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As an artist, I feel so fortunate to be able to learn from all these great musicians that came before me, when some people have nobody that came before them.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I didn't date for my entire teen life - it just wasn't on my mind.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad
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I don't think shoving my butt into people's faces will tell them anything about who I am. How is that connecting to your audience? What is that doing for your music?
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
Life experience brings out different emotions and different perspectives on things. I just want to be constantly evolving.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
In the Navy, the path is paved for you. Your job is to be a soldier and fit in. As long as you stick to your place, it's actually really easy.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I like to be creative with my red carpet outfits, but equally, sometimes I am just in the mood to go all out with a ball gown and heels - but only If you get me on the right day!
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I feel like, when you turn on the radio and you hear a great song, you know it's a great song, and you sing along. We all know what a great song sounds like, so we all have that instinct, it's just being able to accept your own instincts when you write that song.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I loved the bootcamp and the training. It was the actual Navy and the structure after it that I realized wasn't for me because they're building soldiers. It's a system, and you can't really stick out; you can't be the oddball out in the military.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad
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When something really grabs me, I dive into it.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
My sound definitely pays a lot of homage to the Nineties, but not just the dance music. There's also breakbeats, R&B, the big ballads. It's that whole era infused with very modern sounds.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
It wasn't until I wrote 'Hideaway' that I found the song I related to as an artist.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
Beauty has so many forms, and I think the most beautiful thing is confidence and loving yourself.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
When I started writing music on the guitar, it started off very folky because of my limited ability to play. It was slow, soft melodies. But then, as I got better on the guitar, I started exploring different sounds.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
The moment I wrote my first song, I got addicted.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad
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People have mentioned, 'Maybe you should try to be more sexy. Look at how this butt stuff propelled this person to the top of the chart; it's amazing!' And I'm like, 'What if I really want to sing something to people?' I speak my mind. I want to be that person people feel they can listen to.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
From the age of three to 15, I wanted to be a ballerina and trained really, really hard. Then I had that classic movie story moment, where I had an injury and had to give up my dream.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
You cannot go wrong by learning classical music because it trains the ear.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
When I'm on a plane, I am the annoying person humming into my phone. Sitting there static with nothing to do, a lot of melodies come to me. So I've written a lot of songs on planes.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I was a very unpredictable child. I'd pack a bag and go off and do a hike in the mountains for 10 days.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I'm very naturally happy, quirky and positive.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad
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I tend to sort of dive into things without worrying about risk or anything. Like, when I get an idea, I tend to just go for it and see what happens.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I was a weird teenager. My mother was actually worried because I didn't have any interest in dating in my teenage years. I had all this desire to pursue my passions like ballet, then sailing, then music, so I didn't have any emptiness to fill.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I wear crop tops and stuff, but I genuinely like that style, so it's just has to be genuine. Once you start getting to that world where you're using sexuality to try to propel something, you're losing the moment. You've lost; people are not focusing on that anymore.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad -
I was in a rock band; I was my own folk singer; I was in a death metal band for a very short time; I was in a cover band, a jazz band, a blues band. I was in a gospel choir.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad