Photo: Tim Fahlbush

Bad things happen to bad people in singer Natalia Kills‘ eye-for-an-eye universe. Her much-discussed ‘Wonderland‘ video has already stirred up European audiences with its unnerving scenes of stylized violence, which somehow startle more in 2011 than they might have ten years ago, when pop stars routinely (and expensively) scandalized MTV’s late night lineup. But the controversy certainly didn’t wound her popularity: Perfectionist, her multi-ranging debut, sold well, landing her in the Top 10 in Germany, where’s she already become everyone’s favorite pop mystery.

Whether Kills’ internationally-approved iconoclasm will translates as effectively on this side of the Pond remains to be seen, but with Rihanna singing about the scent of sex on daytime radio and Gaga giving birth onstage on SNL, the time seems right for the British-born Kills to test American pop’s outer limits. Her music itself—often called “dark pop”, described as “pop with an opinion” by Kills—is fittingly confrontational, aligning agitated and confessional lyricism with brooding, nocturnal production from some of pop’s most salient architects (Akon, Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, and Jeff Bhasker to name a few). This is murder on the dancefloor—but it’s also so much more. Having just completed a successful US tour with Swedish dynamo Robyn, she’s already provided Americans an attractive foreshadowing of what is to come. But ELLE digs deeper, catching up with Kills as she prepares to unleash Perfectionist on Americans this summer.

ELLE: Hello, Natalia! Where are you at the moment? Your Twitter indicates a very active travel itinerary.

NK: I’ve been here at my apartment for a month between tours, which is nice. LA is my base right now—I moved here right after I left London. I actually wanted to move to New York, though. I feel like all Londonders relate more to New York—LA doesn’t feel like a city city. It’s like a sleepy town.

ELLE: In Europe, you’re already something of a fast-rising star. Is it strange to feel partially famous?

NK: Yes, it’s bizarre and surreal. My album is out in Europe, and went Top 10 in Germany so I have a lot of fans there and I get recognized in the streets. It’s funny how people suddenly treat you differently once you’re a ‘name’–it doesn’t feel quite real yet. When I come back to LA, I can disappear. My life is an interesting mix of fame and normalcy at the moment.

ELLE: Kylie Minogue has expressed similar sentiments about her American vs. international fame—she likes that she can hide away in Brooklyn, where no one recognizes her as they do in every other city on Earth.

NK: She lives in Brooklyn! That’s so unexpected. And smart. I love it. Go Kylie.

ELLE: What did you learn about American audiences through touring with Robyn?

NK: Maybe because I recorded my album here in the States, it seems that this is the country where my music will make the most sense to people. The energy from the crowds here was so much greater than anything else I’ve experienced; even though I’m a new artist, the audiences really ‘got’ it, especially my debut American single ‘Wonderland’. I learned that what works in Iowa might not work in NYC and vice versa. Even within one country, every city is so different.

ELLE: What about some of the challenges of ‘making it’ here?

NK: Well, you know, we really are living in the era of 130 bpm. I recorded a bunch of great, dark, hypnotic songs—like ‘Zombie’–produced by Jeff Bhasker (who also produced Kanye West’s megahit ‘Runaway’) that will probably remain album tracks simply because radio won’t touch them—they are too slow-burning. I’ve heard stories of other artists saying their album’s promotional campaigns were cut short simply because they didn’t have any material over 110 bpm and mainstream radio wouldn’t play it. Everything has to be of a dance/techno tempo right now to get noticed commercially.

ELLE: Whereas several years ago, when hip-hop and R&B dominated, most chart hits were of a more leisurely, even lazy pace. Do you see that returning?

NK: Exactly, and dance was excluded. And I do think the pendulum will shift again—but I don’t think it will be back towards hip-hop. I feel instinctively that rock and guitar pop will come back strong, because it’s been awhile since that’s felt relevant. I remember in the 90s when No Doubt, The Cranberries, Garbage, even the Foo Fighters and Nirvana were played on pop radio. But there’s a weird void between pop and the alternative now. I’m not saying I’m going to be the one to change that, but I hope I can be part of an exciting new wave of music. And for the record, despite what people think, only one of my songs is remotely dance–’Mirrors’.

ELLE: What qualities characterize your music?

NK: Well, people like to call my music ‘pop’, especially ‘dark pop’, and my music has a certain aggression and confrontation to it, so I understand where they are coming from. But I prefer to call what I do ‘pop with an opinion’–which is also the way I’d describe Alanis Morissette’s or Eminem’s music, for instance. This is life music: it talks about my own experiences—maybe that’s selfish, but it’s real. And I’m not dictating anything, unlike a lot of other pop which basically commands you to dance, sing, or cry to it. I’m just sharing my story and maybe some other 24 year old girls who have had their heart broken will relate to it and say ‘oh yeah’.

ELLE: Some people seem to regard ‘Natalia Kills’ as a constructed persona, an aesthetic manifesto, or both. Thoughts?

NK: [Laughs]. People always ask me this. Kills is obviously just a fun nickname, but Natalia is my real name. Is ‘Natalia Kills’ my alter-ego? The thing is, anyone who knows me knows that we’re one in the same. I am the same person 24/7. True, maybe I do come across as very ‘kill your ex-boyfriend’ or whatever in my songs, but that frustration is also what girls share candidly with each other in person. I try to be as conscientious and creative as possible with the quality of my lyrics, my visuals, my overall aesthetic, but I didn’t intentionally create a character. I’d run out of lines! If you dare, hang out with me for an hour or two, and then tell me that Natalia Kills is a facade. That’s my challenge to critics!

ELLE: Are you a perfectionist?

NK: Of course, just like you probably are. The album title came to me long ago, before any songs were even recorded. I’ve always been interested in women’s obsession with vanity, mannequins, and the idea of achieving perfection, even if momentarily. I’m sure everyone relates, but emotionally, I may be subject to the darker grasps of it—obsession, doubt, desperation. But it can also be extremely superficial: I agonized over whether I should buy a leather jacket at Decades Too this week. It was a great jacket, but I immediately spotted the little things that could be improved. The staff hated me, I’m sure.

ELLE: Did you end up buying it?

NK: Yes. I ended up rationalizing the purchase! [Laughs].

ELLE: With a moniker like yours, you better deliver a strong visual. And you do.

NK: Yes, people seem to think I’m some fashion svengali, but this more or less has always been my look. I really can’t break away from wearing black and leather! I do have to evolve past it and I will, but I’m intrinsically drawn to those pieces. Even when I want to play a character and dress outside myself, I just can’t do it. Maybe next album, I should do a 180 and wear floaty hippie dresses just to shock everyone!

ELLE: A large part of Natalia Kills media discussion involves your intense, sometimes violent videos—another decisive part of your visual. What draws you to that side?

NK: All the movies I watch are horror movies, which comes across in my videos. My most recent, ‘Wonderland’ was banned a few places because there’s lots of fight scenes and a suggestion of a beheading. I’ve realized recently I am really drawn to violence and aggression, but I also have realized that I’m fascinated more by the psychology and reasoning behind it. Trust me, I hate blood and guts and I loathe violence without a cause—I cannot watch an innocent person or animal suffer. But if you’ve done something evil, I will cheer on whoever inflicts pain upon you.

ELLE: It does seem that the violence in your videos take on a certain vigilante justice. NK: I’m fascinated by the release that accompanies doing something forbidden—even if it’s self-defense. I’m not into the idea of villains, I’m into the idea of victory. My videos and songs aren’t about bullying, they’re about saying, ‘hey, you disrespected me, so don’t be surprised if I key your car.’ This is axe-wielding pop.

ELLE: Are you concerned that kind of controversial thinking might alienate certain audiences?

NK: Oh well! I will never censor myself to please anyone. I’m not a fucking babysitter, I’m an artist. Guess what, I’m the opposite of a role model! [Laughs]. Perfectionist debuts on Cherry Tree Records August 16th.