In demand ... Kimbra will perform at the ARIA Awards. Photo: Supplied
A SUNNY day off was the perfect way to relax for chart-topping singer Kimbra, who will spice up this month's ARIA Awards where she's also a nominee for Best Female Artist and Best Pop Release.
The 22-year-old New Zealander has called Melbourne home for the past five years but, after a year-long international tour, she's enjoying some rare down time there, away from stage - except for last week's performance at the New Zealand Music Awards, where she won five awards, including Album of the Year for the hit Vows.
Her live performance at the Australian Recording Industry Association's awards on November 29 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre follows last year's breakthrough with Vows and her collaboration with Gotye (Wally De Backer), which yielded a swag of awards for the worldwide hit Somebody That I Used To Know and topped the charts in 11 countries.
The two caught up recently in Dallas, Texas, where they shared the stage, but also had a chance to catch up away from the spotlight and swap stories about life on the road.
''We played the same night in a big amphitheatre, so we sung together, but the next day we had a coffee and caught up as friends and it was really special to connect again and talk about the music that's been inspiring us,'' she says. ''I feel very grateful to be part of a collaboration that connected with people and was really part of a movement in pop - a shift in consciousness for people. They pricked up their ears [and] in a way it's opened doorways for people like me.''
At last year's ARIAs, Kimbra won Best Female Artist, however that night of glamour and celebration seems a long time ago after playing this year's Big Day Out in January and then packing her bags for a gruelling tour.
''We played festivals in Ireland and Scotland and headline shows in Germany and Istanbul and Spain - every show had an incredible energy and it's so rewarding to know it was really connecting with people,'' she says.
''It [international success] hasn't happened overnight, but in terms of when the momentum picks up it does happen very quickly and that was very much a part of the Gotye song … especially in a place like America.''
ARIA's chief executive says securing Kimbra, Guy Sebastian and Missy Higgins along with Jessica Mauboy, the Jezabels, Hilltop Hoods and more to perform this year reflects the event's strength and star appeal.
"The ARIAs are renowned for providing unforgettable live music moments,'' he says.
It is a night Kimbra's looking forward to - after enjoying a few more days working on new songs.
''I can look at the diary and see some gaps - it's fantastic,'' she says.
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