Emerging Artist:

Kerli

Published November 3, 2008

Born in Elva, Estonia, a tiny town of some 5,000 people, Kerli grew up with a dream to escape her surroundings. "I haven't had a single dream that hasn't come true," says Kerli of her remarkable path, which has led her from that tiny town to being signed with the Island Def Jam label. "The bigger the dream, the more time it takes to come true. The moment you really let go, that's when something comes to you."

Kerli.

At age 14, Kerli won Euroalaul, the Estonian singing contest that chooses an individual to represent Estonia in the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest. She took that initial success, concentrated on her singing, and decided to come to America. "What I like here, which I never had in Estonia, is that people really do believe they can become whatever they want to become. My background has made me what I am, but it must be so much better to grow up in an environment where nobody tells you that you can't do something," she says.

After auditioning for Island Def Jam Chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid, she was signed on the spot, and her debut album, Love Is Dead, was released in early July of this year. All you need to know about this artist can be found in the intensely personal lyrics of these songs.

A cycle of death and resurrection runs through the darkly-tinged songs of Kerli. In the track "Butterfly Cry," you can hear her pain and enlightenment as she reveals, "I used to believe there was no lights/But I found out/Life is far too short to fight/Lose yourself/Let go your pain/Taste the air you breathe/And kiss the sky."

Kerli's album Love Is Dead is available in stores now.

Now, things are different for Kerli. "I open my eyes in the morning and I'm excited about my life," she says, "But I want to keep that darker part alive, too, because I find it very beautiful. I just want to show people that it is possible to come out of that dark hole. I was as deep as you can get, but I came out. Everybody can. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. That's my message. I'm a storyteller, a messenger, a friend, a helper on a very basic, simple, human level. I'm a voice for the outsiders, because I'm one, too.”

Look for the album Love Is Dead wherever music is sold, and look for Kerli videos on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace!