Kjersti Long is challenging all of your stereotypical thoughts in her new single, ‘Not Your Princess.’ The song was written after her dad made the mistake of calling her one, and after expressing her displeasure, Kjersti put pen to paper and wrote a song about it. The song celebrates the fact that we are all individual people that are more than a title or the judgement of others. While Kjersti is super fierce, she also has a heart of gold. This can be seen through her interpretation of the song ‘Eleanor Rigby’ by the Beatles. Her music video for ‘Eleanor Rigby’ highlights the feeling of loneliness, a feeling felt by most throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Read on in our interview to learn about Kjersti’s volunteer work with America’s Grow A Row, her live gigs where proceeds go to Mental Health and Wellness initiatives, and a sneak peek on some upcoming projects.

Where are you based?
I live in New Jersey, but since it’s a really easy drive to New York, I’m based out of New York.

What inspired you to get into music?
My parents, and my Dad’s side of the family. My mom played the violin and piano. My dad taught himself how to play the guitar, and almost all of my Dad’s side of the family are actors. So from a young age, I’ve been singing. My Grandma, though, was the one who introduced me to rock and roll, and that’s when I really developed a passion for it.

You are so young how do you juggle your music career and being a kid?
It’s a little tricky, and a lot of hard work at first, but it’s pretty simple once you get used to it. I’ve really learned a lot about the importance of managing time correctly. I think the big thing is that even though I have a lot of cool work that I have the opportunity to do, I also have time in my schedule for fun outside activities as well, like horseback riding, reading, and hanging with friends.

Do you have any advice for other young aspiring performers?
Work hard and practice, cause I know your parents probably tell you all the time, but practice really does help you improve. It’s super cool to look back on something you did a couple weeks ago and notice all the stuff you’ve improved on. My dad has a quote that he likes to use: “Hard work beats talent, if talent doesn’t work hard.” It’s sort of my musical motto.

We love your new song ‘Not Your Princess’! Can you tell us a little bit about this song and what inspired you to write it?
My dad and I for fun wanted to make a super upbeat pop/rock song, but we couldn’t find a topic for it. Then one day my dad called me ‘Princess’, and I told him that I didn’t like that and I wanted him to stop. He of course told me what he always tells me whenever I say anything — “Go write a song about it.” Throughout the rest of the week everyone kept calling me ‘Princess’ till finally I did write a legit song about not being anyone’s Princess, because we’re all individual special people that need to stop being put in these stupid stereotypical boxes. What if I don’t want to be a princess?

Your remake of the Beatles’ classic ‘Eleanor Rigby’ is very powerful, especially coupled with the music video. Can you tell us a little bit about your interpretation of this song?
Yeah, of course! So I found this song right before Covid shut everything down. I watched the movie ‘Yesterday.’ It was really late at night and I don’t remember much except for the lyrics to Eleanor Rigby. When I rewatched the movie later on with my family I noticed that the song isn’t mentioned that much, but the lyrics really stuck in my head. So, I decided I wanted to cover it. I printed out the sheet music and the arrangement just sort of happened. I didn’t notice that the world was gonna need this song till Covid hit. That’s when I really started paying attention to the lyrics. It was about isolated people that maybe if someone would’ve just noticed them they wouldn’t have died so lonely. It’s a really sad song, but it had all of the emotions people were feeling from the whole quarantine. The music and lyrics compiled into this beautiful work of art; there was no way I wasn’t gonna share it.

The music video that goes along with your Eleanor Rigby’ remake is very intense. Can you tell us a little bit about the thoughts that went into this? Did you know what you wanted to do for this song going in?
We planned ahead. It actually took us a little while to dial in the idea. From the start we wanted to film in some sort of wrecked or abandoned church, but we weren’t sure how to get the lonely people across in the music video. We first thought of each member of the band playing in a different room of the church. As we started adding stuff it got better and better and thankfully we had some wonderful actors that came in to help. We had the ‘lonely people’ be portrayed by these actors who actually shared with us their personal feelings of loneliness and what they had been recently going through. They channeled their own experiences on camera. Covid has been a very hard and lonely time for many people.

Do you have any advice for anyone who has felt isolated during these times?
Reach out to someone you trust, I bet you have lots of people that would love to help you.

We know you have been involved in a few concerts that have had proceeds go to Mental Health and Wellness, specifically organizations supporting people suffering from Anxiety and Depression, and others to help local music venues in the wake of the Covid19 shutdown. Can you talk a little bit about being involved in shows like this and why it is important to you?
I really want to use my voice to help others, and a big thing I’ve noticed I can do is donate money. The money I get from concerts can be donated to places that need it more than I do. It makes me happy knowing that I have a good reason to perform my music.

You also actively volunteer for America's Grow A Row, by planting, picking, rescuing and delivering fresh produce for those in need, along with volunteering at various shelters and helping families in need. Can you tell us a little bit about why this is so important to you? Have you been able to do this during covid? If so, how has this experience been for you?
I enjoy helping others, plus it’s a blast picking fresh produce, especially with friends. We actually have a grow a row right down the street from us and my church likes to schedule time for all the youth to help out. Not only is it fun, but you get to learn and help others while you’re at it. It a big help for the people that need the food, but also for the volunteers that work there. I have been able to go during Covid. Of course, there’s social distance and protocols for safety. It’s good to know you can be helpful in your own little way.

Has COVID-19 had an effect on your life and music? If so, how?
Well it’s given me a lot of time to practice, not only music, but piano. I think the only thing covid affected me was my social skills. Covid makes everything trickier, but if you’re determined enough to do what you love and want to achieve, you can handle the adjustments we have all had to make.

How have you stayed positive and inspired throughout COVID-19?
My pets. How excited they’ve been that we’ve been at home spending all our time playing and snuggling them, that’s how I stay positive. You just look at your dogs, and all of a sudden you’re instantly happy. That and it gave me a lot of extra time to work on stuff, putting my mind to work helped me stay positive too.

How do you think live performing has shifted due to COVID? Are you back to playing at live venues yet?
I hope it hasn’t shifted much! I love performing live, but recently I haven’t been able to. I think we’ve got some performances coming up in the future; so, hopefully I’ll be on the stage soon.

Do you have any new projects coming up that we should look out for?
Absolutely I’ve got, get this, a Christmas cover tune coming out! It’s coming out the day after Thanksgiving, I believe. It’s gonna be amazing, it’s a super eerie twist to a cover that was released a while ago. I definitely think it’s different, but it’s such a cool piece of music. I love it, and I think you will too. Plus I’m really happy with the cover art — it’s insane! It’s sooo good! We also have more singles dropping, and an album coming out soon after that. Plus, I recently released a cover of Halsey’s Graveyard, which you should check out. I’m super duper excited.

What is your motto in life?
I think I mentioned the first one above, but my mottos are: “Hard work beats talent, if talent doesn’t work hard,” and “Attitude is everything!”

If you love Kjersti Long as much as we do, please follow her at the links below:
Instagram: @Kjersti.long
Facebook: @Kjersti.long
Youtube: Kjersti Long
Website: https://www.kjerstilong.com/

Kjersti Long Is No One's Princess