Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born 11 September 1991), known professionally as Kygo (), is a Norwegian
DJ and music producer. He garnered international attention with his December 2013 remix of the track "
I See Fire
"I See Fire" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2013 film ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'', where it was played over the closing credits. ''The Hobbit (film series), The Hob ...
" by
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
and his December 2014 single "
Firestone" (featuring
Conrad Sewell
Conrad Ignatius Mario Maximilian Sewell (born 31 March 1988) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Sewell is best known for his vocals on Kygo's single " Firestone" and his number-one single " Start Again".
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2015, ...
). In late 2015, he became the fastest artist to reach 1 billion streams on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
, and by June 2016, he had reached 2 billion streams on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
.
Kygo has since released several singles, such as "
Stole the Show", "
Here for You", and "
Stay
Stay may refer to:
Places
* Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US
Law
* Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment
* Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tri ...
" in 2015, "
It Ain't Me" collaborating with
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
in 2017 and a 2019
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
of "
Higher Love
"Higher Love" is a 1986 song by English singer Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, ''Back in the High Life'' (1986). It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood. The ...
" performed by
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...
, all of which have debuted on several international charts. His debut album, ''
Cloud Nine'', was released on 13 May 2016.
Kygo became the first
house music
House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
producer to perform at an Olympics
closing ceremony
An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event. in August 2016 at the
2016 Rio Olympics. In March 2018, ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' ranked Kygo 3rd on its 2018 ranking of dance musicians titled ''Billboard'' Dance 100. The same year, he was ranked 32 on ''
DJ Mag
''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...
''s top 100 DJs of the world, and in October 2019 he was ranked 42.
Kygo's stage name is derived from the first two letters of his first and last names, generated during his use of
Itslearning
itslearning is a digital learning management system developed by the Norwegian company itslearning AS. It is designed for both K12 and higher education. The LMS allows teachers to deliver materials to students, including assessments, Office 36 ...
.
Early life
Kygo was born on 11 September 1991 in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
to Norwegian parents and raised in
Tønsberg
Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative c ...
.
He is the son of Kjersti Gjerde, a dentist in Norway, and Lars Gørvell-Dahll, who was working abroad in the maritime industry.
He has an older stepbrother Mads, two older sisters Johanne and Jenny, and a younger half-brother Sondre.
Throughout his childhood, he lived and travelled with his family in Brazil, Japan, Kenya and Egypt.
Kygo started taking piano lessons at the age of six and considers himself more of a pianist than a disc jockey.
He stopped when he was 15 or 16 and started producing music with
Logic Studio
Logic Studio is a discontinued professional music production suite by Apple Inc. The first version of Logic Studio was unveiled on September 12, 2007.
It claims to be the largest collection of modeled instruments, sampler instruments, effect plu ...
and a
MIDI keyboard
A MIDI keyboard or controller keyboard is typically a piano-style electronic musical keyboard, often with other buttons, wheels and sliders, used for sending MIDI signals or commands over a USB or MIDI 5-pin cable to other musical devi ...
while watching several tutorials on YouTube. When he decided to pursue music full-time, he was halfway through a degree in business and finance at
Heriot-Watt University in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
He has cited Swedish DJ
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...
as his main inspiration.
Career
2014: Breakthrough
On 15 May 2013, Kygo released his first single called "Epsilon" on the Romanian record label Ensis Records. On 1 December 2014, he released the single "
Firestone", featuring vocals from
Conrad Sewell
Conrad Ignatius Mario Maximilian Sewell (born 31 March 1988) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Sewell is best known for his vocals on Kygo's single " Firestone" and his number-one single " Start Again".
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2015, ...
, which gained international recognition and debuted on several charts worldwide, being streamed 810 million times on YouTube and 901 million times on Spotify, as of 12 April 2022. After receiving over 80 million views on YouTube and SoundCloud, Kygo was contacted by
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...
and by
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Univ ...
of Coldplay to create a remix of the song "
Midnight
Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...
".
He has also supported Avicii at Findings Festival in Oslo, Norway, in 2014.
On 19 September 2014, it was confirmed that Kygo was to replace Avicii at mainstage in Tomorrowland, due to Avicii's health concerns.
He was also featured in an interview for ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine, where he talked to writer Matt Medved about his remixes for
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
and
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
, and talked about his upcoming tour in North America. In July 2014, Kygo entered into a partnership with EDM lifestyle bran
Electric Familyto produce a collaboratio
braceletfor which one hundred per cent of the proceeds are donated to
Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. M ...
. In the same month, he signed a record label deal with Sony International and
Ultra Music.
2015–2016: ''Cloud Nine'' and Kygo Life
In February 2015, Kygo's song "
ID" was featured in the official trailer for
Ultra Music Festival
Ultra Music Festival (UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that takes place during March in Miami, Florida, United States. The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes.
It was first held on Miami Beach, ...
. The same track is also featured on ''
FIFA 16
''FIFA 16'' is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android and iOS.
The ga ...
'', a popular
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
video game by
EA Sports
EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...
. On 21 March 2015, he released his second single, titled "
Stole the Show", featuring Parson James, which as of 2 January 2019, had 326 million views on YouTube. On 31 July 2015, he released his third single, "
Nothing Left", featuring
Will Heard
William James Heard (born 26 April 1991)[Will Heard , Biography ...](_blank)
. "Nothing Left" reached number one on the
Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista is a Norwegian record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide chart ...
. In August 2015, Kygo was a featured headliner at
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
in Chicago, one of the biggest music festivals in the world. On 4 September 2015, he released his fourth single, titled "
Here for You", featuring
Ella Henderson
Gabriella Michelle Henderson (born 12 January 1996), known as Ella Henderson, is an English singer. She competed in the ninth series of ''The X Factor UK'' in 2012, finishing in sixth place despite being a strong favourite to win. She signed ...
, which was revealed to be the vocal version of the song "ID" that was released as part of the Ultra Music Festival. He made his U.S. television debut on ''
The Late Late Show with James Corden
''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show on CBS. It is the fourth and current iteration of '' The Late Late Show''. Airing in the U.S. from Monday to Friday nights at 12:37:28a ...
'' in October 2015.
Three months later, his fifth single, "
Stay
Stay may refer to:
Places
* Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US
Law
* Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment
* Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tri ...
", produced with fellow Norwegian record producer
William Larsen and featuring vocals by
Maty Noyes
Madeline Ashley "Maty" Noyes (born August 25, 1997) is an American singer-songwriter. Noyes rose to prominence in 2015 after a guest appearance on The Weeknd's ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' album, and contributing lead vocals to Kygo's 2015 track ...
, was released on 4 December 2015. In December 2015, Kygo became the fastest artist in history to reach one billion streams on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
.
After the release of the single, Kygo announced that he was embarking on a worldwide tour to promote his debut studio album. Soon after, revealed that his debut studio album was going to be released on 19 February 2016, but was delayed. He, instead, released a teaser of the songs that he was working on that were on his debut studio album and released it on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
.
In the beginning of March 2016, Kygo announced that his debut studio album was going to be released on 13 May 2016, under the title ''
Cloud Nine''. He also announced that he would be releasing three promotional singles, leading up to the release of the album. The first of these singles, which was released 18 March 2016, was entitled "Fragile", which features vocals and was collaborated with
Labrinth
Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record labe ...
. The second single came out on 1 April 2016 and was called "
Raging", which features vocals from the Irish band
Kodaline
Kodaline () are an Irish rock band. Originally known as 21 Demands, the band adopted their current name in 2012 to coincide with the changing of their music. The group comprises Steve Garrigan, Mark Prendergast, Vincent May and Jason Boland.
G ...
and was also co-written by
James Bay
James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost par ...
. The third and last single was released on 22 April 2016 and was entitled "I'm In Love", featuring vocals from James Vincent McMorrow. Kygo's debut studio album was released on 13 May 2016.
Other collaborations were revealed to include
Parson James
Parson James (born June 7, 1994) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for his single " Stole the Show", a collaboration with Norwegian producer Kygo. The song became a hit in a number of countries as well as receiving certificat ...
,
Tom Odell
Thomas Peter Odell (born 24 November 1990) is an English singer-songwriter. He released his debut extended play, ''Songs from Another Love'', in 2012. It won the 2013 BRIT Awards, BRITs Critics' Choice Award in early 2013. Odell's debut studio ...
,
Kodaline
Kodaline () are an Irish rock band. Originally known as 21 Demands, the band adopted their current name in 2012 to coincide with the changing of their music. The group comprises Steve Garrigan, Mark Prendergast, Vincent May and Jason Boland.
G ...
,
Conrad Sewell
Conrad Ignatius Mario Maximilian Sewell (born 31 March 1988) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Sewell is best known for his vocals on Kygo's single " Firestone" and his number-one single " Start Again".
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2015, ...
,
John Legend
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...
,
James Vincent McMorrow
James Vincent McMorrow is an Irish singer and songwriter.
Career
McMorrow's debut album, ''Early in the Morning'', was released in Ireland in February 2010, and in the United States and Europe in 2011, to widespread acclaim. He made his UK te ...
,
Foxes
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
,
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
,
Matt Corby
Matthew John Corby (born 7 November 1990) is an Australian singer-songwriter. He achieved his commercial breakthrough with his fourth EP, '' Into the Flame'' (2011), which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and by April 2012, was ce ...
,
Maty Noyes
Madeline Ashley "Maty" Noyes (born August 25, 1997) is an American singer-songwriter. Noyes rose to prominence in 2015 after a guest appearance on The Weeknd's ''Beauty Behind the Madness'' album, and contributing lead vocals to Kygo's 2015 track ...
,
Julia Michaels
Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...
and
Angus & Julia Stone.
Kygo launched a new lifestyle brand called
Kygo Life on 17 August 2016. The brand consists of two collections of high-fashion and relaxed wear, in addition to hardware such as headphones.
Kygo Life is at the moment only available in Europe, the United States and Canada.
He performed "
Carry Me" with American singer and songwriter
Julia Michaels
Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...
at the
closing ceremony
An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event. of the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
on 21 August at the
Maracanã Stadium in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, as part of a segment that promoted the new
Olympic Channel
Olympic Channel is an over-the-top Internet television service operated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was launched on August 21, 2016, alongside the closing of the 2016 Summer Olympics. The service aims to maintain year-round ...
service launching after the Games. This helped grow his popularity.
2017–2018: ''Stargazing'' and ''Kids in Love''
On 9 February 2017, Kygo posted a snippet of his collaboration with American singer
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...
. They confirmed the single titled "
It Ain't Me", via their social media accounts on 13 February. It was released on 16 February. The song is the lead single from Kygo's first EP, ''
Stargazing''. It was a certified hit and it streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify and 710 million times on YouTube, making it the first song by Kygo having over a billion streams on Spotify. In addition to reaching number one in Croatia, Lebanon and Norway, the song attained top five peaks in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland. It also reached the top 10 in Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. On 28 April, Kygo released the second single from the EP, "
First Time", with English singer
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...
. This track was certified gold in UK on 20 February 2020 selling over 400,000 copies.
On 15 September 2017, Kygo remixed the
U2 song "
You're The Best Thing About Me
"You're the Best Thing About Me" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track on their fourteenth studio album, ''Songs of Experience'', and was released as its lead single on 6 September 2017. Musically, "You're the Best Thing About ...
", which was also released as his collaborative single with the band.
On 19 October 2017, Kygo announced via Facebook that his second studio album is called ''
Kids in Love'', which was released on 3 November. On 20 October, he released the lead single and title track "
Kids in Love", which features
The Night Game. Shortly after releasing the album, Kygo announced the Kids in Love Tour. On 16 March 2018, Kygo released "
Remind Me to Forget
"Remind Me to Forget" is a song recorded by Norwegian record producer Kygo, featuring guest vocals from American singer Miguel. Written by David Phelan, Alex Oriet, Phil Plested and produced by Kygo, it was released on 16 March 2018 by Sony Musi ...
", a track featuring American singer
Miguel, as the third single from the album, which streamed 400 million times on Spotify as of 2 January 2020, following "
Stranger Things
''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Prod ...
" featuring the American pop rock band
OneRepublic. "Stranger Things" received a remix from
Alan Walker
Alan Olav Walker (born 24 August 1997) is a British-born Norwegian music producer and DJ primarily known for the critically acclaimed single " Faded" (2015), which was certified platinum in 14 countries. He has also made several songs including ...
.
2018–2020: ''Golden Hour''
In June 2018, Kygo announced a collaboration with American rock band
Imagine Dragons titled "
Born to Be Yours
"Born to Be Yours" is a song written and performed by Norwegian music producer Kygo and American band Imagine Dragons. Produced by Kygo, it was released by Sony and Ultra Music on 15 June 2018. It is included on the international deluxe edition ...
". The single was released on 11 June. On 21 September, Kygo debuted his upcoming single, "
Happy Now", a collaboration with
Sandro Cavazza
Alessandro Michele Cavazza (; born 11 September 1992), mostly known as Sandro Cavazza, is a Swedish songwriter and former singer of Italian origin. Besides his solo career he was also a member of the pop group Estraden.
He names his musical infl ...
, during his set at the
iHeartRadio Music Festival
The iHeartRadio Music Festival is a two-day music concert festival held every year in September since 2011 by iHeartRadio along the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
From 2011 to 2015, the festival was held at the MGM Gran ...
, held at the
T-Mobile Arena
T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Anschutz En ...
. On 24 October, Kygo posted a clip from the single's music video on his social media account. The single was released on 26 October. It streamed 109 million times on YouTube and 330 million times on Spotify, as of 2 January 2020 In October 2018, Kygo and his manager, Myles Shear, partnered with Sony Music Entertainment and launched the Palm Tree Records label. Palm Tree Records aims to be a platform for up-and-coming artists.
"
Think About You" featuring American singer Valerie Broussard was released as a single on 14 February 2019 and considered timed for
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...
. "
Carry On
Carry On may refer to:
* ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise
*Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment
* ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film
* ''Carry On'' (novel), ...
", a song with English singer
Rita Ora
Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut stud ...
, was released as a standalone single for the 2019 film ''
Detective Pikachu''. The song was released on 19 April 2019 through
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
. It has been streamed more than 174 million times on Spotify.
On 23 May 2019, Kygo released "
Not OK" with American singer
Chelsea Cutler
Chelsea Emily Cutler (born February 11, 1997) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer from Westport, Connecticut. She released her debut studio album, ''How to Be Human'', in January 2020 through Republic Records. It peaked at number 23 ...
. As of 2 January 2020 its
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
video has 72 million views and on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
the song has been streamed over 69 million times. On 14 June 2019, Kygo released his first Norwegian-language song, with Bergen rappers Store P and
Lars Vaular called "
Kem kan eg ringe" and on 28 June, he remixed
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...
's
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
Steve Winwood's song "
Higher Love
"Higher Love" is a 1986 song by English singer Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, ''Back in the High Life'' (1986). It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood. The ...
". On 21 August, "Higher Love" reached No. 1 position on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine's Dance Club Songs chart, making it Houston's highest-charting posthumous release to date. "Higher Love" has been streamed over 600 million times on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
as of September 2021. On 6 December, Kygo collaborated with
The Chainsmokers
The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The EDM- pop duo achieved a breakthrough with the ...
on a track, named "
Family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
".
Kygo, via his socials, teased an unreleased
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...
track known as "Forever Yours". This track was first played by
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...
at
Ultra Music Festival
Ultra Music Festival (UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that takes place during March in Miami, Florida, United States. The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes.
It was first held on Miami Beach, ...
2016 but never completed during his lifetime so Kygo gave his tropical touches to the song after Sandro Cavazza his fellow collaborator sent him the track and with due consent from Avicii's family. The track was released on 24 January 2020. On 23 March 2020, Kygo announced via his social media that he had completed his third album titled ''
Golden Hour''. He then released the single "
Like It Is", with
Zara Larsson
Zara Maria Larsson (, ; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish pop singer. In 2008, at the age of 10, she won the second season of the talent show '' Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got Talent'' format. Since then she has received recognit ...
and
Tyga
Michael Ray Nguyen-Stevenson[Micheal Ray Stevenson ...](_blank)
, on 27 March 2020. On 2 April 2020, Kygo released "
I'll Wait
"I'll Wait" is a song by American rock band Van Halen, taken from their sixth studio album, ''1984'' (1984). The song was written by band members Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth, along with Michael McDonald ...
" with vocals by
Sasha Sloan
Alexandra Artourovna Yatchenko (russian: Александра Артуровна Ятченко; born March 11, 1995), known professionally as Sasha Alex Sloan (previously Sasha Sloan), is an American singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''Only ...
. The next day, a music video was released starring real-life American couple
Rob Gronkowski
Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played h ...
and
Camille Kostek
Camille Veronica Kostek (born February 19, 1992) is an American model, television host, and actress. She gained recognition for her appearances in the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue, and achieved further prominence after landing a cover ...
containing personal footage of their life together. On 16 April 2020, Kygo collaborated with Moroccan-English singer
Zak Abel
Zak David Zilesnick (born 1 March 1995 in London), better known as Zak Abel, is an English-Moroccan singer, songwriter and musician. He has also been an English Cadet national table tennis champion.
Early and personal life
His father, who had ...
on a track titled "
Freedom
Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
".
On 11 May 2020, Kygo officially announced the track list for the ''Golden Hour'' album. On 15 May 2020, he released another track, with
OneRepublic, titled "
Lose Somebody
"Lose Somebody" is a song by Norwegian DJ Kygo and American band OneRepublic. It was released through Sony Music on 15 May 2020 as the fifth single from Kygo's third studio album '' Golden Hour''. The song was written by Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, Phil ...
", along with the pre-order for the album. Kygo released the next single from the album, "
The Truth
The Truth may refer to:
Film
* ''The Truth'' (1920 film) starring Madge Kennedy
* ''The Truth'' (1960 film) or ''La Vérité'', a French film by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Brigitte Bardot
* ''The Truth'' (1988 film), a Hong Kong trial crim ...
", featuring Valerie Broussard (with whom he previously collaborated on "Think About You"), on 22 May 2020. ''Golden Hour'' was released on 29 May 2020. Kygo also collaborates with
Jay Sean
Kamaljit Singh Jhooti (born 26 March 1981), better known by the stage name Jay Sean, is a British singer and songwriter. He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with "Dance with You", which reached ...
on the track: "Out Of My Mind", but the song is not released.
On 11 July 2020, Kygo released a music video for the album track "
Broken Glass" with German singer
Kim Petras
Kim Petras (born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and Repub ...
, 6 days later, Kygo released a remix of
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
's "
What's Love Got to Do with It What's Love Got to Do with It may refer to:
*Tina Turner:
** "What's Love Got to Do with It" (song), a 1984 song by Tina Turner
** ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993 film), a biographical film about Tina Turner
** ''What's Love Got to Do with ...
".
On 18 September 2020, Kygo released a remix of
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...
's "
Hot Stuff".
2021–present: ''Thrill of the Chase''
On 15 April 2021, Kygo released the track "Gone Are The Days" with singer James Gillespie.
On 13 August 2021, Kygo released a music video for the track "
Love Me Now" featuring German singer
Zoe Wees
Zoe Wees (born 13 May 2002), is a German singer. Her debut single "Control" charted in several nations including number one in France ( SNEP Radio) and the top ten in Belgium.
Background
Wees grew up in Hamburg. She has lived with benign rolan ...
.
On 15 October 2021, Kygo released the single "
Undeniable" featuring American
pop-rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
X Ambassadors
X Ambassadors (also stylized XA) are an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York. Its members currently include lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member that plays guitar and ...
.
On 25 February 2022, Kygo released a song with
DNCE
DNCE is an American dance-rock band consisting of lead singer Joe Jonas, drummer Jack Lawless, and guitarist JinJoo Lee. Bassist and keyboardist Cole Whittle was a part of the band from when it started in 2015 to when it went on hiatus in 2018. ...
called "
Dancing Feet". It is the first song that DNCE will have on their upcoming album, after their three-year hiatus.
On 11 November 2022, Kygo
surprise released his fourth album, ''
Thrill of the Chase''.
Personal life
Kygo was previously in a relationship with Maren Platou and he is currently dating Victoria Nadine. He is a fan of
Manchester United, and his favourite player was
Juan Mata
Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray. He mostly plays as a central attacking midfielder, but he can also play on the wing.
A gr ...
. He is also a fan of
Formula 1 and performed a concert at the
2019 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2019 Bahrain Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2019) was a Formula One motor race that took place on 31 March 2019 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. The race was the second roun ...
. He performed at other races recently, the 2021
Mexican Grand Prix
The Mexican Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de México), currently held under the name Mexico City Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de la Ciudad de México), is a motor racing event held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. It first a ...
and the inaugural
2022 Miami Grand Prix
The 2022 Miami Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2022) was a Formula One motor race that was held on May 8, 2022, at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. It was the ...
.
Stage name
His
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Kygo can be pronounced as ()
for Norwegian speakers and
for English speakers. Both pronunciations can be used interchangeably. Kyrre got the idea for his stage name through a
username
A user is a person who utilizes a computer or network service.
A user often has a user account and is identified to the system by a username (or user name). Other terms for username include login name, screenname (or screen name), accoun ...
he received in
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
for the
digital learning
Digital learning is any type of learning that is accompanied by technology or by instructional practice that makes effective use of technology. It encompasses the application of a wide spectrum of practices, including blended and virtual learning ...
platform ''
itslearning
itslearning is a digital learning management system developed by the Norwegian company itslearning AS. It is designed for both K12 and higher education. The LMS allows teachers to deliver materials to students, including assessments, Office 36 ...
''.
The service used parts of his name to create a nickname, thereof "Ky-" standing for the first two letters in his given name "Kyrre" and "-go" for the first two letters in his surname "Gørvell-Dahll". The letter
ø is usually replaced with letter
o in
computing
Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, e ...
. In an interview with newspaper ''
Fanaposten'', Kyrre quoted; "Kygo
s an artist namehas been absolutely perfect. It is very easy to say, in both Norwegian and English.
ndI have no need to change the artist name
n the future
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
.
Philanthropy
In June 2016,
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...
said that Kygo is "giving 50 000 USD
..of the profits
f his sold-out festival on 20 August
F, or f, is the sixth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Let ...
to
Frank Mugisha
Frank Mugisha (born 17 June 1979) is a Ugandan LGBT advocate and Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), who has won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize 2011 for his activism. Mugisha is one o ...
; Kygo was quoted: "Everyone should be permitted to live with one's sexual orientation. That is not the situation in Uganda and quite a few other countries across the world".
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
Cloud Nine'' (2016)
* ''
Kids in Love'' (2017)
* ''
Golden Hour'' (2020)
* ''
Thrill of the Chase'' (2022)
Filmography
;Film
;Television
Tour
* Endless Summer Tour (2014)
* Cloud Nine Tour (2016)
* Kids in Love Tour (2018)
* In 2019, Kygo performed in Bahrain at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Awards and nominations
DJ Magazine Top 100 DJ
References
External links
*
*
*
kygolife.comOfficial brand site
{{Authority control
1991 births
21st-century Norwegian musicians
Norwegian record producers
Remixers
Norwegian DJs
Progressive house musicians
Living people
Musicians from Bergen
Musicians from Tønsberg
Tropical house musicians
Downtempo musicians
Norwegian house musicians
Electronic dance music DJs
21st-century Norwegian male musicians
Ultra Records artists
RCA Records artists
Singaporean people of Norwegian descent