Kiara Saulters (born May 24, 1995), known professionally as Kiiara, is an American singer and songwriter from
Wilmington, Illinois.
She is currently signed to
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
. Her 2015 single "
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
" peaked at number 13 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. She is also known for contributing vocals to
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
's 2017 single "
Heavy
Heavy may refer to:
Measures
* Heavy (aeronautics), a term used by pilots and air traffic controllers to refer to aircraft capable of 300,000 lbs or more takeoff weight
* Heavy, a characterization of objects with substantial weight
* Heavy, ...
".
Early life
Kiiara grew up in
Wilmington, Illinois.
She attended
Wilmington High School where she played for the school's volleyball team.
While recording her breakout EP, she also worked as a hardware store clerk. She started a studio internship to help familiarize herself with the music process and get practice recording.
Career
In 2013, Kiiara independently released an acoustic pop single called "Bring Me Back" under her real name.
In June 2015, after signing a deal to
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
and changing to her stage name from Kiara Saulters to Kiiara, she released her debut single "
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
".
Later that year, "Gold" was chosen as background music of a 15-second
Apple Watch
Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was rel ...
commercial titled "Style". The song was her first entry on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 13. Her debut
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP), ''
Low Kii Savage'' was released on March 22, 2016.
The video for "Gold" quickly gained popularity, reaching five million views during mid-May 2016.
On September 15, 2016, Kiiara made her television debut, performing "Gold" on ''
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. Kiiara was featured on
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
's single, "
Heavy
Heavy may refer to:
Measures
* Heavy (aeronautics), a term used by pilots and air traffic controllers to refer to aircraft capable of 300,000 lbs or more takeoff weight
* Heavy, a characterization of objects with substantial weight
* Heavy, ...
", which was released digitally on February 16, 2017 and on radio on February 21. She later performed "Heavy" with
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
Linkin Park and Friends: Celebrate Life in Honor of Chester Bennington concert at the
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
which was held after the death of Linkin Park's vocalist
Chester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter who was best known as the lead vocalist of rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead vocalist of the bands Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise, ...
.
In March 2018, she was featured in
Cheat Codes
Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...
' single "Put Me Back Together".
On June 7, 2019, she released the single "Open My Mouth". Kiiara stated that it would serve as the lead single from her debut studio album,
along with another single "Bipolar", released on September 6, 2019. However, both were cut from the final track listing, although the first one featured on a deluxe edition of the record.
On October 9, 2020, she released her debut studio album ''
Lil Kiiwi
''Lil Kiiwi'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Kiiara. It was released on October 9, 2020, through Atlantic Records, and Warner Music Group. The album came four years after her debut EP '' Low Kii Savage'', as well as a ...
'', which includes her previously released singles "
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
", "Feels", and "
Whippin
"Whippin" is a song by American singer Kiiara, featuring American electronic music producer Felix Snow and was included on her debut studio album ''Lil Kiiwi''. It was released on April 12, 2017 through Atlantic Records.
Composition
"Whippin" ...
" featuring Felix Snow, as well as new singles "I Still Do", "Never Let You", and "Numb" featuring DeathByRomy and
Pvris
Pvris (pronounced "Paris" and stylized PVRIS) is an American pop rock act formed by multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Lyndsey Gunnulfsen. Over her decade-long career, Gunnulfsen has released three studio LPs: ''White Nois ...
. A deluxe edition of her album was later released, which included two songs "Intention" and "Tennessee" taken from her debut extended play, ''Low Kii Savage'', as well as two previous non-album singles, "Messy" and "Open My Mouth".
Influences
Kiiara has cited
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
,
Joyner Lucas
Gary Maurice "Joyner" Lucas Jr. (born August 17, 1988) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Lucas first received widespread exposure and critical acclaim after the release of his single "Ross Capicchioni" in 2015. In June 2017, he relea ...
,
Yelawolf
Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper. Born in Alabama and raised in Tennessee, he embarked on his career independently in 2005, releasing one extended play (EP) and four mixta ...
, and
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
as her influences.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Guest appearances
Notes
References
{{Authority control
1995 births
Living people
American women pop singers
American women songwriters
American people of English descent
Atlantic Records artists
Musicians from Oak Park, Illinois
People from Wilmington, Will County, Illinois
Singers from Illinois
Songwriters from Illinois
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American singers