Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, musician, and actress KiKi Holli has released her own take on Roxy Music’s “More Than This” as an exploration of grief and loss based on recent personal experiences. She’s also recently covered The Cure’s “Love Song”.
Holli explains:
“I had a couple really important people pass in my life recently, and one was pretty devastating. It leaves you baffled, in a way. Especially when it’s the first really big death in your life. When somebody’s soul passes like that, I think there’s a shamanic aspect to it that leaves you half in this world and half in the other. If you’re open to it, I think you can connect to that other side, whatever that is for you.”
She comments further on the appeal of “More Than This”:
“Other people have covered it—10,000 Maniacs, Blondie—but it hasn’t been in the zeitgeist for a while. I like the idea of a song having a life of its own beyond the original—that it keeps living and being reborn. With my own take, I wanted to remind people that there’s always a place to turn when you’re in pain. And that’s what ‘More Than This’ was for me. It was healing.”
Holli recorded “More Than This” with producer Ethan Allen (Throwing Muses, Tricky, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) at his studio in L.A.’s Silver Lake neighborhood.
Holli has a background as a vocalist, instrumentalist, and actress, having appeared on stage in the plays Of Mice and Men, Three Sisters and Twelfth Night, and also the lead role in the Rocky Horror-channeling indie film Isle of Lesbos. Most notably, Holli also co-wrote and starred in Forever Dusty, a stage musical based on the life of British pop star Dusty Springfield. The production started in Los Angeles and opened off-Broadway in 2012 at New World Stages in New York. From there, the play went on to run in London, regionally and will open this Fall in Toronto. The experience of performing as Dusty Springfield inspired her to further pursue her own music.
Holli teases some upcoming releases:
“You know, Amor fati—love your fate, love whatever is in front of you and embrace the moment. Right now, I just want to put all of my energy into getting these new singles out there, so I can have an album ready by the end of next year.”
