Sonar 2008: Miss Kittin interview

Sonar 2008: Miss Kittin interview

19 June, 2008 | 11.57AM

• Written by: Christen Reutens
• Filed under: Music News: miss kittin, sonar 2008

Miss Kittin, the electro pop queen, has been called many things. Shy. Reserved. Cold. Bitchy. Forward-thinking. Cutting-edge. Provocative.

But today sitting down with Beatportal, she’s nothing but sweet, and dare I say it, quite cute.

“Yeah well, you caught me on a good day,” she says laughing, whilst puffing on an elegant white cigarette.

Miss Kittin doesn’t often give interviews, but today at the Beatport/Mobilee/Mothership party at Sonar 2008 she’s open.

Two years ago, Miss Kittin moved back to Paris leaving behind the Berlin electronic music commune.

Some people said it was because she couldn’t take the Berlin heat and she didn’t like it.

“This is not true,” she says. “Actually I moved back to Paris because after visiting some friends there I realised I needed a break.

“I love Berlin, but Paris offers me more so another chapter of my life began.

“The thing about Paris is that it’s more social and more relaxed for me, whilst Berlin is more about work and business.”

Miss Kittin is currently working on a new album with her old cohort The Hacker.

“My new single is out today,” Miss Kittin says, rather proudly. “Next week we’re actually going to be starting on rehearsals for our live show.”

For anyone who doesn’t know Miss Kittin, what kind of music does she make?

“It’s pop music really, but with dark influences and its all based around synths.

“We don’t use any live instruments, only drum machines and computers.”

Miss Kittin and The Hacker’s music has always had a darker, evil edge to it, but Miss Kittin insists that neither of them have dark personalities.

“If The Hacker makes a sunny and light track, then I provide dark vocals, and if he does a darker track I do sunny, happy vocals.

“A good song is like a character from a movie – the villain has a warm side to him, and the hero has a dark side.

“Everyone has a dark and a light side, and the key to happiness I think is recognizing that balance.

“If you deny your dark side, you will be unhappy – for example, look at those hippies living in the mountains making cheese; they’re very unhappy.

“I need both dark and light and you need that balance to stay true to yourself.

“That’s the most important thing to me as an artist.”

Miss Kittin also reveals that for her to be happy as an artist, she will never follow trends.

“I don’t want to be influenced by trends.

“I won’t be happy if I follow other people – I need to do what I feel.

“The way I speak now it sounds like it’s easy for me, but it’s actually been very hard.

“Only recently have I got used to the idea of being myself.

“People say I’m very cold or strict, but I’m just protecting myself from distraction.

“People distract my creativity, so I need to be left alone.

“As an artist, I need to be a filter and to translate my feelings and thoughts into art.”

Miss Kittin admits that she’s something of a reluctant superstar and never thought she would be on stage in front of thousands of people.

“I think I’m a natural born artist and I need art to express myself, but I never thought I’d be in music.”

How comfortable does Miss Kittin feel about being a star?

“The ego can take over, but I’ve learnt to pass beyond my own ego.

“I don’t think I’m a star, and I deliberately hang around people who put my ego down, people like The Hacker.”

Why does Miss Kittin work with people who dissolve her ego?

“I think that’s a childhood thing – we should probably be sitting on a psychologist’s couch now.

“When you’re growing up and your parents don’t show you enough love, you’re never good enough and you seek love.

“Or if your parents love you, you grow up too arrogant, too full of self-belief.

“I need to believe in myself a little more and start to enjoy myself.

“Everything I do now makes me happy, and I don’t feel guilty anymore for being myself.

“I’m grateful of my position in life,” says Miss Kittin, before disappearing into a throng of trendy Europeans, every part the natural born star.

• (2) Comments
• (2150) Views
• Check out Miss Kittin on Beatport