''Kerli'' is the debut self-titled EP by

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n singer-songwriter

Kerli Kerli Kõiv (; born 7 February 1987), better known mononymously as Kerli, is an Estonian singer and songwriter. Born in Elva, Estonia, Elva, Kerli entered multiple singing competitions before being signed to Island Records in 2006 by LA Reid. In ...

. It was released on 16 October 2007, 17 through

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

. After being signed to Island in 2006, Kerli began producing her debut album '' Love Is Dead'' and released the EP as a teaser for the album. The music from the EP is influenced by genres such as

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

, and

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

while its lyrical topics include individuality and rebellion. From the three-song release, which contains the cover of

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

' " She's in Parties", " Walking on Air" and "Love Is Dead" were later included in ''Love Is Dead'' (2008). ''Kerli'' received a positive review for its musical diversity.

Background and composition

In June 2006, following two failed contracts with

Universal Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially a ...

and

Stolen Transmission Stolen Transmission was an American independent record label founded in 2005 by Sarah Lewitinn and Rob Stevenson. They have released albums from well-known artists such as Innerpartysystem, Monty Are I, and Schoolyard Heroes. History The la ...

Estonian singer-songwriter Kerli signed a record deal with

after auditioning to

L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer who served as president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, as well as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Mus ...

and began the development of her then upcoming debut album '' Love Is Dead'', whose producers include David Maurice and Lester Mendez. She released her self-titled debut extended play (EP) as a digital download on 16 October 2007 as a teaser for ''Love Is Dead''; a promotional CD containing the songs was also released. Lyrically, the songs included talk about individuality and rebellion. " Walking on Air" is a semi-autobiographical track which portrays "a little girl wishing to use her talents to find a better life" and has synth rhythms in its production. "Love Is Dead" talks about a lost love, with lyrics like "All I want, all I want is right here / But love don't live here anymore". Kerli has described the song as "hard and dark enough, yet beautiful and light." " She's in Parties" is a

cover with "industrial, chugging guitars and augmented strings", compared to the original version. Both "Walking on Air" and "Love Is Dead" were later included in ''Love Is Dead'' (2008).

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocals * Lester Mendez – producer * Neal Pogue – mixing * David Maurice – mixing

References

{{Authority control 2007 debut EPs Kerli albums