Kari Berg, GFB’s 2017 MC, releases anti-bully music vid.
Kari Berg, talented actress, singer and fetish model, returns to her role as German fetish Ball MC in 2017 – also the year of release of cult sci-fi movie sequel Iron Sky: The Coming Race, in which she appears. But here she reveals another side: her work as an anti-bullying activist, celebrated in new music video It’s Just Words. Banner image: Tony Mitchell
Widely known on the international fetish scene as a solo singer and member of Chaos All Stars as well as for her modelling, Swedish-Norwegian Berg is probably less well known as an anti-bullying activist.
But as project manager for Sweden’s RTSI Initiative, she has worked for the past two years with about 60 subculture youths to draw attention to how alternative people are discriminated against in society today.
RTSI is Sweden’s first project in this field, and it has now begun a campaign using music and art to raise public awareness.
Other bands and artists who have participated include Aurelio Voltaire, Asperger Synthdrome (Adora BatBrat), Two Witches and 6th Awakening.
As a contribution to the campaign, Kari has collaborated with Belgian band Psy’Aviah to record a song and accompanying music video called It’s Just Words.
Anyone who has met this charming and gregarious woman at major European fetish events would probably
“This song is about a very personal subject,” she says, “since I, through the years, have experienced a lot of trash-talk, backstabbing and other forms of bullying.
“Even though mean things have been said straight to my face a few times,” she continues, “I have mostly experienced the ‘shady’ form of bullying, with people who talk behind one’s back, thinking they can hide it. But such things always come forward in the end.
“I take pride in not talking back about people like that, even though it’s sometimes frustrating that those who scream their bullshit the loudest are usually the ones who get heard. But I do believe that in the end most people see through the lies.”
The video for It’s Just Words follows a young woman in her daily life — from waking up in the morning with her girlfriend and getting ready for the day to going out and “experiencing all the small, mean things” other people can do.
“Whispering, rude words, pointing, hate mail, ignorance and more — those are things that can be part of a ‘regular’ day for an alternative person,” she adds.
“It usually doesn’t end with just one day either — it’s something that repeats itself every day until it becomes unbearable.”
As “an alternative person who loves to wear gothic and latex clothes”, Kari Berg reckons that prejudice from the mainstream is always present.
But, she says, “The most important thing though is to have the confidence to be yourself and not let anyone else push you down because of who you are, what you love or who you love.”
Next year, as well as hosting the GFB in Berlin, Kari Berg will appear in Finnish director Timo Vuorensola’s sequel to his acclaimed cult movie Iron Sky, entitled Iron Sky: The Coming Race (see picture, left).
And after the official events of German Fetish Ball Weekend 2017 have drawn to a close, don’t be surprised to find her reprising this year’s spirited rendition of The Phantom of the Opera at the rather more informal Fetish Karaoke Night!
kariberg.com
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Published June 13, 2016
Tags: Community, Models, Music, Performers