Kelsy Karter: "Pop Punk Is Dead"

"Pop punk is dead."

That's what New Zealand rocker Kelsy Karter tells Westword after she's asked how she would define “punk” in 2022, especially given the recent newfound popularity of pop punk.

“This resurgence of ‘punk’ in the mainstream, everything is cyclical," she says. "Once something becomes trendy, it means it’s dead. It means it’s on its way out already, because something else is going to come along.

“I spent my whole life living by my own set of rules. The rules I set for myself are the only rules I can’t break. Everything else is fair game. I believe that punk is an energy, it’s a spirit, it’s an attitude. It’s who you are on the inside. You don’t have to be a rock artist to be punk.”

Karter, who has made a career in the pop-punk world, isn’t afraid to share her “very loud opinion,” which wasn't always the case while she was growing up as a shy, self-proclaimed tomboy who enjoyed theater and Green Day.

“I think that there are some incredible artists out there that I would consider way more punk than some of the punk artists today just because it’s about doing what the fuck you want and being who you want and loving who you want and not following a trend. That’s my issue with it — that everyone, now that it’s a trendy thing, is deciding they’re punk, but that literally goes against the meaning of what it is. I just think as pop culture, it’s just kind of cheapening a beautiful subculture that punk has always been,” she adds. “You can’t just decide to throw on some plaid pants, play a G chord and then call yourself punk. You have to earn that right, in my mind.”

In a very punk move, Karter went on to reveal plans to take her sound in a different direction, leaving behind the pop-punk tag that so many have associated her with. Though she didn’t say too much, she lists Heart, Bon Jovi and Pat Benatar as recent inspirations.

“We wanted to be like, 'Let’s do what everyone else isn’t doing,'” she says.

Karter is currently touring the States, including a stop in Denver on Saturday, April 16, at the Marquis Theater with Niki Demar. She’ll mainly play songs from 2020’s Missing Person during this Pink, Kink & Punk tour, but also plans to sneak-peek the new sound she teased. She’s also offering private meet-and-greets.
“It’s a whole new sound. I’m kind of reinventing my whole sound for the next album. It’s a fine line because I don’t want to preview too much and spoil everything, but I also want to give fans something new to be excited about,” Karter says, adding that audiences can expect a one-of-a-kind show.

“You know what? I’m a theater kid at heart; I grew up in the theater," she adds. "I love the aspect of being able to bring all sorts of entertainment to the stage, not just singing. Even when there’s no sound at all, I want it to be entertaining. I want to just tell stories, whether that’s in an acting way or singing way or poetry way. I think we’re going to bring all of it. One thing I really wanted for this tour is for it to feel so authentic and raw. It’s not going to be overproduced. It’s not going to be choreographed. I want every show to be its own show. That’s a huge thing I made clear to my team and band — like, let’s be so tight on the music and everything, and then we can break the rules and fuck it up a little bit.”

Growing up a rebellious teenager, Karter got off on acting out and landing in trouble. She wasn’t “the hot girl,” she says. "Boys didn't like me." That’s when she started considering herself a misfit among her peers.

“That was the beginning of the end, but having this feeling of being an outsider was actually an asset,” she says.

Now she knows that there are other outsiders in the crowd who might need some sort of affirmation that it’s okay to be yourself, no matter what other people say.

“I got into this business because I wanted to do what everyone said was impossible for me to do. Then I wanted to be rich and famous. Then being away from my family, I wanted to give back to my family. Then when I got a fan base, I was like, 'Holy shit, I found my purpose in life, because there’s a sixteen-year-old kid out there who has no idea who they are supposed to be or they’re trying to be someone they think they’re supposed to be.

"If I can sing a lyric that helps them, or be on stage and give them something to believe in, that’s why I do this. It’s literally for them; it’s a partnership. I get to do what I do because I have fans, and hopefully that grows more and more,” she concludes. “I’m constantly thinking about them and what I can do for them. I don’t make music for executives. That just liberates me as much as it helps them.”

Kelsy Karter plays the Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer Street, at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Tickets are $13.