Girl Talk with Kina Grannis

This YouTube star is back in the 852 and we’ve got a bit of a girl crush. Sarah from TwentyBliss chatted with her… it got weird.

Introduce yourself.

Hey there 🙂 My name is Kina Grannis. I’m a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, CA.

Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are?

I was very fortunate to stumble upon the power of the internet about eight years ago. I’d spent many years doing everything I could to share my music through open mics, busking on the street, taking every gig I could, and then YouTube changed everything. I started my channel when I was in a contest called Doritos Crash The Superbowl. Thanks to YouTube’s ability to connect me with amazing and supportive humans all around the globe, I won the contest, got signed to a major label (that I ended up leaving in order to maintain creative control and stay independent), and have been making albums and touring the world ever since!

How would you describe your musical style?

I’ve heard it described as “Indie Folk Pop”. My main goal is to make you feel 🙂

What are some of your influences?

Bon Iver, Imogen Heap, Sigur Ros.

What made you depart from your first record label, Interscope Records?

They had an idea for who I should be and what I should sound like, but to me music is so precious and so personal. A major label wasn’t worth giving up the ability to make the music that was true to me. Luckily I’d discovered through the internet that people wanted to support me for exactly the music I wanted to make and that made my decision a lot easier.

Something/someone that you turn to when you’re in a creative rut?

When I’m in a creative rut, I step back. I never force it. I get back into the world, see friends, have experiences, read, be in nature. Usually, if I give it some time (and feed my brain some experiences to draw from), next time I come back to try to create, it’s a little easier!

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’ve been loving Sufjan Steven’s new album Carrie & Lowell.

What are you most looking forward to doing in Hong Kong?

Seeing all my Hong Kong fans! It’s been forever and I am just so excited to be there again. Also… maybe eating dim sum.

Describe the internet in one sentence.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE THINGS AHHH. Sorry for the lack of eloquence, but the internet is a pretty wild place.

What’s something you’ve never been asked about but have always wanted to share? Get weird!

Recently, I went on a rafting trip down the river at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. You have to grip the ropes on the raft REALLY hard so you don’t fly off into the rapids. During a particularly huge rapid, I skinned the back of my hand pretty bad in two places. As they started the heal, they started to resemble two eyes. I then proceeded to draw the shape of a stingray on the back of my hand around them. I had a new pet. It was awesome.

(Google image search “baby stingrays” and you’ll get a better idea of what it looked like. There is also a woman wearing a stingray as a hat if you scroll down a bit…. it was bizarre.)

So… yeah. You asked for weird, you got it.

And finally, in honour of your first major win in the music industry, what is your favourite flavour of Doritos? Do you secretly prefer Pringles?

You know… Pringles are REALLY good. We’ll call it a tie. Favorite Doritos flavour would definitely have to be Cool Ranch.

You can still nab tickets to see Kina Grannis live here on Sunday, 20 September!