Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Kjersti Long

Kjersti Long is an up-and-coming rock-pop prodigy who has taken the music industry by storm. At just fourteen, the gifted singer-songwriter has blown listeners away with her authenticity, vulnerability, and maturity.

Pop Culturalist recently caught up with Kjersti to learn more about her and her new singles.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Kjersti: My dad’s side of the family is very involved in musical theater. From a young age, I was always put into those shows. I always played a younger version of a main character or a little kid that you would see on the stage for one scene. It was a blast. But then my grandma asked me to sing a rock song for her birthday. It was Heart’s “Alone.” I sang it for her. That’s when I really got into rock music and I was like, “This is amazing.” I loved being on stage singing rock music. That’s how I became a musician.

PC: You’ve got a couple of singles out now. Let’s first talk about “Not Your Princess.” What was the inspiration behind that song?
Kjersti: It actually started off as a joke. My dad and I were sitting down to write a teenybopper pop song as a joke. When we wrote the lyrics, we were like, “This is actually a cool anthem.” As it progressed, we made it into more of a rock tune.

If I tell my dad anything, he’s like, “Go write a song about it.” [laughs] That is his catchphrase. He calls me “princess” a lot. I didn’t like that. It bugged me one day. I went up and was like, “Hey, can you stop calling me princess? I don’t like that.” He was like, “Okay. Go write a song about it.” I laughed it off and didn’t write about it.

Then the next day, I was like, “Wait. Everyone keeps calling me princess.” Everyone from the lady at the grocery store to my Sunday school teacher. Everyone kept calling me “princess.” I was like, “I’m going to write a song about it.”

PC: You also just released a cover of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” What was your early connection with that song? Why did you decide to make a remake of it?
Kjersti: My dad has always bugged me to do a Beatles cover. I watched all of the Beatles documentaries and have their t-shirts, but I’d never covered a Beatles song before. My dad took me to see Yesterday. It was very last minute, and it was the last showing of the night. We got to the theater and I was half falling asleep because it was so late. I didn’t remember a lot of the movie, but I did remember the lyrics to “Eleanor Rigby.” When we got home, my dad was like, “We’re going to do a Beatles cover. What song do you want to sing?” I was like “Eleanor Rigby.” He was so shocked. He was like, “Really?” [laughs]

PC: You also recorded a music video and a performance video for the single. What was that process like?
Kjersti: I’ve only done two music video shoots. One was for “Not Your Princess.” The other was for “Eleanor Rigby.” It’s a new process for me. We had two different locations. It was the first time that I ever performed with violins. It was so cool watching the violinists perform. Our second set was an abandoned church. It was definitely haunted. [laughs] Like there was no way it wasn’t haunted. It was so cool though. It was a very cool place to record a music video in. We had a bunch of paid actors that came in and they were so cool. It was such a fun experience.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2021, what does the year hold for you?
Kjersti: We have a bunch of new music. I actually went down to Nashville recently. It’s an amazing city. It has such a cool vibe. We go there all the time to record music. We’re going to release a new single, and we’re planning a music video for that single too. That will hopefully lead into an album.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Kjersti: Paramore.

PC: First album you bought?
Kjersti: Lindsey Stirling’s Brave Enough.

PC: First concert you attended?
Kjersti: Stevie Nicks.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Kjersti: Madison Square Garden.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Kjersti: Snacks, specifically cucumbers.

To keep up with Kjersti, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Photo Credit: Kurt Csolak Photos