Dominican singer-songwriter Karen. resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with roots in New York City. Creating music for those as perplexed by life as herself, she brings forth a colorful attitude and overly passionate persona dispersed into every musical creation that she crafts.
Leaving a lasting impression on listeners' brains with her lyrics and singing, the continuous exploration through a sound that is signature to her peaks our interest in a high fashion.
Her most recent gloom-pop record, "DIGITAL HEAVEN," falls directly into this spiraling web of reminiscent moments that are drenched in personal reflection. Conjuring up a familiar environment that many can relate to, the narrative of this track unveils her peculiar relationship with the internet.
Her exclusive croons are wrapped in a reverberated blanket of intimacy as she cascades her vocals over top of a buoyant and glimmering soundscape. The instrumentation invites us into unique percussion patterns that make the distinctive universe of resonance that much more enthralling.
With conflicted feelings steering the lyrical motifs making up this record, we hear about how the internet has reacted to Karen. 's art and herself as an individual aside from the creativity. Naturally absorbing herself in the comparison game, this time, she is forced to compare her online presence to the presence she offers up in real life.
It's not very often that we hear artists taking this route in their music. However, the brilliant canvas, which is Karen.'s mind, allows this tale to unfold as we take in a seemingly important message and overall perfectly executed tune. Hitting the melodies from every angle, this effervescent world that "DIGITAL HEAVEN" resides in has us elevated to a place where Karen. 's kaleidoscope lens is in clear view.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Karen. We love the storyline that is brought to life in "DIGITAL HEAVEN." With such a unique topic touched, what was the breaking point for you to create this track?
Thank you for having me here again! And such a good question. I mean, I don't know exactly what made me wanna make this track. I think I've always had these pent-up feelings about the internet. There's a very thin line of how amazing yet how terrible it can be at times. So really, just finally putting my actual music out to the world probably made this come around since that's when I started getting criticism and hate, but also a lot of love and praise for my stuff. So I'll probably say my breaking point was maybe when I released my first serious track, "girlfriend."
Could you please take us into the universe you tap into when typically creating songs? Was this how "DIGITAL HEAVEN" was created?
Honestly, it's not even a universe at this point; it's more of a mindset if anything. I come up with a line or two, and my brain just starts filling in the blanks; it just all feels right at the moment, and of course, any weird lines or lyrics get fixed when I go back and edit the song. Which then to the second question, yes, "DIGITAL HEAVEN." was created in this manner. I was actually at work at the time, and I just kept listening to the beat over and over again. I was going back and forth from my phone and maybe, like, prepping food or something. I'd be working, and then the next line would just hit me, and I HAD to write it down. I didn't want to lose that creative spark I had, so I would type it quickly and then get back to what I was doing. The lyrics flowed out after I made that "get out of mySpace" line.
What is the main message that you would like your audience to take away from this track?
The main message is just not to stress the internet too much. Remember that you are your own person, and not everything you see online is as it seems. I believe the internet is a beautiful tool, especially with musicians, as you can share your music worldwide and connect with people, but some people use the online presence as somewhat of a mask. They put down people and say things that they wouldn't say in person, you know? So just don't take it too seriously, the real world is very different from Twitter comments or Instagram DMs, so you can't ever let any of that stuff phase you. Some people create unnecessary roles or personas and act like something they're not. Most people are just online to have fun. You can't lose sight of what's important. Even I have to remind myself sometimes.
Since writing this song, how has that relationship between your online self and real-life self been? What types of things did you work on to get to a better place in your mind?
Man, I've been online more than ever recently, I think I wrote "DIGITAL HEAVEN." in March, and since then, I've strictly moved into a more artist-based online presence. I've always tried to stay authentic online, especially since I feel, as an artist, you should always strive to have a good relationship with your audience. You shouldn't just see them as "fans" or "followers," but people as well, people that have lives and opinions, people that you can just talk to. I always try to respond to as many people through DMs and ask everyone how their day is going via my stories. So, I've really just been posting about my music. Other than that, I guess, sometimes, I post about my boyfriend and my outfits and my family. I've made sure to find more joy in real-life relationships and connections. I spend a few of my weekends away from my phone and with my loved ones and friends. Although—I do slip, I use the internet when I'm playing Mario Party with my boyfriend. I've also got more of a hardened shell when it comes to hate comments now, so it's just bouncing off of me at this point. I swear, once you get feedback from curators, nothing anyone says hurts as bad.
What's next for you?
What's next? "DIGITAL HEAVEN." was the lead single off my EP, "Only Interesting on the Internet," and soon enough, the EP will be out as well. I may, however, be teasing another single release from the EP before that happens, but don't take my word for it. Once that's out, I'll probably be taking a break for a while, maybe just releasing singles and getting some stuff together for the next project. Hopefully, make a music video for "DIGITAL HEAVEN." as well. We'll see! Wherever the music takes me, that's where I'll be.
