Kitty Florentine says separating music and politics reflects individualism

Estonian musician and artist Kitty Florentine says the idea that music and politics do not belong together is a product of individualism. She discussed the connection between art and politics, her career and her move to Berlin in an interview with ERR’s ID series.

Florentine said performing had been part of her life since childhood: she first went on stage at the age of two and performed with a big band from ages eight to 18, usually at least once a month. The band’s founder, Horre Zeiger, took her under his wing and helped teach her music.

Her first album was released in 2022. She said she had long felt most at home on stage, and described her current work as a mature form of the life and musical upbringing she had experienced.

Florentine said she was made to study piano for seven years, although she had wanted to learn harp or drums. She preferred playing by ear to following sheet music, and began learning the harp about three or four years ago. She has since incorporated it into her performances.

Her early musical experiences included jazz and singing with the big band. The first song she performed with the group was Ella Fitzgerald’s “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.”