Karmina
Sister duo blending classical training with indie pop.
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Karmina is an American indie pop music duo consisting of sisters Kelly Adams and Kamille Rudisill, who write, sing, produce, and perform their own music. The duo blends classical training with pop influences, and they were among the first acts signed to the relaunched CBS Records.
Biography
Kelly was born in Germany and Kamille in Hawaii; both were raised in those locations before their family moved to San Francisco. At ages ten and eight, their mother enrolled them in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where they studied music theory, composition, and classical voice. They have a sister, Petra Karmina Rudisill, born in 1997.
Before settling on Karmina—a name meaning “song” in Latin and referencing the opera “Carmina Burana”—the duo performed as Kalabash and Kelly & Kamille. Kelly played soccer at an Olympic development level, while Kamille won dance competitions and sang classically; David Foster paired her with Josh Groban for fund-raising events. Karmina won twenty-seven times in competitions including the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the California State Vocal competition. Their first national exposure came from winning Disney Channel's "Two Hour Tour," after which Darren Hayes of Savage Garden mentored them and selected them to open for his band at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.
After eight years in San Francisco, they moved to Los Angeles, attended the Thornton School of Music at USC, and earned Bachelor of Music degrees in music industry. Kelly later earned a master's degree in music education and a teaching credential. In 2014, she married James Adams, and they have one child.
Career
A copy of Karmina's demo reached an executive at the newly formed CBS Records, and in December 2006 the label offered the duo a place on its roster. Karmina was among the first acts signed to CBS Records. Their debut album, Backwards into Beauty, was released in 2008, produced by Karmina and Guy Erez; its title comes from a lyric in the first track, “Satellites. The first single, “The Kiss,” deals with forbidden love influenced by Romeo and Juliet and paraphrases Shakespeare.
It reached number 24 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. The music video for “The Kiss” includes footage of real-life couples who overcame bigotry and societal pressure, and features reality TV personality Amanda Ireton. The song appeared on shows including 90210 and the promo of CSI: NY; Karmina's “The Whoa Song” was used for a first-kiss scene that was removed before airing but later viewable online. Several album songs were featured on network TV such as NCIS, Cane, NUMB3RS, 90210, and Life Is Wild.
Karmina performed “Walk You Home” on-camera on A&E's The Cleaner. They made their national broadcast television debut on December 21, 2007, on the CBS special A Home for the Holidays, performing a song they wrote at the producers' request alongside Sheryl Crow, Fergie, Carole King, James Blunt, and Reba McEntire. The duo toured the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe sponsored by Apple, and made a new record with composer John Powell titled Queens of Heart. Their track “All the King's Horses” was included on season 2 episode 19 of the American TV series Reign.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Karmina (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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