♦ Art Appreciation Monday ♦

Welcome to Art Appreciation Monday, I'm really excited to present to you another brilliant musical guest this week! Not only is she a superb singer, but she writes original songs as well! She also sings covers of songs from popular shows like The Game of Thrones, NBC's Hannibal, Outlander and movies like Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and many more! I must confess I was spellbound when I first heard her lovely voice and songs and I shall continue to be so! May I present to you... Karliene!

Ariana: What's your name?
Karliene: My real name is indeed Karliene.
(It’s pronounced, Kar-leen)


Ariana: What Country/Planet/State are you from? 

Karliene: I think a lot of people think I’m from another planet because I’m a bit strange but I am actually from a lovely wee historical town called Dunfermline in Scotland.

Ariana: Do you have brothers/sisters/only child?

Karliene: I do have a beautiful little sister, Gemma. She’s 28 now and happily married with a gorgeous wee 2 year old daughter, my niece, Eleanor.

Ariana: Do you have any pets? 

Karliene: I have a very, very evil, naughty, sadistic rescue cat who was originally called Hercules but I renamed him Joffrey after the evil kid in Game of Thrones. He is a crazy wee man but I adore him to pieces as he gives me so many giggles every day. He is spoilt like most pet cats and he knows he can’t do no wrong. I think he plays on it if I’m honest.

Ariana: What is your favourite colour?

Karliene: Favourite colour is green. I think because it’s the colour of nature and life, plus it goes beautifully with red hair. If anyone wants to propose to me, do it with an Emerald ring and I’ll almost definitely say yes. ;-)


Ariana: Favourite movie?

Karliene: Gaaaaah, ok, this is a really hard question for me because I am a huge, huge movie lover and I tend to have a new favourite every couple of months. I guess I’ll just have to condense it down to the movies that really shaped my life and those would be ‘Labyrinth” with David Bowie ( best kids movie in the world with the best soundtrack ), James Cameron’s ‘Titanic” ( my sexual awakening I think ), Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy ( my birth into full-blown nerdism) and more recently, ‘A Royal Affair” with Mads Mikkelsen. I can’t even describe how beautiful and heartbreaking that last film is. I cried for about an hour after watching it and then wrote a song for it called ‘The Man I Loved” which is on my You Tube channel. It’s a really amazing movie.


Ariana: Favourite song? 

Karliene: Again, I don’t know if I can pick just one song in the world which I love because I have so, so many that all take me back to different moments in my life. I will say that my favourite music growing up was actually film music and anything by James Horner was always on loop. I loved his ‘Braveheart” score which still inspires me to this day. One song that I always loved was a haunting little Gaelic song sung on the Rob Roy soundtrack by Karen Matheson called ‘Ailein Duinn. It’s a really sad and gorgeous song that I was pretty obsessed with growing up. I actually just recently did a cover of it which is on my You Tube page.

Ariana: Favourite book? 

Karliene: Ah, this is easier. My favourite book will always be "Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt. It’s a stunning memoir of a an Irish catholic boy growing up in 1930’s Limerick in Ireland and I just love it. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s inspiring, it’s everything you could want in a book. His second memoir called "‘Tis" about his time in New York is also a brilliant read. I can’t recommend those books enough.


Ariana: Currently reading? 

Karliene: I’m currently reading "Dragonfly in Amber" by Diana Gabaldon which is the second book in the Outlander series. It’s about a WWII nurse who mysteriously falls back in time to 1743 while on her honeymoon in Inverness, Scotland. There, she meets a rather gorgeous highland soldier called Jamie who she eventually falls in love with. These books are truly epic and addictive. Once I start reading, I can’t put them down.


Ariana: Do you have a favourite food/drink? 

Karliene: My favourite drink is chamomile tea when I’m recording because it soothes my vocal chords and helps me stay hydrated but on my days off, I love Coke Zero. I know... I know... it’s meant to be terrible for you but I love the stuff. It’s my drink of choice when I’m composing because the caffeine keeps me alert and energized. I also love Bubble tea which is huge here in Melbourne. I don’t even know how to describe it but it’s amazing and so moreish.

Ariana: Guilty pleasures?

Karliene: Oh ok, my guilty pleasures. I have a few but the ones I’m willing to admit are binge-watching Netflix while eating chocolate. I’m quite a lover of baking so I like to bake something nice for the weekend and then I shamelessly consume it all while snuggled up in front of the tv with my cat. Like most girls, I’m addicted to chocolate so anything with chocolate in this house is usually mine. I actually have stashes of chocolate hidden in my bedroom so Nick can’t get it. I’m terrible.


Ariana: Birthday?

Karliene: My birthday is January 14th.

Become The Beast

In this song the dark chords of the piano enhanced by the light plucking of the violin strings in the background blend beautifully with Karliene's hauntingly light voice. Her original lyrics capture the theme and feeling in the NBC Hannibal series, as well as the character's personalities. The line, "So look in the mirror and tell me what do you see? Is it still you or is it me?" This is so true for anyone who has seen the series! 

Ariana: What inspires you most to sing? 

Karliene: Inspirations tend to come from something I’m obsessed with. It can be a tv show, a movie or a book or it can even be another song. If I’m emotionally invested in something and I get that prickly feeling up the back of my neck then I tend to want to make music about it. It’s my way of channeling all those emotions and it’s really fun.


Ariana: How do you cope with lack of inspiration?
Karliene: If I’m going through an inspiration slump ( which happened very recently, actually after I released Thunderdome ) then I actually think the best way to deal with it is to get away from the piano and the mixing stuff. I like to take a break, go do some shopping or some baking or just get out for a few days and enjoy being outdoorsy. Inspiration always returns easily if I don’t force it. It’s not something that can be commanded really.

Ariana: To return to singing...to perform live anywhere? 

Karliene: No, I’m afraid the live stuff isn’t on the cards right now due to how inconsistent my voice still is with my LPR. I am hoping though that I don’t have this forever and that one day I can do some small tours. I keep getting invited to various conventions and festivals around the world and it kills me to have to turn them down for now. It would be great to sing for my fans and meet them face to face, what an amazing experience that would be.

Ariana: Is it frightening or exciting to upload a new song to YouTube? 

Karliene: I do still get very, very anxious when I upload a new song as I’m such a perfectionist and a worrier. I sometimes feel like I’m having a mini heart attack it can be so nerve inducing. I guess because making music is such a personal thing, even with my covers, I get very, very emotional when I perform them and really bare my soul. When I’m uploading something new, it kinda feels like I’m about to walk out on a stage with no clothes on. It’s that kind of fear. You just feel very naked for that first bit and then when everyone starts commenting, all that fear and anxiety turns into one big head rush. It’s like climbing off a roller coaster and having that amazing, adrenaline rush where you’re just so happy you did it and it makes you want to do it all over again. It’s quite an addictive feeling.


Ariana: Of all the songs you've written/sang so far, which one is your favourite? 

Karliene: As I said before, I think of all my songs as my babies really and I don’t know if I really have a favourite as they’re all quite special to me. At a push, I think I’d say ‘The Dornishman’s Wife” as it felt like I’d really found my style with that song and I so enjoyed making it. I think it’s my partners favourite song too. As for a song I’ve written and produced myself, I’d say my recent ‘Become the Beast” because it was so challenging to write something for Hannibal who is such a deeply complex and fascinating character. I had to really, really push myself with that one but I loved how it came out. I’m really proud of that song.

Ariana: What would you suggest for someone who is just beginning with singing/songwriting? 

Karliene: I say this to everyone who comes to me for advice on singing and making music, get yourself on You Tube. I started uploading with nothing but a web cam, using the web cam mic, my klunky old keyboard and Reaper which is a really cool, free music editing program. My sound wasn’t great back then but people were really complimentary on my music and my style and I started to grow my audience. That’s how it all started for me, nothing fancy at all. You really don’t need much, just a lot of heart and passion for what you do. You Tube is such a great platform to start on so that’s really the best advice I can give. Get on You Tube and start singing.

Ariana: I understand that you write a lot of your songs, which are always beautiful and so inspiring, how do you begin writing a song? 

Karliene: Again, this answer will probably go back to question 12, everything I write, compose or create is born out of some kind of obsession. If I love something, I’ll start writing and hearing melodies in my head long before I’ve even sat down at my piano. Sometimes I’ll watch a movie and I’ll have to pause and quickly record a melody or a verse or something on my phone so I don’t forget it. It all happens really naturally for me really. My best songs tend to write themselves, I feel like I’m just being told what to write by something deep inside me, I’m not sure how to explain it.

Ariana: The lyrics for your songs always describe and fit very well with your subject matter, how do you fit those puzzle pieces together, do you use a rhyming dictionary, or what? 

Karliene: Oh and yes, the website, Rhymezone is my best friend when I’m writing. I also use a thesaurus a lot to try and come up with cooler words or ways of saying something. I like to play around as much as possible when I’m writing to try and get the best lyrics I can. I don’t think of myself as a particularly strong lyricist, just someone who loves telling stories. I think I’m more about creating moods and scenes than anything else.

Ariana: Also, what makes you pick which series/movie/book you're going to write your songs from? 

Karliene:  I don’t pick them, they tend to pick me. If I’m all emotional and obsessed with something, be it a movie or a book or a tv show, music will always come to me.

Ariana: What is something that you haven't gotten to do yet, but really want to do someday? 

Karliene: Long before I got into singing, I used to do a lot of acting and theatre musicals. I’ve always wanted to play Nancy in Oliver but never got my chance. I auditioned for her once back home but I was told I was too young at the time. I’m 30 now so I feel like I need to try again. That’s the role of a lifetime for me, I love her and I love that musical.

Ariana: Is there anyone you would really, really want to sing/perform with in the future? Maybe even have a cameo in a film or show?

Karliene: I’d love to have a song on the end credits of a Game of Thrones episode. That’s a pretty big dream but it would totally blow my mind if that came true. I love that show and those books so much.

Ariana: Is there anything you would go back and change in your musical career? 

Karliene: I don’t think so. I think I have been incredibly blessed and lucky in this musical career so far. I can’t believe I’m making a living out of something I love so much. It’s incredible.

Ariana: I saw on your previous Q&A video that you make your songs on the computer program- Mixcraft pro six, what is that essentially?
Karliene: Mixcraft is a music editing software for recording, editing and producing. It’s brilliant and so easy to learn and I always recommend it to new musicians and singers because it’s so affordable and fantastic. I’ve been using it for about 5 years and I doubt I’ll ever switch to anything else.

Ariana: Do you believe in trade secrets for your music, or would you help other musicians by sharing your knowledge?
Karliene: Oh I’m not a trade secret kinda girl, I think it’s lovely to help other singers and musicians. If anyone ever knocks on my door for help, I’m always happy to do what I can. Sharing tips is brilliant and if other musicians didn’t share them with me back in the day, I wouldn’t know some of the great things I know now. There’s so much I’ve learnt from others and I’m so grateful to them for helping me evolve and fine-tune my sound.

Ariana: When did you decide you wanted to sing?

Karliene: I’ve been singing all my life since I was a wee lass in love with Ariel from ‘The Little Mermaid”. I used to try and mimic her singing style all the time with ‘Part of Your World”. I don’t think singing was ever a decision in my life, just something I’ve always loved doing. It’s always been something that makes me so happy.

Ariana: Do you have any interests outside of music?
Karliene: I love to draw and act and I also love baking and playing a lot of video games. I’m lucky that I have a lot of hobbies that I can indulge in when I run out of musical inspiration. I love sleeping…is that a hobby?

Ariana: Yes, sleeping is a great hobby. :)


Ariana: What would you be doing now, if you hadn't pursued music? 

Karliene: I really don’t like to think. I mean I wanted to be an actress but that’s such a difficult and punishing career to try and get into. I really think I’d have ended up working with animals in some way. They bring me a lot of joy so I think that would be a nice career move.

Ariana: How do you wind down after a day of performing/singing?

Karliene: Video games, baking, lots of chocolate and movies. That’s my absolute favourite way to relax.

Ariana: Finally, can you give us any spoilers for your next song?! 

Karliene: Oh and music spoilers. I do have a few ideas that I’m pondering but I’ll give you one definite one. I’m planning on doing a cover of ‘A Hero Comes Home” by Idina Menzel from Beowulf. It’s been a very highly requested one over the years so I’m going to actually record it in the next week or two.

The King Beneath The Mountains

The next song I must share is Karliene's adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien's song, not only are the lyrics beautiful, but the tune that Karliene has set to this masterful set of lyrics is haunting. While I don't want to give away spoilers for the final Hobbit film, I do want to say hearing Karliene's song makes me very thoughtful, because the song brings to mind what could have been.  The deep and melancholy instruments in the background, make this a truly enchanting piece.

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Please support Karliene by purchasing her music on Itunes, CdBaby, Loudr, Amazon and GooglePlay!

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Follow Karliene on Twitter, Like her page on Facebook, subscribe to her channel on Youtube, listen to some of her songs on SoundCloud, or visit her website!

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I really want to thank Karliene, for her kind and considerate answers to all my questions. (For putting up with my late reply to her email, and being such an absolute darling about it!) ♥ I cannot thank her enough for her time, not to mention her contribution to the community of artists, and especially for her music because it is as much of an inspiration as she is! :)

The Song of the Seven

I could not help but add a final song by Karliene, and trust me it was so difficult picking a final one! I wanted to add many, many more....so if you enjoy these as much as I do, please check out Karliene's links above and let her know! :) 

*****All the pictures/videos/music belongs to Karliene!!!! There are links in blue which will direct you to the originals/and/webpages.**********

DO NOT USE ANY OF THE PICTURES/or/WRITTEN WORK 

POSTED HERE WITHOUT PERMISSION!!!!!!! 

If you wish to contact Karliene please click here.