Kina Grannis Talks About Bridging the Gap Between Live Shows and the Internet

Sam Byrd

Does the name Kina Grannis sound familiar? If not, then we suggest you turn your attention to YouTube. The half-Japanese half European American singer has been burning up the Internet with her breathy, heartfelt covers since 2007. Her very first YouTube video,  “Message from Your Heart” won Doritos Crash the Superbowl Contest and landed her a deal with Interscope records, which she worked with until 2009. With a folk/pop style that calls to mind artists like Yael Naim and the Avett Brothers, Grannis’s sweet demeanor and guitar playing give a uniquely gentle tone to her music.

Even before the advent of YouTube, Grannis was writing original music, such as her 2006 album “Sincerely Me.” Not one to be afraid of hard work, Grannis has released five albums in the last 9 years, ending with this year’s “Elements.” Her current tour, named after the very same, just finished its first leg. She told us that her favorite part so far has been the crowds.

“I don’t know what it is about this tour, but the crowds have just been AMAZING. My favorite part is looking out into the crowd and seeing so many happy faces and people singing along. There’s no better feeling. “

The North American part of the Elements tour began at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, a venue Grannis has played – and sold out – before. Though she’s no stranger to tour life, having been on the road off and on since 2011, this is her first official headlining run since the spring of 2012, which ended the internationally sweeping In Your Arms tour.  Playing with Grannis on the tour is her new husband, Jesse Epstein, playing as Imaginary Future. As the two have been frequent musical collaborators, we asked Grannis whether their marriage has changed the tour chemistry.

“I don’t know that marriage has really changed the dynamic at all. We’ve always been there for each other, 100%. Tour is a million times easier having him by my side.”

Online, Grannis covers a wide variety of song styles and feelings – some are original songs, some are covers, all are unique. With such a wide variety of styles on YouTube, we wondered whether her live shows – which are, by necessity, limited by time constraints – swung towards one type of song or another. In keeping with her joy over fans singing along, she states that her favorite songs to play live are more upbeat.

“Lately I’ve been loving playing the more energetic songs like ‘Throw It Away’ and ‘My Dear.’”

The music video for “My Dear,” includes footage from Grannis and Epstein’s wedding. This mix of music and real life has been a mainstay on her channel since its creation – not only does she create music videos, but she does video blogs, charity videos and live shows as well. Many artists today are focused solely on creating the music, not on interacting with their fans. We mentioned this to Grannis and asked her opinion on the close relationship she’s always maintained with those who follow her both on and offline.

“They’ve been here since the beginning, so it developed really naturally. They’ve always just felt like my team–my online family–and it just feels normal letting them in on my life. ”

Despite the demands of tour, Grannis has kept uploading videos to her main channel, which now has over 1,00,000 subscribers. As we’ve already mentioned, Grannis covers many genres of music, including “Superstitious” by Stevie Wonder and “Chandelier” by Sia. Not only does her original music get videos, but also the remixes. One of the latest videos is a remix of her song, “Write it in the Sky.” When we asked her how she felt about remixes, she said she enjoyed the new perspective of her songs.

“Remixes are fun because I really have so little say in them. You write a song–in this case, “Write It In The Sky”–and then you hand it off to someone and basically let them have their way. It’s really amazing to hear your song reinvented through another artist’s point of view. I love it.”

We were curious about whether Grannis found a difference between performing in videos and performing live. Though you might expect such a switch to call upon a certain amount of chameleon-like qualities, Grannis says it’s not the case.

“I think my online and in-person presence are pretty much the same thing. Wherever I am, online, at a show, walking around town, I strive to feel as ME as possible. That’s something I don’t want to feel like I’m constructing.”

Matt Hales of Aqualung produced “Elements,” the album that sparked this tour. As he often produces folk and electronic albums, including those by artists like The Fray, Jason Mraz, and Sara Bareilles, he was a perfect fit for Grannis’s folk pop style.

“Matt is such a genius and has such a beautiful aesthetic when it comes to sounds. He helped me find a sound that really moved me and felt right for the album and really just opened up the songs with his production. ”

We expect to hear much more from Grannis, who hasn’t slowed down a wink since launching her musical career almost a decade ago. Her tendency towards collaborations and genre splitting prompted us to ask whether she had any musical partnerships planned after the tour.

“Nothing currently, but I am hoping once tour winds down that I can reconnect with some of my musical friends and work together again.