Early public performances by Kimbra included singing at JBC (now the dive bar Nivara Lounge) in Hamilton at age 9, the Waikato Times Gold Cup race meeting in 2000 as a 10-year-old, and singing the national anthem at age 12 before 27,000 people at the Auckland vs Waikato NPC rugby final. In 2007, after winning the Juice TV award for best breakthrough music video for her second single "Simply on My Lips", she came to the attention of ex-Independient Records boss Mark Richardson (Jamiroquai, Paula Abdul) and his newly-formed management company and independent label Forum 5 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Before her debut album, Kimbra released 2 singles: 'Simply On My Lips' and 'Deep For You'.
Kimbra's debut album, Vows was released in 2011. Three singles have been released from this album - 'Cameo Lover', 'Settle Down', 'Good Intent'. According to the Settle Down Songfacts, Vows spans five years of Kimbra's life from age 17 to 22. and explores love, identity and coming of age.
Kimbra also collaborated with Australian artist Gotye for the single 'Somebody That I Used To Know ' in 2011. This song has peaked on the charts in The USA, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and The Netherlands at #1.
A significantly reworked version of her debut album was released in the U.S. in May of 2012. At the end of that year Kimbra triumphed in five categories at the New Zealand Music Awards, most notably Best Female Solo Artist and Best Pop Album. She also continued to receive plaudits for her Gotye collaboration well into 2013, among them the 2012 Grammy for Record of the Year.
Along with touring with Gotye and making festival appearances, including a spot at Brazil's Rock in Rio festival, Kimbra began work on her second album, The Golden Echo. She returned to the studio with producer Rich Costey and a host of collaborators including Bilal, Van Dyke Parks, Muse's Matt Bellamy, the Mars Volta's Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, and Silverchair's Daniel Johns, who co-wrote some of the album's songs. Singles such as the genre-hopping "'90s Music" and the smooth disco-funk homage "Miracle" hinted at The Golden Echo's eclecticism ahead of its August 2014 release.
Kimbra reunited with Bilal in 2015, appearing on his album In Another Life, and debuted her own single "Sweet Relief" in 2016. The 2017 single "Everybody Knows" offered the first taste of her third album Primal Heart. Featuring songs co-written and co-produced by Kimbra -- as well as collaborations with John Congleton and Skrillex -- Primal Heart appeared in April 2018.
Carolina
Kimbra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drive for miles to see the Lina
Find my feet in Carolina
Some man I'll meet, to take my mind off
You!
You!
Never been but, see the skyline
Meet a porn star, from Delilah
She's got it made now, got my mind off
You!
But in my heart knows it's time to come back
(I feel it, now I feel it)
'Cause you're the home, I never find off the beaten track
(Now I feel it, now I feel it)
And in my heart, I know I can't keep running away
(Now I feel it, now I feel it)
I'm always traveling fast to nowhere (now I feel it)
You!
You!
You're given new life in Carolina
I don't know why, but I'll soon find out
Find a house with an ocean view
Work it out and be somebody new
But in my heart knows it's time to come back
(I feel it, now I feel it)
'Cause you're the home, I never find off the beaten track
(Now I feel it)
And in my heart, I know I can't keep running away
(Now I feel it, now I feel it)
I'm always traveling fast to nowhere (now I feel it)
You!
You!
Kimbra's song Carolina talks about the journey of trying to find oneself and escape from a heartbreak. The song starts with the artist wanting to go to Carolina, a southern state in the USA, to find peace and someone to take her mind off of her previous lover. She talks about driving for miles to see the skyline and hoping to find a man in Carolina. However, the singer is also aware that she cannot keep running away from her problems, and in her heart, she knows that it is time to come back home. She talks about wanting to find a house with an ocean view and work on being somebody new in Carolina.
The chorus of the song talks about the singer's old lover, represented by the word 'You,' who still has a hold on her. She seems to be trying to convince herself that her heart is on fire for Carolina, but she knows that she cannot keep running away.
The song's lyrics are quite straightforward and mostly portray the singer's inner conflicts. It represents the artist's journey of wanting to escape her past and find solace in a new place.
Line by Line Meaning
Wanna ride to Carolina
I desire to take a trip to Carolina
Drive for miles to see the Lina
I'm willing to drive a long way to see Lina
Find my feet in Carolina
I want to establish a presence for myself in Carolina
Some man I'll meet, to take my mind off
I hope to meet a man who can help me move on from my past relationship
You!
Referring to the person the singer is trying to move on from
My heart's on fire, but Carolina
Although I'm still emotional, Carolina offers some relief
Never been but, see the skyline
I haven't been to Carolina before, but I've seen pictures of the cityscape
Meet a porn star, from Delilah
I may meet someone famous in Carolina, like a porn star named Delilah
She's got it made now, got my mind off
Delilah seems to have her life together, which helps me forget about my past relationship
But in my heart knows it's time to come back
(I feel it, now I feel it)
Despite my desire to escape, I know deep down that it's time to return to where I belong
'Cause you're the home, I never find off the beaten track
(Now I feel it, now I feel it)
Carolina can never replace the person I'm trying to move on from because he is irreplaceable
And in my heart, I know I can't keep running away
(Now I feel it, now I feel it)
I realize that running away won't solve my problems, and I need to confront them head on
I'm always traveling fast to nowhere (now I feel it)
I've been avoiding my problems rather than addressing them, which has been getting me nowhere
You!
Referring to the person that the singer can't stop thinking about, who she needs to face in order to move on
You're given new life in Carolina
Carolina may be a fresh start, but it still can't replace the person that the singer can't stop thinking about
I don't know why, but I'll soon find out
The singer is unsure why Carolina holds such allure, but is hopeful she will soon understand
Find a house with an ocean view
The singer hopes to find a place to call her own with a beautiful view of the ocean, which would make her happy
Work it out and be somebody new
The singer hopes to work through her past issues and come out stronger and happier on the other side
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEITH CIANCIA, KIMBRA JOHNSON, ZACHERY DAWES, MICHAEL SHUMAN, TYLER PARKFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind