Kjersti Long – Not Your Princess

By starrymag | December 16, 2020

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

 

Q) Who are your greatest musical influences?

 

A) Well, first off, thank you for having me. I listen to a lot of rock music, so some of my biggest influences would be Ann Wilson from Heart, Pat Benatar and Joan Jett – the queens of rock.

 

Q) Tell us the story behind “Not Your Princess.”

 

A) My dad would always call me “princess” and I hated it. I told him to knock it off and he told me to write a song about it, which is what he says about pretty much everything (insert eye roll). The next day at church my Sunday school teacher saw me walking down the hall and said, “Hey princess, I missed you!” I immediately blurted out to her, “I’m not your princess!” That’s when I knew I was going to write a song about it.

 

Q) Is there a potential music video in the works for “Not Your Princess?”

 

A) Yes, actually. We recorded it before quarantine and it should be coming out any day now. It was a ton of fun to record.

 

Q) Will “Not Your Princess” make it onto your debut album?

 

A) That’s a great question. We have so much new music coming that I don’t even know if there will be room for “Not Your Princess” on an upcoming album. It might just end up being a standalone project.

 

Q) What do you hope fans take away from your music?

 

A) I hope they see the beauty behind the songs and the songwriting process. I hope the lyrics touch them and help them through the hard times. I write my music for them. Life is hard, so if my music can help my fans through the tough times, then I’ve done my job. [smiles]

 

Q) Your first name is quite different and unique! How do you properly pronounce it and what is the meaning behind the name?

 

A) My name is Norwegian and it’s pronounced Care – Stee. I was named after my great-grandmother, a pioneer, who brought her family to the Americas. In Norwegian it actually means “touched by God,” so that’s cool.

 

Q) Being young and in the music industry, what are some of the biggest challenges you have faced and what advice would you give to those who are in similar situations?

 

A) Places to perform for a thirteen-year-old wanna-be rock star are few and far between. I’ve been in bars, honky-tonks and out on the street, just to get my music out there and heard. That’s probably the hardest part — just being heard. My advice is to work hard. My dad always tells me that “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” and I’ve already seen how true that is.

 

Q) Looking at your YouTube channel I saw you had performed at The Stone Pony in my home state of New Jersey. Which venue is one of your favorites to play?

 

A) Yay! That’s my home state, too! Jersey girls are the best! I loved the Stone Pony. I’ve been there three or four times. The Apollo in Harlem was really cool, too. But my favorite is a tie between The Bitter End in Manhattan and Velour in Provo, Utah! Those are both smaller, iconic rock venues with amazing histories and I loved adding my little piece of music to their amazing performance repertoires.

 

Q) What have you missed most about performing live and have you done any virtual shows to fill that gap?

 

A) I really miss being on stage. The electricity from the fans really makes me a better performer. I feed off that. So, I really miss that. In fact, performing live is my favorite part of this industry, so that’s been really hard. I haven’t done anything virtual yet, but I did get back on stage a couple weeks ago for a charity concert, so that was really great.

 

Q) Given the opportunity, who would you love to collaborate with on an upcoming music project?

 

A) This is one of my favorite questions! Obviously, Ann Wilson or Pat Benatar would be amazing to sing with. I also would love to do a rock and roll/dubstep collaboration with Lindsey Stirling. I love her and think that would be pretty cool.

 

Q) Who are you currently listening to?

 

A) My dad gave me a playlist of 90’s and 00’s rock, so I’ve been loving that lately. Like Yellowcard, Blink, Third Eye Blind, Linkin Park and Green Day. [smiles] Bet you weren’t expecting those, huh? I also am listening to Demi Lovato and Carrie Underwood and Jo Bro’s. So, I’d say I’m pretty well-rounded

 

Q) What would you like to share with your fans and supporters of your music?

 

A) Honestly? A big HUG! I wish I could give every one of my fans a big hug because everyone could use a hug. Oh, and also to eat your vegetables!

 

Q) What’s next for you?

 

A) A lot, I hope! We have a lot of new music ready to roll, and we are releasing a cover of “Eleanor Rigby” (The Beatles) in the next couple of weeks that is KILLER, so be on the lookout for that. You can follow me @kjersti.long on Instagram to keep track of me and what I’m doing. Thanks for the time! Rock on!