Kerli - Walking On Air

It's a long journey from failed Eurovision contestant to the cusp of American stardom but that's the impressive path Estonia's Kerli Kõiv has navigated over the past four years. Despite bombing out in Sweden's 2003 Melodienfestivalen and missing Eurovision selection for her homeland in 2004, Kerli's distinctive style and unusual voice obviously caught the attention of the right people because she was snapped up by America's Island Def Jam records (the home of Mariah & Rihanna - no less) in 2006. Suck on that, Charlotte Perrelli! I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect when I first received a press release about Kerli. The pretentious 'gothic Barbie doll' styling made me slightly nauseous and the proud comparisons with Bjork instilled me with the fear of God. However, Kerli turned out to be a very pleasant surprise indeed.

"Walking On Air" is one of my favourite singles of 2008 but the first time I heard the song, I almost turned it off half way through. The gloomy first verse is not exactly a toe tapper but then something wonderful happens. Strings herald the magnificent chorus and all of a sudden "Walking On Air" turns into a beautifully twisted poptastic delight. It's a difficult song to describe but imagine a catchy yet depressive cross between Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like A Bird" (the structure is quite similar) and Bjork's only decent song, "All Is Full Of Love". The result is edgy and different, while still retaining a strong pop sensibility. The Def Jam execs obviously realise they have something special on their hands because a small fortune was spent on the terrifying video clip. No, I'm not referring to Kerli's disturbing prima ballerina prostitute get-up but the evil doll. That porcelain bitch is going to haunt my dreams for weeks! "Walking On Air" is available to download now from US iTunes. Fingers crossed that Kerli brings her hot freak show to Australia in the near future!

Check out the magnificent video clip!

Chucky has nothing on this bitch!