Folklore, Fans, Theatrics, and Faery Queens: How Kiki Rockwell has some of us in a chokehold right now
New Zealand-based artist Kiki Rockwell has recently completed a tour across Europe, and her Heathens (fans) are still basking in the post-tour glow; although I think ‘post-tour fire’ would be more apt.
Kiki Rockwell’s music is, in a word, divine. A rich tapestry of heavy synths and samples, pounding bass, pianos, violins, and ethereal, haunting vocals that convey the emotion and hardships of being a woman, of being human, wrapped up in an otherworldly cape and filtered through a fantastical lens. There’s something magical about first ‘discovering’ Kiki when her arguably most famous track popped up as a suggested YouTube video following an (un)healthy amount of replay clicks on Paris Paloma’s feminist rage anthem ‘Labour’. With its traditional sounding medieval melody paired with pounding drums, ‘Burn Your Village’ awoke some deep, primal rage within, making me fall in love with Kiki’s music instantly, and immediately join the fan Discord server.
Photo: Lara Ann Schumacher
It turns out Discord isn’t just for gamer chats with more and more artists and fans setting up servers. I have been active in multiple music-related servers for a number of years now, and it’s such a nice way to connect with other fans, find gig-buddies, analyse songs, share outfits, cute pet pics, and even food! Although technology and social media have its pitfalls (understatement of the century), it’s inspiring when fans can create such a supportive and vibrant community online which, when focus is shifted to in-person concerts and meet-ups, makes the live moments even more intimate.
At a time where the world is burning, where people are angry but equally require escapism as much as they do connection, we have seen the rise of artists such as Paris Paloma grace us with tales of trauma in the form of powerful feminist rage anthems. As well as Paris’ viral sensation that addresses gender inequality, another release, ‘Good Boy’, provides a message to victims of toxic masculinity and the capitalist patriarchy. LA artist Sofia Isella is another example of a young female artist channelling her rage into pure, and often unsettling, macabre artistry in which her dark commentary on the objectification of women can be heard in eerie track ‘The Doll People’.
With Paris’ popularity growing massively since the release of ‘Labour’, she has supported Florence and The Machine on their UK Tour in one of the most iconic and enchanting collabs of a generation, and with Paris spotted in the crowd of Kiki’s London show, all the Heathens are manifesting another powerful, witchy collab between this pair, with some even calling Paris, Kiki, and Sofia ‘the big trio’. Of course, we are merely scratching the surface of those who are using their art to speak out on such topics and experiences with so many more artists providing their personal societal commentary on themes such as oppression, misogyny, the ‘Manosphere’, and the rise of AI. Kiki Rockwell fits into this array of artists, with many of her fans drawn to her empowering lyrics; so, when Kiki’s ode to witch trial victims, ‘Malleus Maleficarum’, was played on tour, the crowd chanted “the devil is a man who can’t take rejection” and it felt cathartic as hell.
There’s a reason why so many Paris fans are also crossing over into Kiki territory. If Paris Paloma is ‘The Fairy Grungemother’, then Kiki Rockwell is ‘The Mother Heathen’. Whilst both allow the modern listener to relate to important subjects through dark-folk tracks with nods to historical references and folklore, Paris’ sound can be described as more indie-folk compared to Kiki’s darker, synthy soundscapes that seem to scratch an itch you didn’t even know you had.
Photo: Nico Pandemonium
Kiki’s reimagined folklore metaphors and storytelling result in music videos that are worthy of an Oscar – cue ‘Strange Premonition’ which centres on a group of girls who summon a demon at fictional Camp Cold Creek with Kiki ultimately devouring the humanoid entity - potentially symbolising the reclaiming of power over an abuser (this was so good live btw, especially when they ‘sacrificed the drummer’). This track sits alongside tales of an agent being seduced by a dancer at the local strip club whilst trying to solve a murder case in ‘Agent 44’, with even a cover of Benny Benassi’s track ‘Satisfaction’ making an appearance on latest album ‘Eldest Daughter of an Eldest Daughter’ (2024). These more contemporary sounding tracks provide a neoteric punch through a more traditional soundscape, demonstrating the versatility of Kiki as an independent artist who writes, produces, and records her music in her ‘little home studio in the woods’.
There’s no better feeling than finally getting to see an artist who you’ve become obsessed with play a live show. Kiki’s tour last month felt special, and from the moment she announced a string of shows across the continent, Heathens across the world were patiently counting down the days to see this mystical artist in the flesh since last April.
With the tour including cities such as Cologne, Vienna, Prague, and Hamburg to name a few, Kiki and her team were met with pure joy from each crowd who were enraptured in the fact they were witnessing her FIRST EVER tour - where I was lucky enough to attend the opening night at Paradiso in Amsterdam. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure how Kiki’s music was going to translate into a live show but WOW. Her two dancers Jobelle and Jessica plus a single drummer, Michael, was all that was needed to bring her songs to life – it was like watching a theatrical performance with costume changes; the props and lighting were also on point – the energy was unmatched and I felt honoured to be at the first show of the tour surrounded by Heathens just as obsessed as myself.
Photo: Lisa Ann Schumacher
Although based in New Zealand, Kiki has Germanic roots and spent time growing up in the USA, with these influences shining through in her music, with many tracks featuring the German language, notably in her 2023 single ‘Tief Im Wald’ (Translation: Deep In Forest). The classic harvest song ‘Hejo, Spann Den Wagen An’ features on her second album ‘Rituals On The Bank Of A Familiar River’ (2023) and it’s no surprise that when it was played live in the five German cities included in Kiki’s tour, she wielded her magic and seduced the crowd into forming a choir to sing this canon.
At Amsterdam’s opening night, you could tell Kiki was nervous, overwhelmed, and overjoyed - she was just as much as in awe of the crowd as we were of her – “You’re real” someone exclaimed, with Kiki not quite believing we were real either. She and her crew transported us to a mystical world whilst reminding us of all the magic in ours, of what humans are capable of creating – love and art. Through Discord and fan account @thewitchthatburntthevillage, Kiki’s Heathens enjoyed shared content throughout the whole tour and it’s clear to see her confidence grew with each show.
In order to cure the post-tour blues, Kiki has released latest track ‘Faery Queen’ which was teased on the tour; the enchanting vocals of “I have danced for a hundred years, I will dance for a hundred more” paired with a medieval flute tune only fuelled the fan’s post-tour fire even more, with the anticipation becoming increasingly more unbearable when Kiki announced that it would be aptly released on May Day. Birthed into the world on May 1st to help everyone celebrate Beltane in style, it mirrors existing track ‘Faery King’ andthis new little ditty has all the Heathens in a frenzy, desperate to run into the woods to dance around a Maypole and crown Kiki as the rightful May Queen.
Photo: Lisa Ann Schumacher
Kiki Rockwell’s lyrical power, fantasy aesthetic, and dark-techno/folk-rock sound submerges the listener in another world whilst traditional folk melodies and medieval-esque music anchors them to their ancestral roots. Kiki’s art attracts multiple generations of music fans and anyone interested in feminism, folklore, witchcraft, films, books, history, religion, and mystery – with her army of Heathens spanning the globe, currently (and gladly), held in her tight chokehold, dancing for a hundred years (and dancing for a hundred more).
Words: Megan Wood
Photos: Lisa Ann Schumacher & Nico Pandemonium
