Kina Grannis

half of my heart

big shout out and thank you to perez hilton for sharing my new cover with john mayer this morning on twitter!

in other news, happy thanksgiving everyone!

i just got back from running the dana point turkey trot 5k. it was great! but i find myself in the same condition i am in every year, feeling incredibly ill due to running much harder than i should’ve… ha. i just can’t help it! once i’m in race mode, all those cross country and track memories flood back in and i think i’m in top running shape again. but no. hope my tummy finds some peace before the big dinner tonight!

regarding merch…
just a recap of what i said in the video… after 2 years of processing and shipping all of my merch orders myself, next month i will be passing on this job to a company that handles this sort of thing. it will be a sad thing to see go, because i loved feeling that much more connected with everyone, but in the end it will be good for us all, i will spend more time making music, and people will actually get their orders on time :/

as of around dec 11th the transition will happen, so if you would like a personalized thank you note from me or would like to request a signed cd, do so before the 11th! to request, make a note to me in the “additional instructions” section on your paypal order, or immediately send me an email after ordering with your order # and the request!

other news
so incredibly excited for my show at the Troubadour on Jan 13th!! this will be my first time there and i LOVE the Troubadour. the best part is… all ages! happiness. since it will be my first show there, i want to make it a great one :) the room is a LOT larger than any venue i’ve headlined at in LA, so bring friends! let’s fill it up!

album update

i’ll be seeing the first draft of the album art in a few days! can’t wait to see it. also… we’ve picked the first single and … (drum roll please)…. the RELEASE DATE! ahhhh! i’m going to keep both secret for now, but will announce very soon :)

upcoming show!

Troubadour
January 13, 2010 (doors at 8PM)
9081 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Cost: $10
Notes: All ages!
For presale tickets click here
RSVP on facebook here!

the end…
well, it’s time for me to shower and make myself look decent before the family and i head over to my relatives. happy happy thanksgiving. i am thankful for you.

love,
kina

oovret: Week 69
Thank you for kinawkwardness.
Thank you for being devoted to your fans.
Thank you for brightening our days with your music.
Thank you for bringing so many great people together.
Thank you for being wonderful.

What are some things, over the past year, that you thankful for?
awww… thanks for the special thanksgiving oovret :)
i am thankful for my family, my friends, all of the kinerds, my health, everyone else’s health, so much support, so much inspiration, so much good company, so many great opportunities… everyone… everything. i am so grateful.

Posted in General | 21 Comments »

blood bank

well, hello there :)

it’s 1:37am and i’m feeling a little spacey. i think i should probably be in bed but alas, i am here glued to my computer. it’s happy here.

so, this is going to be a very fun week! i’ll be writing with two amazing musicians– my extremely talented friend daniel bedingfield and the ridiculously fantastic david archuleta. it’s going to be great! really hoping we come up with some awesome songs for david.

album update:
i finally selected a designer for my album art!! his name is nathan goldman and his work is awesome. check it out here: http://www.dkngstudios.com/ i cannot WAIT to get started with all of this.

also, the album cover photo has been chosen! yayyyy. only took a million awkward pictures to get it, but hey! i also drafted up all of my album credits this weekend. it’s really starting to feel like this is happening :) tomorrow i’ll be sending those off, along with some more photos and all my lyrics, to nathan so he has all the tools he needs to get going with album art. incredibly excited.

zzzz…
ok.. now i’m going to bed.

xo
kina

oovret: Week 68

How many locations have you shot photos for your album?
5 different locations/shoots, although i’m not sure if photos from all 5 shoots will make the album.
What did you do with your extra hour last weekend?
slept :)
How many fellow YouTube Partners have you met?
hmmm… i wanna say maybe 20?
Do you enjoy listening to “U2??
i have a lot of respect for them :)
Have you ever found that you have stopped running on the elliptical while tweeting?
haha, no way! i’m a machine!

Posted in General | 36 Comments »

showwww

san francisco here i come!!

i’m not going to promise anything, but i may or may not have two very special guests joining me on stage for a song or two… :)

Cafe du Nord w/David Choi
November 15, 2009 @ 8PM (doors at 7PM)
2170 Market Street,
San Francisco, CA 94114
Cost: $10 presale, $12 at the door
Notes: All ages!
For presale tickets click here

for all you socal people, i am planning a very special show in LA in december. i’ll keep you posted!

xo,
kina

Posted in General, News | 16 Comments »

learn learn learn

hello!!

i hope you can handle today’s incredibly long tutorial! if you are pretty proficient at either guitar or piano, i can save you 13 and a half minutes and tell you this: C, G, F.

but that’s not very fun now, is it?? i got a few complaints that my tutorials didn’t cater to really experienced musicians. the way i see it is, i refuse to exclude anyone. i will not be brief and leave things unexplained just so that the experienced player doesn’t have to wait around. my goal is to bring music into as many people’s lives as possible. i want to make it so easy that people that thought they’d never play an instrument in their life stop for a moment and think… why not? i really think anyone that has a strong desire to play music, can.

for those of you who are simply appreciators of music, that is wonderful too :) in your case, you can disregard all the teaching parts and count all the parts where i sound awkward!

album update:
in the next few days i will be selecting a designer for my album art. it’s been a really crazy process. i spent many weeks trying to decide the feel i wanted… trying to find the right words to describe it and the right images/colors/textures to get it across. then we spent some time looking for designers. then we asked for spec work. now we have to choose one, and i hate choosing things! they are all very talented. as many of you know, emi (my younger sister) was originally going to do the job, but she’s now off being a super star at art school (i am so proud and excited for her) and she hardly has time to do the work she needs to. (then there’s misa, the older sister, who hardly has time to sleep. correction: she DOESN’T have time to sleep. she’s getting a masters in architecture and she is a stud) so anyway, shortly after we get started on the designing, we’ll start building the new website, which i’ve already put a bunch of planning into and i’m very excited about :)

yesterday i had a long thorough meeting with my management regarding all the things we need to accomplish before we can release. WOW. there is a lot to be done. it’s tough being your own record label… no one is going to MAKE things happen but you… or in my case… me. (no one is going to pay for things to happen but me either… ouch) luckily my team is made up of some of the best around, and my family, well you know, they’re kind of the best, and then there’s all of you, and you know how i feel about kinerds :) so i know i’m in a great place, i just gotta keep positive and focused on the task ahead of me.

but wow.

an apology
i know i promised an east coast tour this fall…. *cries a little* but i don’t think it’s going to work out :( i’m pretty much on lockdown until this album is out into the world and in your lovely little (or not so little) hands. it really really makes me sad and i feel like i’ve let you east coasters down, but i promise as soon as i can tour again, i’m going to get myself over to that coast SO fast.

ok, now it’s late… and i’m still typing… and i’m pretty sure i’m sounding weirder by the second, so i’m going to put an end to this.

fin.

<3
kina

oovret: Week 67

Have you made any celebratory plans for your upcoming album release?
not plans as in in-the-calendar plans, but i can guarantee there will be sushi involved. also, definitely planning to have a cd release show in LA, and if i’m lucky, maybe i can make one happen on the east coast too…

How will you be distributing your new album?
i had a long chat about this with my management today. should i go into it? hmm… here’s the thing, if you want to put cds in retail stores it equals tons of money, because you have to make enough cds to put in every major store… in every city… and how many of those cds will actually be purchased there anyway? plus the distribution company will then take a percentage of all digital sales as well (itunes, rhapsody, napster, etc)… but i don’t really NEED them for that stuff. i think the smartest move for me since i don’t have a ton of money laying around, will be to start off selling physicals from my website and at shows, and digitals everywhere they’d usually be, and if there becomes a demand, we’ll look into putting it in stores as well. also, by the time the album releases, i’ll be passing off the job of shipping my merch to a company, that way everyone can get their things in a timely manner :) i will miss writing everyone thank yous though…

What was the last book you finished reading? How was it?
it was called “honey bee” :) it was fascinating and kind of made me wish i had the time and backyard to be a beekeeper and have my own honey!

Do you enjoy listening to “Bela Fleck and the Flecktones”?
haven’t heard enough of them… i’ll do my hw!

What toppings do you like on your frozen yogurt?
strawberries and mochi
OR
coconut, chocolate shavings, and strawberries
OR
strawberries, blueberries, and bananas
OR
tons of everything.

Posted in General | 34 Comments »

use somebody

i’m about to write the lamest blog ever! this is because it’s 1 am and i’m super cold and my stomach feels unhappy :(

in short:
kajsd;kdjslkj! i can’t believe the album is actually getting mastered on wednesday. happinesssss!

also– thank you all SO much for all of the feedback regarding the website. i wrote down all of your notes, so hopefully we can make most of it happen :)

in conclusion: you make me happy.

xoxo
kina

oovret: Week 66

Now that you have gained another year’s worth of fans: approximately, how many e-mail/messages do you receive each week? (real e-mail)+(facebook)+(myspace)+(youtube)+(others)=(all)
hmm… i’d say anywhere from 800-1200?
How much time do you spend reading and replying to them?
a lot, but it’s kind of interspersed through the entire day, so it doesn’t seem too crazy.
What is your favorite fair food?
corn dogs :)
Do you enjoy listening to “The Replacements”?
not very familiar with them, i’ll check it out.
Does Mama G interrogate your new friends like she does with new ShoutBox users?
she always knew everything about everyone :) friends would come over and hang out with her instead of my sisters and me… haha.

Posted in General | 44 Comments »

our future home…

i’ve been doing a lot of thinking about our future home– the new kinagrannis.com website. the current website has been around for 4 years now… it released my first 3 cds, announced some of my first shows (to which about 10 people showed up), stood by during two weeks for kina, gotta digg, and the super bowl, and became the home to many an awesome bla(h)gger, kinerd, street teamer, etc. i love this website! however, with the release of my new album coming up, it’s time for something new. not just for me, for you too!

that’s why i want to ask all of YOU what we can do to make our home even more awesome.

so what do you think??

a few thoughts i’ve had…

- front page: what do you think should be on the front page? news? the latest video/bla(h)g? should it scroll down or be fixed?

- what about the shout box? where should that go? and does anyone know any alternatives that we could use for chatting with each other that won’t freak out if there are more than 8 people in it?

- the street team page will be TOTALLY redone in time… not sure how yet … but we’re trying to see if we can automate it so that misa (our lovely webmistress) doesn’t have to manually enable everyone’s usernames for the street team login. i also want to make it easier for us to share and talk about future missions and awesome solo projects that people have done.

- what else do you want? what would make it easiest to use? nicest to look at? have you seen cool ideas in other websites that you think we could try too? comment and let me know any and all thoughts :)

thanks for being super.
kina

Posted in General | 58 Comments »

first train home

hello all!

hope you enjoy this week’s video! it was pretty fun trying to figure out how to do this song acoustically. do check out imogen’s newest cd “ellipse,” it’s awesome. and if you’re new to her completely, you need to listen to her album “speak for yourself” and her album under the name frou frou– “details.” definitely some of my all time favorites.

updates on MY album …
- i have changed the title of my album. but you never knew what the old one was… so it’s ok :) i’ll refrain from telling you the new one in case it changes again.. heh.
- after mistakenly declaring my “LAST DAY OF MIXING” twice… i should probably keep quiet about that stuff until it’s done this time. i only have a few more tweaks i want to make though…. ok, i’ll say it. last mixing day is monday!! (i’m going to regret that…)
- album art… oy. i’ve got a ways to go. it’d help if i could take some good pictures. (the problem is not the photographers, it’s my face not knowing what to do when there’s a camera in front of it)

oh! and anyone in the fresno area– please come say hi at the caruthers fair this friday! here’s the info:

Fri, Oct 2nd :: 8-9PM
Caruthers Fair
13595 South Raider Street
Caruthers, CA 93609
Cost: free
Notes: meet and greet after performance at the merch table!

one more thing. i love you.

thank you.
kina

oovret: Week 65

What is the largest package you have received in your PO box?
a yamaha keyboard :)
Where do you keep all the gifts that are sent to you? in my room, around the house, in a big corner of my living room… and all the letters i keep in boxes :)
At the current rate, when will you be out of storage space?
it will just keep expanding and taking over :) and i’m totally fine with that!
Do you enjoy listening to Tony Bennett?
yes :) his music makes me feel classy.
Does Rice-A-Roni taste better when you are in San Francisco?
hmmm…

Posted in General | 50 Comments »

stars falling down

hello beloveds!

tomorrow is another mixing day. maybe the last?? maybe?! shouldn’t get my hopes up… but we are so close it’s crazy! i was having some issues with strong enough and stay just a little and i think we FINALLY nailed them. hooray!

what else… oh! last week i had my first real show in like 3 months (by real show i mean with a set long enough that i have time to be awkward between songs) and it was so fun! it was in mission viejo– my hometown– so it was fun because not only were there a bunch of old and new supporters out (including some kg street teamers <3), but there were a lot of friends from high school out too. it almost threw me off for a moment… whenever i think back to those times i am tempted to revert back to the insane level of inhibition i had back then and get really nervous… or i start feeling like i should be running a national honor society meeting (i was president my senior year… meetings were the scariest thing of my life.)

one more thing– having plants in my bedroom makes me happy.

so do you.
kina

oovret: Week 64

Would you consider performing on the subways of New York?
i would love to play the subways of new york :) you need a permit of some sort, yes?
Was Saturday your first flat tire experience?
i’ve had one before. no fun!
Presently, which song do you enjoy performing the most?
that’s a tricky one. valentine is always fun. make me and delicate make me really emotional, so that always feels good too.
Do you enjoy listening to Sufjan Stevens?
love sufjan! so much :)
What would you do for a Klondike Bar?
lately i’ve been wanting one so badly! i don’t even remember the last time i’ve had one… but all these ads nowadays are doing something to me. but uh.. let’s see. for a klondike bar… i might drive to the store and buy one? i guess i don’t want it THAT badly. but i do want it. :)

Posted in General | 42 Comments »

the sound of silence

what a long day! more than a few things went very wrong in the making of this video, but i really did enjoy the process, and i really really love the song. i had a bit of fun with the track in garageband– added backing vocals, percussion (hitting my guitar), and some weird noises too :)

today i’m going back into the studio to work on mixes again. it’s been really coming together :)

i’m really excited for the shows coming up the next two weekends! they should be so much fun. i’m a little weirded out since i haven’t done a show in months though… hopefully i remember how to do it.

Sun, Sept 6th :: 6:00 PM
ISA 09 @ The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse
320 S Mission Drive
San Gabriel, CA 91776
SOLD OUT!

Sat, Sept 12th :: 12:00 PM
Mission Viejo Reader’s Festival
24932 Veterans Way
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Cost: free
Notes: All Ages. Meet and greet after show.

ok… i think sleep is calling me.

zzzz,
kina

oovret: Week 63

When you record your bla(h)g video, do you imagine you’re performing in front of 100,000 people?
haha.. no. if i did they would be more awkward than you could imagine. i do imagine that i am performing for a lot of people… just not 100,000… ah!
Have you ever tried to count to 100,000?
goodness no.
Do you own 100,000 pieces of anything?
hairs on my head?
Do you enjoy eating “100 Grand” candy bars?
i enjoy most candies :) although i haven’t eaten many 100 grands in my day.
What song could you listen to 100,000 times?
oh dear, i don’t know. a good number i think, but that requires a lot of brain work, and my brain is mostly asleep.

Posted in General | 38 Comments »

fallin’ for you

hello!

wow, this every two weeks thing is making me even more awkward than i remembered! sorry about that everyone :)

the good news is, the plan is working. last week i played guitar for fun for the first time in a LONG time, and i wrote one song and 2 half songs. it felt really good to get back into the music.

tomorrow i am meeting with my mixer to make some final changes on the songs. oh boy :) it’s going to be a long day, but i am so excited to be almost done with this part.

it dawned on me recently that i haven’t played a show in about eighty years. oops! time just kind of flew by…

the good news is, i’m playing two shows coming up, one in my hometown– mission viejo, ca (orange county), and one in my current town– los angeles. i’m so excited to be out playing again and seeing everyone. here’s the info:

Sun, Sept 6th :: 6:00 PM
ISA 09 @ The San Gabriel Mission Playhouse
320 S Mission Drive
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Cost:$20
Notes: for more information on ISA, other acts, and to purchase tickets, click here.

Sat, Sept 12th :: 12:00 PM
Mission Viejo Reader’s Festival
24932 Veterans Way
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Cost: free
Notes: All Ages. Meet and greet after show.

oovret: Week 62

Have all of the edible gifts from your PO box video been consumed?
not even close! i’m working on it :) and sharing, of course.
Have you found any (real)strawberry tea?
i haven’t personally sought it out yet, but it’s been confirmed by many a tweeter that it’s out there!
Did you enjoy listening to John Mayer at the Troubadour?
yes, he is such a phenomenal guitarist and songwriter. it was great :)
Looking back on your 24th year, what would you say was
your greatest accomplishment?
oh wow… that’s tough. maybe deciding to leave the label and take on this journey independently with the help of all of you… working on my first full-length album… going on my first tour (however teeny tiny it was)…
Looking forward, what are your goals for your 25th year?
releasing my first full-length album, touring most of the country and seeing a lot of you people while i’m at it, in a PERFECT world, touring abroad for the first time and seeing all you international people, doing the best i can to share my music with people, writing as much as i can, playing as much guitar and singing as much as i can, cooking more, being healthy, spending quality time with my family and friends, reading more, hiking more, growing, learning, smiling…

Posted in General | 46 Comments »