Karen Elson Relives High School Bullying on 'Ghost Who Walks'

Karen Elson's known for being many things: successful model, spouse to Jack White, member of gypsy-punk cabaret act the Citizens Band. But a long time ago -- in high school in fact -- she was actually known as something else: "ghost."

"It was definitely a mean thing," Elson tells Spinner. "I take it now as a compliment, but at 14, it's not cool to be the scrawny ghost who walks. The connotation of that as a teenager was, you're really pale, you're really gawky -- you're a ghost."

Such was the inspiration for Elson's debut album 'The Ghost Who Walks,' a collection of country-infused blues tunes that Elson hopes prove that she's much more than just a pretty face, a notion that's been bugging her for a while now. "There are so many clichés about being a model and they held me back for so long," she says. "They have preconceived ideas. I'm fully aware, almost too aware of what people are probably thinking. I'm not walking with the blinders off. Their expectations are incredibly low."

While she credits her time logged with the Citizens Band as a major step in getting up the courage to start producing her own work, ultimately she had to buck up and start recording. "Being a model, I go to work and I pretend to be whoever they want me to be. It's as simple as that," she explains "It was a real stepping stone, for sure, but I felt like I had to take a step back. That's where the Citizens Band came in. That's their passion, their everything. Ultimately, it was the real turning point for me, as far as saying 'I really need to do this.'"

'The Ghost Who Walks' is out now on Third Man Records.