Kina Grannis has been a busy bee all year. In-between international flights & tour dates, TV appearances and award shows, we were able to sneak in a few questions about the release of her SCP (secret crazy project, of course) which ended up being a music video illustrated in jelly beans. What’s next Kina?! We’re excited to find out.

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C: It’s been a few days since you launched your SCP & we’re still amazed at what you were able to pull off with JELLY BEANS. What sparked this idea of doing a music video with candy?

K: I went into this knowing that I wanted to make a really special and unique music video that had a hand-made feel to it… but beyond that, I had no ideas.  When the director, Greg Jardin, proposed the jelly bean stop-motion idea to me, I was sold in a second.  He had seen jelly bean art online–giant pictures made of jelly beans–and that was part of his inspiration. 

C: What does your song-writing process look like?

K: Songwriting is still a very mysterious process to me.  I can’t do it on command and I rarely feel like I even have much control of it.  It hits me when I least expect it and out pours a song–usually in about an hour.  When I’m writing, I’m more inspired my the feelings evoked by playing my guitar and singing melodies than any concrete themes.

C: If you were given the chance to do a duet with anyone, who would it be (and why)?

K: Perhaps Bon Iver… or Sigur Ros…. or Imogen Heap… or… ok, I’ll stop.  Working with any of them would be a dream… I find them all to be musical geniuses in their own right. 

C: What or who inspired you to pick up the guitar? Are you self-taught?

K: I’ve always been drawn to music, and actually played piano and violin long before guitar crossed my mind, but I think what really drew me to guitar was that it was new and exciting and most importantly, it was an excuse to sing.  I basically locked myself away in my room for a few months in high school and played and played until it finally made sense.