Red Silk Carpet 99 Kelsie Kimberlin Digital by Shelly Jernigan Pekala

RSC#99 APRIL 2024

On The Cover

Kelsie Kimberlin International Music Star Shares New Release, “We Are The Promise”

Michelle Hillery

Mary Beth Kellee

Michael Ungaro

Johnny Depp

Luz Maria Utrera

Billie Ellish

Erla Brizeuzus-Pierre

Ann Golumbuk

Ann D’Silva

THE MET

Kelsie Kimberlin International Music Star Shares New Release, “We Are The Promise” By Jules Lavallee

Kelsie Kimberlin is a 24-year-old singer-songwriter who has been involved with music her entire life, starting with children’s and church choirs, and then recording her first song at age eight for Yoko Ono’s Peace Project, which won first prize and a $5000 award. She spent all of that money on music lessons and started recording her own music in the studio at age 12. Over the past several years, she has recorded more than 100 original songs. Since June 2020, she has released a dozen songs on YouTube and worldwide music platforms, working with top producers on three continents, including a number of multiGrammy winners and nominees, including Liam Nolan (Adele), Simon Gibson (Beatles, Paul McCartney), Michael Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer), Greg Calbi

first video, “Armageddon,” was released in September to rave reviews and has garnered close to a million views, plays, and streams. She received a commendation from the Armed Forces and a gift from an aide to President Zelensky for her support of Ukraine. Her second video, “Another Chance To Live Again” was released on October 16th and is already going viral. Kelsie is also working with Bogota producer Pedro Vengoechea on a number of songs, and in July, she flew to Colombia to film two music videos directed by award-winning film maker, Cristian Flores, which took her to the rainforest and into the village of an indigenous tribe. Kelsie’s recent release, “We Are The Promise” has 905K views. Kelsie is truly an international artist.

Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga), Joe Laporta (Shawn Mendez, Lizzo), Brent Kolatalo (Kendrick Lamar, Eminem), and Stuart Hawkes (Amy Winehouse). Kelsie has spent literally thousands of hours in the music studio over the past ten years, and currently spends at least two days per week recording new original material. Her music has received worldwide radio play and was in the top 20 on the radio charts in Ukraine for three months prior to the war. She is UkrainianAmerican and is very outspoken in her support of Ukraine. In August 2023, she traveled to Ukraine where she engaged in humanitarian work and filmed three music videos about the effects of the war on

Kelsie, the past year has been a world wind for you. How has your humanitarian work in the Ukraine made a footprint in your legacy?

Ukraniians. The filming occurred under martial law with air raid sirens blaring and attack drones and missiles being shot down overhead. She is the first artist to be granted permission to film in the locations of the worst atrocities in Bucha and Irpin. The

Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you. Yes, the past year has been quite exciting especially with regard to my work in Ukraine. I am a popular American-Ukrainian singer and have used my popularity to totally support Ukraine since a terrorist country invaded in 2014. After the full invasion in 2022, I began posting videos and social media posts to garner support for Ukraine. Then I began writing songs about the war and creating music videos that received a great deal of interaction. This led to an invitation by military officials to visit Ukraine and film three music videos at locations where the worst atrocities occurred in Bucha and Irpin. So, I traveled there last August and spent two grueling weeks filming under martial law while air raid sirens were blaring,

and attack drones and missiles were being shot down overhead. Since then, I have released those videos, and they have all gone viral with millions of views. While I was in Kyiv, I also engaged in humanitarian work with refugees, displaced animals, and injured soldiers, and I met with an aide to President Zelensky. I noticed that there was a tremendous amount of need that the government was unable to address so I decided to launch a foundation to help Ukraine and have already begun providing much needed assistance. I have an office in Washington, DC and one in Kyiv and people can donate at KelsieKimberlinFoundation.org. My music and my foundation will both have a profound impact on my legacy. Kelsie's Ukraine trilogy https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=seIj0k6IGic Tell us about your recent releases, “Turn Back” and “We are the Promise.” One of the videos I filmed last August in Ukraine is called “Turn Back” and it is truly heart wrenching. It has two meanings—first, it is a call for all those who left Ukraine after the 2022 war to return home to help rebuild and defend the country; second, it is a hope that soldiers who are fighting for Ukraine will return home safely to their families. One of the most emotional segments of footage in the video is at the Wall of Remembrance where thousands of photos of soldiers killed in the war are on display.

“We Are The Promise,” in contrast, was filmed before the big war started but it predicted the war in certain aspects. The story is about a dystopian society which has a “law of silence” that prohibits music and musicians. I am the musical protagonist who opposes the law, the dictator, and his misfit army. The video was directed by famous Ukrainian director Sergey Krutsenko as a complete cinematic production with backdrops at an old Soviet prison camp and a century’s old castle. The Kyiv Radio Symphony Orchestra plays on the song. We are currently shopping the concept to directors who can turn it into a cable series. We Are The Promise: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IU6a hjPQE4

Share the importance of the message in “We Are The Promise.” With the invasion of Ukraine by a crazed dictator, and the grotesque authoritarianism by the Republican Party, which is banning books, marginalizing vast segments of society, and taking away the rights of women, “We Are The Promise” serves as a metaphor for what people need to do to oppose autocrats and their policies. If we don’t oppose them, then the world will suffer grievously, and future generations will be threatened. With the video and the lyrics of the song, I hope to inspire people everywhere to stand up for their rights to be a human…free, happy, and with infinite possibilities. “We are the Promise” is truly an anthem for the people. Walk us through your lens when you were creating this song vision for this song. I actually wrote this song six years ago in response to the Ukraine’s

2014 Revolution of Dignity where millions of Ukrainians stood up and fought back against an autocratic leader. I recorded a demo, sent it to Sergey and he immediately recognized the importance of the message and its obvious potential as an anthem not just for Ukraine but also for people across the globe who are ruled by dictators. So, he invited me to Kyiv and assembled a tremendous group of actors and extras to appear in the video. Incredibly, the actor who plays the dictator in the video is now serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces protecting the front line. We spent more than a week filming and planned to release it in 2020. However, Covid shut down the world and then our enemy attacked all of Ukraine in 2022. So, it was not released until January of this year. A fun fact about the video is that it has gotten more views in a shorter time than any of my other videos. We have had several inquiries about turning the concept into a cable series along the lines of Squid Games meets Handmaiden’s Tale.

During your time filming, what has surprised you the most? Well, there were many surprises, but most of all, I was impressed that Sergey wanted to film the video on such a grand scale, like a Hollywood blockbuster movie. We filmed at so many locations that there are terabytes of footage that have not yet seen the light of day. He was filming in anticipation of a cable series or full-length movie.

What are your goals for 2024? This year is going to be very busy for me. First, on March 29th, I will release a new song called “Parking Lot” that was filmed recently in Cartagena, Colombia. It has an amazing vibe and hook that I

guarantee will go viral. Second, on April 26th, I will release my first EP with 8 songs that are unique and incredible, and all have Grammy winners in the production process. Third, in anticipation of Pride Month, on May 31st, I will release a video called “Twinkle” about a 12-year-old transgender girl who is fighting to be treated like any other person. I filmed it in Florida with her and it is so cool. Fourth, in July, I will release another video I filmed in Colombia called “Gotta See Right.” This is the first music video ever to be filmed in the pristine Tayrona National Forest, and it includes footage of me in the rainforest meeting the indigenous WIWA tribe. The footage is stunning. Fifth, this is an election year so I will use my voice to inspire people to vote for progress. And sixth, I will continue to support Ukraine with my music and my foundation. I hope to release 25 songs this year so I will likely release an album in November. Please share your social media handles and website links. All of my social media can be found simply using my full name, Kelsie Kimberlin. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kelsiekimberlin Twitter: https://twitter.com/kelsiekimberlin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsiek imbe... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kelsie Kimberlin Website: https://www.kelsiekimberlin.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kelsieki mberl... YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Kelsi eKimbe

Red Silk Carpet 99