“Hideaway” is an earworm, that song that gets stuck in your head. It also makes you want to dance every time you hear it, throwing caution and abandon to the wind, making you “Ohh” and “Ahh” so much that people quite seriously consider locking you away. That all happened to me when I first heard “Hideaway.” Amazingly though, as it does with most other catchy songs, it did not go away. Making her mark in Madison for the first time this Sunday at The Majestic, Kiesza, the stage name for Kiesa Rae Ellestad, holds the promise of one of the best shows in the city this year.
DC: I read in an interview somewhere that, with your family’s history of military service, you’re a boats and planes family. You could not possibly be more further than your sting in the Navy than you currently are. Do you miss it?
KRE: Historically, we’re an aviation family, and yet somehow I was born with sea legs! My grandfather was quite a well known pilot at his time and served in World War II. Later on, he became the first man to land a commercial jet in Trinidad, which was where he fell in love with my grandmother. In my case, I just sort of signed up for the military on a whim. I was a bit of a thrill seeker and wanted to experience bootcamp. I don’t particularly miss the Navy now, though I did really enjoy it, and am thankful for my experience. I loved the intensity and extreme challenges of the military training, but although I excelled in many areas of training, it became very clear very quickly that the structure of the military was not suited for my personality. I don’t function well in a hierarchical structure. I’m much happier doing what I do now.
DC: With your ancestors being sailors and vikings and what have you, how are you faring in “making up for it” now?
KRE: I have a lot of brutal family history to salvage. Vikings, criminal and outlaws. I’m also of the same lineage as The Black Douglas, who was the first supporter of William Wallace, also known as Braveheart. From what I hear, they were the war heroes, but also, not the nicest of people. Thankfully I was born in Canada, where most people tend to be overly nice. I definitely have that “run headfirst into battle” gene though. It’s an intense fearlessness that’s always been part of my personalty.
DC: How was the experience of being in a death metal band? Would you ever try that again?
KRE: Haha, it was short, painful and epic. I don’t think my voice is quite suited for that style honestly. I’m glad I at least tried it out.
DC: What is the process of writing for famous pop artists such as Rihanna or Kylie Minogue?
KRE: It’s no different than writing for anyone else really. The only difference is, if you know who you’re writing for, and you have a better idea of where their vocal range sits, as well as a better idea of their personality, you can keep that in mind. That being said, however, it’s always the songs you never intended them to record that they seem to choose.
DC: “Hideaway” was an hour that became the moment everything changed for you. Did you ever expect that? How does it feel?
KRE: I never for a moment expected any of this! I’m still rubbing my eyes a bit. It feels great, especially because I now get to perform a lot more than I used to. I really love performing.
DC: You’re in the middle of a concert and a zombie outbreak happens just then right outside. What do you do?
KRE: I actually did get attacked by zombies once. For some reason, over 200 college kids decided to dress up as zombies one day and swarm random buildings, and I just happened to be inside of a coffee shop that they attacked. When you’re not expecting to get swarmed by zombies, for a split second, before your brain processes that they’re costumes, it actually feels real! My heart jumped a little; it was a little awkward. Now had these zombies been real, I would probably have started beating them up with a chair. Or maybe I would just run for my life!
Kiesza will perform Sunday at the Majestic Theatre with special guest Betty Who.
