Hot New Talent Alert: Kerli

Estonia is not known for its pop singers, but Kerli might be about to change that.

She is one the newest artists produced by Merlin, the famous Swedish production team that employs people like Bloodshy & Avant who are responsible for recent hits by Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue. But Kerli's music is nothing like the catchy pop fare people have come to expect from Merlin. It has a gothy twist that is best described as Björk meet Evanescence meets atmospheric electro pop. Kerli doesn't mind to go a little left field and even recorded a cover of the Bauhaus classic, "She's In Parties," for her upcoming Island Def Jam debut LP

The Estonian singer, 21, first hit the scene in 2002 when she appeared on Fizz Superstar, a Baltic talent competition equivalent to American Idol. Her success on the show was followed by appearances  on Estonia's Eurolaul song contest and Sweden's famed Melodifestivalen in 2004. But Kerli's big break came in the summer of 2005 when Kerli was invited to perform for Island Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid. He was impressed by her performance and signed her to his label on the spot.

In a recent interview with AbsolutePunk, Kerli talks about artists that inspired her and the emotions that drive her songwriting. "I love bold females like Björk, Anouk, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin etc. If anyone has influenced my music, I hope it’s them," she explains. "I am not trying to connect with music lovers. I would love to connect to that deepest human part inside them. Everyone understands love. That's what my music is about. Love or the lack of it, inside a human being or in this world."

Stream a lo-fi version of the spooky "Walking On Air" below that is one of my favorite Kerli tracks (note the similarity between the rhythm track on "Walking On Air" and Britney Spears' "Piece Of Me"). You can download a Kerli EP on iTunes or Amazon's MP3 Store. A full-length debut is scheduled for release April 22, 2008 on Island Def Jam Records.