Kimmortal "I'm Blue" Video Premiere
Photo by Iris Chia
Anyone who's been following this site for awhile knows that we love us some Kimmortal! So we were super excited to partner with them again this year for a video release on International Women's Day for "I'm Blue," the first single off their second album Baby Blue Swirl. It feels this way with each of their releases, but "I'm Blue" just *might* be my fave Kimmortal track yet. Her super soulful voice raps and glides over a stripped-down keyboard track about losing oneself in a relationship, not putting themselves first, and the guilt over taking time for self-care - sentiments that I think a lot of us can relate to. Set in a whimsical, storybook-like bedroom filled with trees and textures and stuffed animals come to life, the video has a super playful, childlike atmosphere - yet the lyrics tell a story of loneliness ("I'm blue - the color of my solitude") and frustration at putting someone else's dreams above theirs. It almost feels like a healing space for the inner child - and as Kim sings "you are not a burden, baby / you were on purpose, baby" to a stuffed toy, it feels like we're getting a private glimpse into their own healing work around self-love and forgiveness - and also a message to other femmes of color who continue to fight self-neglect.
Directed by Vancouver-based production company Entertainment Forever (Patrick Macht, Joey Lopez, Jerez Challenger), this clip also features Kimmortal's original visual art and a gorgeous ling ling-o necklace by @thepeoplesink. Check out the video after our mini-interview with Kim below!
BTS photo by Patrick Macht
Hella Pinay: Can you tell us a bit about the song and the meaning behind it?
Kimmortal: "I'm Blue" is a song I wrote when I was exhausted and burnt out from not finding a balance between giving to those around me and giving to myself. I was stretched too thin in my community work, family, and relationships, trying to please/serve everybody and in turn forgetting myself and my art. In the times I would take time for myself, there would be this underlying guilt. I would see this in my mom where she would hide the fact that she was taking time for herself because so much of her life is about working to make ends meet. Serving others and productivity can become this ritual. Part of my privilege as a first generation filipinx here on unceded Coast Salish territory (Vancouver, BC, Canada) is having the time to even deconstruct this stuff that many working class filipino folks don't. At the same time, my artistic platforms are where I put in my work. Music and art is a sacred space for my healing just as much as it is a place where I pay the bills, as well as contribute to dismantling the system. My body is sacred just like the land is sacred. Unlearning my quickness to neglect my well-being is something I am working on in every moment. How can I reverse indoctrinated habits of self-sacrifice? I need to make a conscious effort to value the creative and emotional labour in myself and in the femmes of colour in my life. I need to make a conscious effort to check in with my body and spirit when in relationships with others and see that I'm feeling good. I need to pat myself on the back when I go swimming or drink water, just as much as I need to celebrate when people in my life say "no" in order to respect their own boundaries. Hoorah!
Tell us more about your upcoming album!
Photo by Patrick Macht
Baby Blue Swirl is the working title for the album so far. These three words are significant themes in the album tracks. "Baby" is connected to unlearning/decolonization. "Blue" is connected to the element of water. "Swirl" is connected to being queer and non-binary. It's been since 2014 that I've released a full album so it's been a long time coming, but I'm letting things marinate a lot more. My last album was a community effort that was fully funded by my community via indiegogo and we recorded it with my friends in a week and a half. With this new album, I produced much of the tracks on Ableton before I brought them into [the] studio to rework them with the producer I'm working with. I'm still putting pieces together and figuring out as many ways to get my friends involved in the creative process cause I love the community and family I can feel when doing this music. Process over product. The album will come out in July!
Check out "I'm Blue" on Spotify and follow Kimmortal on Instagram @kimmortaltheartist, Bandcamp, and at kimmortal.com