Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990 in Hamilton, New Zealand) known mono… Read Full Bio ↴Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990 in Hamilton, New Zealand) known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and actress who mixes pop with classic R&B, jazz and rock musical elements. Her musical influences range from Prince and Minnie Riperton, to Björk and Jeff Buckley.

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.

Real Life
Kimbra Lyrics

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If I had to find a process
What it would it be?
To try to make progress
Where would I reach?

No chance for a regret to invade
In my real life, real life, real
Now it's real life, real life, real

I had to find my program to rewire
My heart to be unbroken
Would I change real life, real life, real
Now it's real life, real life, real

Nothing divine, nothing to find
Nobody go time to be alive
Real life
Nothing divine, nothing to find
Nothing to fear if you lose your mind
Just keep your head up in the real life
Just keep your head up in the real life

It's real life

Overall Meaning

The song Real Life by acclaimed New Zealand singer and songwriter Kimbra is a deep and emotional piece that reflects on the struggles and challenges of life. The lyrics evoke a contemplative mood, as the singer of the song tries to figure out a process to make progress and deal with the harsh realities of life. She is seeking a way to rewire her heart to be unbroken and come to terms with the fragility of her existence.

The chorus of the song speaks poignantly of the singer's desire to have a real-life, without any regret or pain that might invade it. She wants to experience the joys and sorrows of life without any encumbrance, to be able to face up to whatever comes her way. The recurring phrase 'real life, real life, real life' repeats throughout the song, conveying a sense of urgency and an unrelenting desire to break free from the limitations that are holding her back.

The lyrics of Real Life speak of the struggle to find meaning in a world that can be alternately beautiful and terrifying, and the need to keep one's head up and move forward. Kimbra's powerful vocals and haunting melody add a layer of depth and emotion to the words, making it a song that resonates with people across generations.

Line by Line Meaning

If I had to find a process
If I had to discover a way

What it would it be?
What would that way entail?

To try to make progress
To attempt to move forward

Where would I reach?
What would be my destination?

No chance for a regret to invade
No opportunity for remorse to take hold

In my real life, real life, real
In the world in which I exist, actually, truly

Now it's real life, real life, real
This is now what I experience

I had to find my program to rewire
I had to create a plan to reprogram

My heart to be unbroken
My emotional state to be mended

Would I change real life, real life, real
Would this alter the actual world I inhabit

Now it's real life, real life, real
This is now my actual existence