KIMBRA
teams up with
DAWN
for a new take on
‘VERSION OF ME’
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ACCLAIMED THIRD ALBUM PRIMAL HEART OUT NOW
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Two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning, critically acclaimed New Zealand songstress Kimbra has unveiled a new take on Version of Me featuring DAWN. The original appears on her recently released tastemaker-praised third studio album, Primal Heart, available now on Warner Bros. Records.
On the record, Version of Me stood out as a stark, sparse, and stunning ballad, pairing stripped vocals and a piano hum amplified by orchestral strings. Kimbra’s voice took hold on confessions like, “I swear that I’m trying. If there’s a better version of me. Would you stay for the person I’ll be?” However, this update transforms the musical backdrop into an ambient soundscape wrapped in nocturnal synths supporting intense vocal interplay and excavating a message of duality. The song comes to life as a passionate, provocative, and powerful duet, adding another dimension to an already seismic moment from Primal Heart. Meanwhile, the stirring music video directed by frequent collaborator Micaiah Carter makes an equally potent statement translating the themes into a captivating and dramatic visual.
About her contribution to Version of Me, DAWN commented:
“To be fully exposed as a woman is a vulnerability many of us are afraid to show, because of judgement. Society says they want to see the real you, but when you actually show them, they aren’t quite ready for it. The track is a mirror. When I heard it, I understood every word to my core. I realised every woman has a different battle of finding the best versions of themselves. For me, I find strength in my imperfection. To me, this song meant self-acceptance. It meant freedom to be naked in every day and be enough. I saw a mirror of two women, two different races, and two different lives connecting organically and honestly. We are at our best when we can face each other without barriers.”
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Kimbra added:
“To me, this version of the song moved it from a space of inner wrestling to a new relational dance where both characters were able to embody the words in different, but deeply impactful ways. The collaboration is born out of an immense respect we both hold for each other’s art. There’s something so electric about Dawn. The speed at which she recreated the song was really inspiring and it led to a momentum of joint creative endeavour for us. We wanted to capture a very personal visual environment to reflect the tension and resolve within this lyric. It was really confronting to be in a space of no distraction or decoration and sing from our innermost place, seeking to find strength in one another.”
The track remains a favourite. In its review of Primal Heart, Pitchfork proclaimed Version of Me to be “a standout” and went on to describe it as “a soft ballad that positions Kimbra at her most exposed.” Meanwhile, Brooklyn Vegan dubbed it “a heart-breaking, tender piano ballad.”
Kimbra just wrapped up an extensive U.S. tour alongside the likes of Beck and ODESZA and will be announcing more dates soon. Next, she will hit the stage at Montreal International Jazz Festival and Ottawa Blues & Arts Festival and embark on extensive touring in New Zealand, including EXO-TECH sets with Sophia Brous.
Expanding her influence yet again, Kimbra will make her motion picture debut as one of the main characters in the 2019 film, Daffodils.
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www.warnermusic.com.au
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