Kim Dracula - 'Australia Will Always Be My Home'
Ready for them? Kim Dracula is a Hobart-born heavy musician, who in recent years has exploded in the alternative underbelly and is now thriving in Tinseltown. Crossing sub-genres of nu-metal, industrial, thrash, trap-metal, and more, Kim Dracula offers an eclectic blend of above satisfactory noise. Prior to the the Kim Dracula moniker (inspired by Deftones), they were the vocalist of Australian outfit Jesterpose who you might have seen around the traps pre-pandemic. For the diligent wiki-nerds out there, it's also worth noting their history with Tasmanian folk-punks The Dead Maggies.
The Kim Dracula inception came with their metal cover of Lady Gaga's 'Paparazzi' which garnered millions of online views and streams, and even led to entering the Billboard Emerging Artists chart. As COVID-19 started to die down, they released debut record A Gradual Decline in Morale in 2023, notably including single 'Seventy Thorns' featuring no other than nu-metal royalty Jonathan Davis of KoRn. Since then Kim has blown up in circles, with a series of invites to feature on others' tracks - just check out their snippets with the likes of Tech N9ne, In This Moment, Left to Suffer and SeeYouSpaceCowboy.
The Tasmanian Devil is another key figure flying the flag for the LGBTQIA+ heavy community and proudly owns their they/them pronouns, encouraging fans to be their true selves when attending shows. Kim's artistry is a nod to the welcoming and inclusive heavy music community and a breath of fresh air to the growth and longevity of it's new-age members.
In the tornado of their success, Kim Dracula has still never toured Australia (up until now) and generally flies under the radar with a dose of humility compared to many of their peers; this is their second ever interview. The Phoenix are bringing Kim home for their first ever tour. This November, Kim Dracula will tear up Aussie venues with special guest and horror-goth Wednesday 13 - who in contrast is no stranger to Aussie shores.
We got the lowdown from Kim ahead of the long overdue homecoming celebration.
After making waves with debut album A Gradual Decline in Morale, you exploded in the scene globally in particular. You notably moved from moody Hobart to LA, what prompted that decision?
I actually moved from Hobart to Melbourne right as everything took off, but I struggled with the fame side of things in Australia.
Even in a big city like Melbourne, I couldn’t leave the house without being constantly approached or filmed without my consent. I felt like an animal in a zoo.
In Los Angeles, I am able to live a much more private life. Jack Black was my neighbour when I first moved. Who’s gonna care about Kim Dracula when Jack Black is walking by? That’s how I like it.
What ontological journey have you been on in LA? Have you undergone a transformative sunset strip pilgrimage to find your ultimate sub genre and persona?
Something like that. I find that this industry can be very lonely. Moving to LA has enabled me to befriend a lot of the people I looked up to growing up. They have helped me navigate this whole thing. That’s the main thing that has changed.
The record famously features KoRn's Jonathan Davis on ‘Seventy Thorns’. What was it about Davis that had you feature him?
He is one of the greatest vocalists of all time in my opinion.
He’s had a huge impact on me ever since I was a kid. When I found out he knew who I was and wanted to collaborate, I wrote that song specifically for him.
No one else would have made sense on that song.
You've also notably featured on tracks with some awesome bands, including In This Moment and Left To Suffer who we cover a lot, with our focus on metalcore and deathcore. How do you find the experience of bending genres with bands like that?
I was in many local heavy bands growing up, metalcore and deathcore included. It’s second nature. I would argue that a bunch of my own music fits into those worlds too.
Why should Aussie fans turn out en masse to these homecoming shows?
Australia will always be my home. This is the first ever Kim Dracula tour here. I’m going to give it everything. Let’s make history.
Interview by Ricky Aarons
Kim Dracula - Horror Down Under Tour
with special guests Wednesday 13
Friday, Nov 21 at Princess Theatre, Brisbane
Saturday, Nov 22 at The Metro, Sydney
Sunday, Nov 23 at Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
Wednesday, Nov 26 at UC Hub, Canberra
Friday, Nov 28 at The Gov, Adelaide
Saturday, Nov 29 at Magnet House, Perth
