Karen O
| Karen O | |
|---|---|
 Karen O performing with Yeah Yeah Yeahs in Detroit in June 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Karen Lee Orzolek |
| Born | (1978-11-22) November 22, 1978 Busan, South Korea |
| Genres | Indie rock[1] |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts |
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| Website | www.karenomusic.com |
Karen Lee Orzolek (born November 22, 1978),[2] better known by her stage name Karen O, is a South Korean-born American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. She is the lead vocalist for American rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Soundtrack work
2.1.1 Work with Spike Jonze
2.2 Video work
2.3 KO at Home demo leak
2.4 Solo career
3 Personal life
4 Discography
4.1 Studio albums
4.2 Live albums
4.3 Soundtrack albums
4.4 Singles
4.5 Guest appearances
5 Awards
6 References
7 External links
Early life
She was born in Busan, South Korea,[1] the daughter of a Korean mother and a Polish father.[3][4][5] The family eventually moved to Englewood, New Jersey, where she grew up[6] and graduated from Dwight-Englewood School.[7] About her childhood, she stated that "it's almost embarrassing how well-behaved I was, which is probably why I do things like spit water on myself on stage as an adult".[8] She attended Oberlin College before transferring to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Career
O is best known as the lead vocalist for the band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She has also been noted for her sense of fashion, wearing ostentatious outfits made by her friend, fashion designer Christian Joy. In the early days of the band, she became well known for her outrageous antics during live shows.[4] Their first ever gig was opening for The White Stripes.[9]
Playboy made an offer for O to pose on their cover, but she stated: "I was approached but I said no. Who knows though? Maybe I'll do it in the future, but now doesn't seem to be the right time."[10] Since then, however, O said in an interview with Associated Press that she has changed her mind and would never do Playboy because of the audience that the magazine attracts.[11]
During a tour for the 2003 Livid Festival in Australia, at a sideshow at The Metro in Sydney, O accidentally danced off the stage and was reluctantly taken to a hospital. A few days later, at the Sydney leg of the Livid Festival, she appeared in a wheelchair pushed onstage by Angus Andrew.[12]
O won Spin Magazine's Sex Goddess Award in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, she was named one of rock's hottest women by Blender.[13] In 2007, O was placed at number three on Spinner.com's Women Who Rock Right Now.[14] In February 2010, she won a Shockwaves NME Award for the Hottest Woman.[15] She began working on a small side project called Native Korean Rock and the Fishnets with fellow NYC musicians in 2008.[16]
Karen O at All Tomorrow's Parties festival, December 2009
In 2009, she contributed backing vocals, screaming animal sounds, and noises to the songs "Gemini Syringes", "I Can Be A Frog", and "Watching the Planets" on The Flaming Lips album Embryonic. In 2011, she contributed vocals on the song "Pinky's Dream" on the David Lynch debut album Crazy Clown Time. In 2012, she collaborated with experimental rock group Swans on the song "Song for a Warrior" on their album The Seer. She also lends vocals to the song "GO!" on Santigold's 2012 album Master of My Make-Believe.
On the collaboration project with N.A.S.A. on The Spirit of Apollo, she appears on the track "Strange Enough", together with Ol' Dirty Bastard and Fatlip. O's vocal approach has been described as "ethereal",[17] and has been described as "yelping" at times.[18] She described her approach:
.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}
We still have to grab people by the collar … We put out a record every three years now; we could easily be forgotten. If you look at a lot of our peers that we came up with, a lot of them have disappeared.
— Karen O in the Los Angeles Times, 2009[18]
O has also collaborated with James Iha on his second solo LP Look to the Sky in 2012. In 2014, Target used a version of the song Marshmallow World sung by O.[19] On May 5, 2015, a song by Karen O in tribute to Nellie Bly was used as part of a Google doodle commemorating Bly's 151st birthday.[20] The same year, Microsoft approached O to pen a theme song for Square Enix's game Rise of the Tomb Raider, which resulted in the song "I Shall Rise".[21]
Soundtrack work
O was featured in the track "Cut Me Up" by Har Mar Superstar for the soundtrack to the 2005 horror film House of Wax. For the movie Jackass 2, O collaborated with electronic artist Peaches and Johnny Knoxville to record a track entitled "Backass"; for Jackass 3D, she covered the Roger Alan Wade's "If You're Gonna Be Dumb" under the alternative title of "If You're Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough". In 2007, she also contributed vocals to a version of Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" for the I'm Not There film soundtrack.[22] At the end of episode 409, "Brothers Cinco", of the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! she performed a short song. She also has a song titled "Strange Love" on the album "Frankenweenie Unleashed!"
O collaborated with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" for the soundtrack to the 2011 film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, for which Reznor and Ross composed the score.[23] In December 2011, it was announced that the song would open the soundtrack album, be released as the opening single, and be available free to all who pre-ordered before the official release date of December 9.[24]
Work with Spike Jonze
O and Spike Jonze collaborated on a 2005 Adidas commercial, Hello Tomorrow. O composed all songs on the soundtrack of Jonze's film Where the Wild Things Are (with the exception of a cover of the Daniel Johnston song "Worried Shoes") in collaboration with Carter Burwell. She is listed on the soundtrack as "Karen O and the Kids".[25] The song "All Is Love", written by O and Nick Zinner and included in this soundtrack, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, a songwriter's award, at the 2010 Grammy Awards.[26]
O also contributed "The Moon Song" to Jonze's 2013 film Her.[27] O and Jonze were nominated in 2014 for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "The Moon Song".[28]
Karen O at Bumbershoot 2009.
Video work
In 2004, O, using the moniker Marshmellow, directed the music video for "We Fenced Other Gardens with the Bones of Our Own" by the Liars, fronted by her then-boyfriend Angus Andrew.[29][30] The following year, she directed the "Blessed Evening" video for Foetus with her then-boyfriend Spike Jonze working as cinematographer.[31] In 2006, she directed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs video for "Cheated Hearts".[32][33]
Under the moniker Kids with Canes, O and her now-husband Barnaby Clay directed the music video for the Tiny Masters of Today song "Hologram World", released in 2008. O also contributed vocals to the song and served as choreographer of the video, in which she appears with Yeah Yeah Yeahs bandmates Nick Zinner and Brian Chase, as well as Mike D from the Beastie Boys, Gibby Haynes from the Butthole Surfers, Russell Simins from the Blues Explosion, and Sam James from The Mooney Suzuki.[34]
KO at Home demo leak
On December 10, 2006, a home-recorded album titled KO at Home was leaked via an invite-only BitTorrent tracking site. The album, originally a personal gift to Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, was discovered inside a suitcase that Sitek had left behind in a New York City apartment. The disc's 14 tracks and scan of the cover (a photograph of O with a poem written by Oscar Wilde on the back side of the photo) quickly spread. News sites broke the story of the leak when Sitek lashed out at the fan who leaked the demos.[35][36][37] Eventually, Sitek followed up his comments with an apology letter.[38] In response to the leak, O said that "shit happens", and although she was "a little grossed out", she offered advice on which of the songs she liked the most.[39]
Solo career
O's debut solo album, Crush Songs, was released on September 9, 2014.[40] It was released on Cult Records via Kobalt Label Services.[41] On February 17, 2015, O released a live album titled Live from Crush Palace, recorded during three shows at Hollywood Forever Cemetery's Masonic Lodge in Los Angeles in September 2014. The album features live renditions of songs from Crush Songs, as well as "Hideaway" from Where the Wild Things Are and "The Moon Song" from Her.[42][43] On January 11, 2018, O released the song "Yo! My Saint", featuring guest vocals from Michael Kiwanuka, in support of Kenzo's Spring Summer 2018 collection.[44]
Personal life
O has dated Spike Jonze and Liars lead singer Angus Andrew.[45] In December 2011, she married director Barnaby Clay.[46] Their son Django[47] was born in August 2015.[48]
Discography
Studio albums
Crush Songs (2014)
Live albums
Live from Crush Palace (2015)
Soundtrack albums
Where the Wild Things Are: Motion Picture Soundtrack (Karen O and the Kids) (2009)
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Hello Tomorrow" (Adidas version)[49] (with Squeak E. Clean) | 2005 | Non-album single |
| "All Is Love" (Karen O and the Kids) | 2009 | Where the Wild Things Are: Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| "Immigrant Song"[50] (with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) | 2011 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
| "Pinky's Dream"[51] (David Lynch featuring Karen O) | 2012 | Crazy Clown Time |
| "Rapt"[52] | 2014 | Crush Songs |
| "Let It Grow"[53] (Maximum Balloon featuring Karen O and Tunde Adebimpe) | 2015 | Non-album singles |
| "I Shall Rise" (from Rise of the Tomb Raider)[54] | ||
| "Yo! My Saint"[55] (featuring Michael Kiwanuka) | 2018 |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Cut Me Up" | 2004 | Har Mar Superstar | The Handler[56] |
| "Hologram World" | 2007 | Tiny Masters of Today | Bang Bang Boom Cake[57] |
| "Highway 61 Revisited" | The Million Dollar Bashers | I'm Not There: Original Soundtrack[58] | |
| "Strange Enough" | 2009 | N.A.S.A., Ol' Dirty Bastard, Fatlip | The Spirit of Apollo[59] |
| "Communion" | 2010 | Maximum Balloon | Maximum Balloon[60] |
| "If You're Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough" | None | Jackass 3D: Music from the Motion Picture[61] | |
| "Go!" | 2012 | Santigold | Master of My Make-Believe[62] |
| "Song for a Warrior" | Swans | The Seer[63] | |
| "Strange Love" | None | Frankenweenie Unleashed![64] | |
| "The Moon Song" (studio version duet) | 2014 | Ezra Koenig | "The Moon Song (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture Her)" (single)[65] |
| "The Moon Song" (end title credit) | None | ||
| "Rattlesnakes" | Walter Martin, Nick Zinner | We're All Young Together[66] | |
| "Sing 2 Me" | Walter Martin | ||
| "Living in a Trance" | 2017 | None | Resistance Radio: The Man in the High Castle Album[67] |
| "Talisa" | Daniele Luppi, Parquet Courts | Milano[68] | |
| "Flush" | |||
| "Pretty Prizes" | |||
| "The Golden Ones" | |||
| "Sorrow Is My Name" | None | Vanity of Vanities: A Tribute to Connie Converse[69] |
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song | "All Is Love" from Where the Wild Things Are | Nominated |
2014 | Academy Award for Best Original Song | "The Moon Song" from Her | Nominated |
2015 | Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media | "The Moon Song" from Her | Nominated |
References
^ ab Phares, Heather. "Karen O". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Marks, Craig (February 25, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Stayin' Alive". Spin. Retrieved November 22, 2010.On a wintry evening in late November [2008], Karen O celebrated her 30th birthday by...
^ Chi, Minnie (July 18, 2003). "Half Korean, 100% Rock Star". Asia Pacific Arts. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
^ ab Sheffield, Rob (April 7, 2006). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Goth, Nerd, Slut". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
^ Catucci, Nick (March 29, 2009). "The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Return With New Album 'It’s Blitz!'". New York Magazine. New York. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
^ La Gorce, Tammy. "Success Stories In New Jersey Rock: The Un-Springsteen", The New York Times, November 16, 2003. Accessed January 2, 2008. "All of which is fine by Ms. O, 24, an Englewood native who still lives in Bergen County but declined to say where. Any rock star who struts around in outfits made specifically for her by the designer Christian Joy can expect some of that, she said."
^ Kleimann, James. "Englewood Native's Band First in History to Perform on Empire State Building; Indie darlings the Yeah Yeah Yeahs filmed the music video "Despair" in April on top of the famous building.", Englewood-Englewood Cliffs Patch, June 26, 2013. Accessed June 14, 2018. "Karen O, the stage name of Karen Lee Orzolek, a Dwight Englewood grad, kept the filming a secret for logistical and creative reasons, she told the Times."
^ "The Things They Say 13802". contactmusic.com. October 20, 2009. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
^ Ganz, Caryn. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Get Free". Spin. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
^ Yeah Yeah Yeahs – O Says No To Playboy June 10, 2003
^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs' deal with fame and change". Msnbc.msn.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
^ "Boys with the hoods clean up". The Sydney Morning Herald. October 13, 2003.
^ Errico, Mike (December 2006). "Hottest Women of...Rock". Blender. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
^ "Women Who Rock Right Now: No. 3". Spinner.com. July 15, 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O wins Shockwaves NME Awards Hottest Female honour". NME. February 25, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
^ Winistorfer, Andrew. "Various Tracks (Stream) - Prefixmag.com". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
^
Mikael Wood (September 29, 2009). "Album review: Karen O and the Kids' 'Where the Wild Things Are'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-07-07.…ethereal vocals over charmingly ramshackle folk-pop arrangements …
^ ab
Margaret Wappler (April 18, 2009). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs will blitz the main stage Sunday". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-07-07.…singer Karen O yelps her mandate over slabs of marbled synths …
^ "Karen O Covers 'A Marshmallow World' for Target's Holiday Ads: Listen". Radio.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
^ "Nellie Bly's 151st Birthday". www.google.com. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
^ "Hear Karen O's Haunting New Song in 'Tomb Raider' Video Game Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
^ "stereogum: New Karen O – "Highway 61 Revisited"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
^ Tom Breihan (May 27, 2011). "Trent Reznor and Karen O Cover Led Zeppelin". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
^ Gil Kaufman (December 2, 2011). "'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' Track List Revealed". MTV. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
^ Kasia Galazka (November 20, 2007). "Karen O is Where the Wild Things Are". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007. Retrieved November 20, 2007.
^ "Karen O's 'Where The Wild Things Are' song replaces Miley Cyrus in Grammys". NME. December 11, 2009. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
^ Minsker, Evan. "Karen O Also Has a Song in Spike Jonze's Film Her". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
^ "2014 Oscar Nominess". Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
^ "Liars – We Fenced Other Gardens With The Bones Of Your Own". Discogs. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
^ Katie Zerwas (2004-07-15). "Liars: We Fenced Other Gardens With The Bones Of Your Own". PopMatters. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
^ "Foetus: "Blessed Evening"". foetus.org. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
^ Michele Lu (2006-07-28). "Fans star in Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Cheated Hearts" video with help from Final Cut editor Stephen Berger". Internet Video Magazine. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
^ "New Release: Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Cheated Hearts"". Video Static. August 4, 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-10-09. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
^ David Knight (March 6, 2008). "Tiny Masters of Today's Hologram World by Kids With Canes Inc". PromoNews. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
^ "Karen (Dem)O". Stereogum. December 11, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
^ "The Story Behind The Karen O Demo". Stereogum. December 11, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
^ "completely surrounded by no trees: 12/01/2006 - 01/01/2007". Youngliars.blogspot.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
^ "Blogger". www2.blogger.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs discuss demo leak". NME. December 14, 2006. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ Gordon, Jeremy (June 25, 2014). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O Announces First Solo Record, Crush Songs". Pitchfork.
^ Karen O is releasing her first vintage solo album June 27, 2014
^ Goble, Corban (February 10, 2015). "Karen O Streams Live Album Live From Crush Palace". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Live from Crush Palace by Karen O". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ Thomas, Helen (January 11, 2018). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O returns for Korean soap opera inspired track with Michael Kiwanuka". NME. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
^ "Karen O: 'I'm Married!'". Rolling Stone. December 9, 2011.
^ Hudson, Alex (December 9, 2011). "Karen O Announces Marriage to Director Barnaby Clay". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
^ O, Karen. "Thankful for our little Django and for his colorful warm welcome from all of you and…". Twitter. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
^ "Karen O Welcomes Baby Son, Shares Adorable First Photo!". Us Weekly. Sep 28, 2015.
^ "Hello Tomorrow (adidas Version) – Single by Karen O". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Immigrant Song – Single by Karen O & Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Pinky's Dream (The Remixes) [feat. Karen O] – Single by David Lynch". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Rapt [Explicit]: Karen O: MP3 Downloads". Amazon (US). Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "Let It Grow (feat. Karen O & Tunde Adebimpe) – Single by Maximum Balloon". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "I Shall Rise (From "Rise of the Tomb Raider") – Single by Karen O". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ "YO! MY SAINT (feat. Michael Kiwanuka) [Film Version] – Single by Karen O". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Phares, Heather. "The Handler – Har Mar Superstar". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ "Bang Bang Boom Cake – Tiny Masters of Today". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "I'm Not There [Original Soundtrack] – Bob Dylan". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Bush, John. "The Spirit of Apollo – N.A.S.A." AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Phares, Heather. "Maximum Balloon – Maximum Balloon". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Lymangrover, Jason. "Jackass 3D – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Lymangrover, Jason. "Master of My Make-Believe – Santigold". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Jurek, Thom. "The Seer – Swans". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Collar, Matt. "Frankenweenie Unleashed! – Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ "The Moon Song (Music From and Inspired By the Motion Picture Her) – Single by Various Artists". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ "We're All Young Together by Walter Martin". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Sodomsky, Sam (March 3, 2017). "Listen to Sharon Van Etten Cover "The End of the World" for "The Man in the High Castle"". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ Sendra, Tim. "Milano – Daniele Luppi / Parquet Courts". AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
^ "Vanity of Vanities – A Tribute to Connie Converse by Various Artists". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved February 8, 2018.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karen O. |
- Official website
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