	* HiddenTrack: "Somebody Please" in Vows. Some copies of the international edition feature "Wandering Limbs" as a hidden track instead, which was cut from the main track listing.
66	* {{Hipster}}: "Posse" is about her resistance to becoming one and joining a cool GirlPosse.
67	* HopelessSuitor: "Plain Gold Ring". She wants a guy, but he's already engaged/married.
68	* {{Housewife}}: Kimbra's "ambition" in "Settle Down".
69	* IntercourseWithYou: "Teen Heat" is about the struggle to resist giving into this too soon.
70	** "Sweet Relief" is blatantly this trope.
71	* IWantSong: "Settle Down".
72	* LittleBlackDress: Kimbra's costume in the music video of "Settle Down".
73	* MetaCasting: Many fans have commented that she would be great cast as Snow White because of her resemblance to her (pale skin, dark hair, often wearing vintage dresses and sometimes even a hair bow). In the Disney tribute video "Kimbra's Wish", she was finally cast as Snow White.
74	* ModestyShorts: In the video for "Cameo Lover", though averted in "Miracle".
75	* {{Narcissist}}: "Top Of the World" is written from the perspective of someone with grandiose delusions, including hints of AGodAmI.
76	** The title of ''The Golden Echo'' was inspired by a book she read about the Greek myth of Narcissus, so it seems she has a fascination with this trope.
77	* NewSoundAlbum: Each of her albums sound very different, with ''Vows'' being pop with heavy blues and soul influences, ''The Golden Echo'' being more R&B and funk, and ''Primal Heart'' being electropop.
78	* NoirEpisode: The music video for "Good Intent" has shades of this trope, though it's in color.
79	* ObsessionSong: "Settle Down", due to WordOfGod stating that the song was written to be ironic, thus the song leaning toward more of the "aggressive" type.
80	* OtherCommonMusicVideoConcepts:
81	** Backwards Action in the second video for "Everybody Knows"
82	** Dance Hall Daze in "Good Intent"
83	** Dancing in the Street in "Miracle"
84	** Junkyard/Construction Site appears in "Like They Do On the TV"
85	** Monochrome Backdrop in "Cameo Lover"
86	* ParkingGarage: The video for "Human", where she confronts her ShadowArchetype in one and defeats her ... with a DanceOff?
87	* PimpedOutDress: Many of them, such as in the video for "Miracle", and on the cover of ''The Golden Echo''. Some have GiantPoofySleeves
88	* RainbowMotif: The blindfolded men in the "Cameo Lover" video.
89	** Also, the jogging women in the "Miracle" video.
90	* ReferenceOverdosed: The video for "90s Music"; some of the most obvious references can be found below under ShoutOut but there are several articles online analyzing all of them.
91	* RuinsForRuinsSake: The setting of the video for "Top Of the World" with its mysterious tall stone pillars.
92	* RhymingWithItself: "Goldmine" does this with two different meanings of the word "mine".
93	* SelfBackingVocalist: Used extensively in a lot of her songs, to the point of being a part of her SignatureStyle. For example, the hook of "Settle Down".
94	* SingingVoiceDissonance: Her speaking voice is relatively low compared to singing voice in most of her music. A few songs, particularly some earlier ones, are closer to her speaking range.
95	* ShoutOut: "90s Music" name-drops several of the decade's hitmakers in its hook, though the vocals are obscured to the point where it's not obvious at first.
96	-->[[Music/MichaelJackson MJ]] & Music/{{Mariah\|Carey}}
97	-->{{Music/Nirvana}} & {{Music/Aaliyah}}
98	-->Music/RKelly & [[Music/MaryJBlige Mary Blige]]
99	-->{{Music/TLC}} & [[AWildRapperAppears Left Eye]] (she also [[VisualPun points to her left eye]] in the video)
100	** The Japanese captions in the video for "90s Music" are also a reference to the video for the Music/Aqua song "Barbie Girl".
101	** According to her the name of the song "Teen Heat" was taken from a song by The Blood Brothers.
102	** "Posse" includes a ShoutOutToShakespeare as well as Music/{{Morrissey}}, Music/JoyDivision and Literature/TheBible.
103	* SugarBowl: Some of her videos have a very bright and cheerful setting, like "Cameo Lover", "Miracle" and "90s Music" (bizarre as it is).
104	* SummonBackupDancers: In several of her videos such as "Settle Down", "Cameo Lover", "Good Intent", "90s Music", and "Miracle"
105	* SurrealMusicVideo: Many of them, most notably "90s Music" (an intentional throwback to the strange and colourful videos of that decade), and "Sweet Relief" (which is pure CGI and looks like the Main/{{Vaporwave}} aesthetic). Only a few of them ''aren't'' surreal in any way.
106	* TeamPowerWalk: She, Mark Foster and A-Trak do one at the end of the video for "Warrior".
107	* TheirFirstTime: The subject of "Teen Heat" is exactly what it sounds like.
108	* UnlimitedWardrobe: The sheer number of dresses and other outfits she wears in her videos (and in real life) is absurd. In some videos such as "Miracle" and "Top Of the World", her whole outfit [[ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction changes between shots.]]
109	* WatchingTheSunset: The video for "Version of Me" is a whole shot of her sitting on a rock by the seaside doing this.

Context Music / Kimbra