Kimbra: Settle Down (Live)

One-woman, iPad-looping sensation Kimbra performs her breakout hit “Settle Down” in our exclusively commissioned and dynamic short by directors Us. Springing to global attention after featuring on Belgian chart-topping phenomenon Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” the soulful 22-year-old Kiwi dropped her debut album Vows in America last month. Us directing duo Christopher Barrett and Luke Taylor filmed a single take of the track to capture the live energy of Kimbra’s performance, visually recreating her vocal loops in post-production. “She builds the entire song using just her vocals, some beatboxing and her iPad,” they explain. “It’s often quite hard to distinguish many layers of sound, so we wanted to break down the structure of her performance, and highlight what she was actually doing.” Currently touring the States with indie rockers Foster the People, NOWNESS caught up with Kimbra on the road to snare her choice of dance moves and drum kits.

Jet set or settle down? 
Jet set!

Up or offbeat? 
Offbeat. 

Shuffle or playlist?
Playlist.

Vinyl or leather?
Leather.

Whiskey or wine? 
Wine.

Twitter or Tumblr?
Twitter.

Bach or The Beatles? 
The Beatles.

Hi-tech or lo-fi? 
High-tech. 

Pop art or pop tart? 
Pop art. 

A cappella or Acapulco? 
A capella.

Drum kit or tool kit? 
Drum kit made up of a tool kit. 

Toe-tap or head-bop? 
Head BANG.

Shimmy or shake? 
Shake. 

Dior or Dion (Celine)? 
I'm down with Celine. 

Solo or duet? 
Duet... With D’Angelo, please?

1950s or 1990s? 
50s for the style, 90s for the cheesy R&B. 

Showgirl or playgirl? 
Showgirl. 

Beastie or Backstreet? 
Backstreet!