“I don’t think it’s a huge shift, I think it’s a natural evolution from the space the album lived in,” critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Karin Ann defines her new era, kicked off with a new single, ‘i was never yours.’
Flawlessly authentic, reeking of pure star factor, the Slovak artist Karin Ann has excelled beyond the borders of her home country, and since our last interview in 2023, her talent has flourished even further. Describing this period as ‘mature,’ Karin Ann has gone through times of self-discovery, especially outside of her career.
With the release of ‘i was never yours,’ Karin Ann infuses this new chapter with folk-inspired sounds, reconnecting with her childhood and her roots. ‘i was never yours’ is also a result of a collabroation with Suki Waterhouse, which emerged from a cameo in the ‘Model, Actress, Whatever’ music video and blossomed into a friendly connection.
Catching up with Karin Ann, she opens up about her personal growth over the years, looking back at the release of her debut album, ‘Through The Telescope,’ and letting the music speak for itself, while separating her private self from the artist Karin Ann is.
We spoke back in 2023, focusing on your single ‘bittersweet heartbreak’, and the days when you rocked your buzzcut. How would you compare that period of your life with the current day?
That was a very interesting time! i just experienced my first time being on set for a project outside of my music, I was also finishing the masters for my debut album which came out in 2024, I’m very fond of that time.
What else has changed since then?
A lot haha, I mean naturally a lot changes in someone’s life day to day so 2 years are definitely a huge jump. I’m older, I moved out for the first time which lead me on a journey of rediscovering myself outside of my home. I think I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve grown a lot which I’m very proud of.
What symbolism is your new hair-do carrying? Is hair a big part of your different eras?
I always express myself through my style (clothes, makeup, hair) so whatever I look like just shows how I’m feeling and what I’m going through in life at that specific time.
How would you describe this version of yourself, from a professional and personal point of view?
I think in the simplest way – more mature. I’ve been rediscovering a lot of things that make me who I am outside of my career and I’ve found a lot of new hobbies, which ironically are either the same or just a natural evolution of what I loved when I was a kid. It’s been a fun journey to be on.
Are you still splitting your life between LA and London? How is that duel lifestyle treating you?
I’ve spend most of my time in the past year and a half in LA, moving forward I’m going to be spending most of my time in London for the foreseeable future.
Your new single ‘i was never yours’ is kickstarting a new folk infused era. Besides the clear genre shift, what else will define this new direction of your career?
I don’t think it’s a huge shift, I think it’s a natural evolution from the space the album lived in. I’ve always loved folk, I grew up on a lot of Czech folk, so in a way it’s just connecting to my childhood and to my roots.
Could you tell us more about the backstory of ‘i was never yours’?
I don’t like explaining my lyrics. I’m very open and vulnerable in my lyricism but that’s as much as I’m willing to share to the public of my personal life. It’s a boundary that I’ve discovered in the recent years because otherwise there’s no separation between Karin in my personal life and Karin who anyone has access to.
Another side of it is also the fact that I write about things I have a hard time talking about so it’s honestly also hard to find the words outside of my lyrics.
The only thing I can say for this song is that it’s about choosing freedom.
You co-wrote it with the amazingly talented Suki Waterhouse, how did this come about? How was it collaborating with her?
I did a cameo in her music video for “model, actress, whatever” which we shot a year ago and we really clicked, she’s so lovely and extremely talented. I’ve been a fan of hers for years so it was all a very surreal experience. Since that shoot we’ve been talking about potentially writing together and now the timing just worked out for the both of us and I’m very happy with the result.
How do your deal with the fear of settling?
I just know my boundaries. I’ve always had a strong sense of who I am and who I want to be and where I want to go. Even though in the past I’ve been a big people pleaser (and I still am in some areas), I was never willing to compromise on what I wanted from my life. I’ve seen enough unhappy people around me that ended up miserable because they settled for the version of life that others or society told them they should live. We only have one life we shouldn’t live it for others but for ourselves.
You released covers of ‘heroes’ and ‘wicked game’, what do these two tracks mean to you?
They’re both some of my all time favorite songs and I have a soft spot in my heart for both of them.
In this new era you are incorporating more of your Eastern European and Middle Eastern heritage, could you share what local artist are inspiring you these days?
I grew up around a lot of old traditional Slovak songs which I’ve been reconnecting with recently, as well as some Czech artists like Tomas Klus…from the Middle East I’ve been listening to a lot of Elyanna, Lana Lubany and Fairouz.
Does this new era involve a new creative spiritual awakening?
I think because I’m always evolving as a person I’m also always evolving as an artist, my goal is to always stay true and authentic to myself in the moment.
When did your first start dabbling with acting?
Honestly in kindergarten haha, obviously not professionally at the time but in performances for the parents. This continued throughout my life, whether it was school performances or the local theatre productions from a dance company I was a part of. It was always something I wanted to do. Growing up we used to watch and listen to a lot of musicals so musical theatre is probably my biggest career goal.
How did you initially link with the award winning duo TUSK for your two-part music video series “a stranger with my face” and “favorite star”?
I was supposed to work with a different director but 2 weeks before the shoot that collaboration fell through and last minute one of the people we were working with told us they have some director friends that might be interested and those friends were TUSK.
The first collaboration for “if i fall for you” went so well that it was only natural to work on more stuff together, so later we ended up working on “a stranger with my face”, “favorite star” and “i don’t believe in God”
What else do you have prepared for your fans for the rest of the year?
I’m always working on more things but I like to keep them to myself until they’re ready so there’s no pressure of wanting to know the details, so people will just have to keep an eye out 🙂
Follow Karin Ann On Instagram
Words: Karolina Kramplova
Photographer: Yasmine Kateb