Killian Wells is a pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Wells owns the record label Inferno Records, is the founder and head perfumer of

Xyrena Xyrena is an Austin, Texas perfumery founded in Los Angeles specializing in cruelty-free and vegan products certified by PETA and Leaping Bunny. Xyrena describes itself as "a defiant cosmetics startup that includes the world's first celebrity- ...

(a celebrity-branded perfume company), the CEO o
Social Currency Ventures
(an invite-only influencer affinity platform, management company, and branding agency), and the inventor of XUVO (a blacklight-reactive cocktail mixer). In 2018 Wells started
YouTube channel
covering a variety of topics and vlogs.

Music career

At age 17, Wells began co-producing his own material and formed the production team Sir Killian and Christof, a musical partnership. His first single to receive significant attention was " V.I.P.", released as a digital EP on July 21, 2009 on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and

Amazon MP3 Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights man ...

through Wells' own indie label Inferno Records. "V.I.P." has received airplay on Top 40 stations and was added to

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in History of aviation in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called ...

in-flight entertainment Hit List channel in November 2009. Wells co-wrote and co-produced the album version of "V.I.P." The digital EP also features remixes by LorD and Master (who also remixed

Dangerous Muse Dangerous Muse was an American electronic rock project founded by songwriter and vocalist, Mike Furey and keyboardist, synthesizer programmer, songwriter, background vocalist Tom Napack. History Dangerous Muse formed when Mike Furey and Tom Nap ...

), Purple Moon Banana (

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' ...

), and Wells under the moniker "Knightwriter". The digital EP was replaced on May 25, 2010 by a new single mix of "V.I.P.", re-released to coincide with the debut of an accompanying music video by director Karl Giant which featured a cameo by Wells' friend

Laverne Cox Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBT advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Pri ...

of ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Wo ...

'' fame. In Summer 2011 Wells' song "(If Only Life Could Be Like) Hollywood" was featured in Hollister and

Claire's Claire's (formerly known as Claire's Boutiques, Claire's Boutique and Claire's Accessories) is an American retailer of accessories, jewelry, and toys primarily aimed toward tween and teen girls. It was founded in 1961 and is based in Hoffman E ...

stores nationwide. Wells' co-wrote the song with

Mark Calderon ''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...

from

Color Me Badd ''Color'' Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams (born November 16, 1969), tenor Mark Calderon (born September 27, 1970), second tenor Sam Watters (born July 23 ...

. In 2011 Wells released "Psycho" along with a music video directed by Bec Stupak and co-starring

Playboy Playmate A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

of the Year

Hope Dworaczyk Hope Dworaczyk Smith ( ; born November 21, 1984) is an American entrepreneur, model, and reality television personality. She is the founder and CEO of MUTHA, a skincare company, and was the host of Inside Fashion. Smith was ''Playboy'' magazine's ...

as Wells' love interest. In 2012 Wells' released "It's Like That" (feat. Nixon) with a 1950s stylized video featuring an appearance by popular

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 ...

star

Glozell GloZell Lyneette Green (born July 30, 1972), better known as GloZell, is an American YouTube personality. GloZell established her YouTube channel in 2008, with video interviews, comedy about her life and song parodies. By 2015, the channel had ...

. The video featured a handful of product placements from brands including Big Red,

Bosco Bosco may refer to: People Given name Bosco * Bosco (drag queen) (born 1993), Drag Queen * Bosco Lin Chi-nan (born 1943), Taiwanese bishop * Bosco Frontán (born 1984), Uruguayan soccer player * Bosco Hogan (born 1949), Irish actor * Bosco Lo ...

, Kit-Cat, Brooklyn Industries,

Bed Head Bed Head is a line of haircare and nail products created by Toni & Guy and distributed by TIGI Linea, which has been producing the line since its inception. The cosmetics line was first produced in 2003. A line produced by the company, called Bo ...

, and

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

shortly before it was purchased by

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

. Wells' "STRFKR", also released in 2012, co-starred gay porn actor Brent Everett and film actor and writer Michael Serrato. The music video was directed by Wells. Everett said he chose to be in the music video as he liked Wells' work and couldn't pass up a chance to work with him. The "STRFKR" video features some of the first adult product placements set to a mainstream song including Astroglide, ONE Condoms, and

Manhunt.net Manhunt is a geosocial networking website and online dating application that facilitates male same-sex introductions. The majority of profiles are sexually explicit and include nude photographs and graphic language and are by patrons that are look ...

. "STRFKR" became the opening title theme for

Charlie David Charles David Lubiniecki (born August 9, 1980), better known as Charlie David, is a Canadian actor, writer, director and producer, best known for the male lead in the LGBT horror series ''Dante's Cove''. He has also worked as a TV host on a numb ...

's 2013 documentary ''I'm A Porn Star'',; the opening sequence also features clips from the "STRFKR" music video. In 2013, Wells released "Remix My Love" featuring

Kristinia DeBarge Kristinia Jamie DeBarge (; born March 8, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. DeBarge first appeared on national television in 2003 as a contestant on the ''American Idol'' spin-off, ''American Juniors''. In 2009, DeBarge ...

. The accompanying music video featured product placements from

Pop Rocks Pop Rocks, also called popping candy, is a candy, owned by Zeta Espacial S.A. Pop Rocks ingredients include sugar, lactose (milk sugar), and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that pressurized carbon dioxide gas bubbles are emb ...

, Shasta, Members Only, Numark, and South Beach Smoke. In the video both Killian and Kristinia are shown wearing authentic clothes and hairstyles from the 70's, 80's, 90's, 2000, and present day. On September 18, 2015, Wells released the song "Flatline" which samples the 1980s hit "

(I Just) Died in Your Arms "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" is the debut single by the English pop rock band Cutting Crew, released in July 1986 as a single from their debut studio album, ''Broadcast''. The song was written by frontman Nick Van Eede, produced by Terry Brown ...

" by

Cutting Crew Cutting Crew are an English rock band formed in London in 1985. They are best known for their debut album ''Broadcast'' and hit single, " (I Just) Died in Your Arms". History 1985–1986: Formation While still in his teens, Nick Van Eede (b ...

. The song was Wells' first release mastered for iTunes. A 1980s-inspired lyric video for the song was also released on

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

Other work

In December 2008 Wells became part of photographer

Adam Bouska Adam Bouska (born October 31, 1983, in Decatur, Illinois) is an American fashion photographer who runs a photography studio based out of West Hollywood, California. Known for pictures of male models in particular, he is considered a rising 'superst ...

NOH8 Campaign The NOH8 Campaign (NOH8 meaning "No Hate") is a charitable organization whose mission is to promote LGBT marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest. The campaign was created as photographic ...

in response to

California Proposition 8 (2008) Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage; it passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned in court ...

making him one of the first pop artists to join the campaign. Wells was selected as one of 30 acts to perform in the music showcase ''Pure Pop 2009'' at

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

. The performance on November 14, 2009 was Wells' first live show. Jack Chambers (2008 season winner of ''

So You Think You Can Dance Australia ''So You Think You Can Dance Australia'' is an Australian version of the American reality dance competition ''So You Think You Can Dance''. The show is hosted by Carrie Bickmore, with judges Paula Abdul, Shannon Holtzapffel, Jason Gilkison and ...

'') appeared as one of Wells' dancers. In 2014 it was revealed that Wells wrote, produced, and starred (anonymously in a 'mouse head') in a commercial spot for

Beamz The Beamz is a laser-based music device. It is a W-shaped table-top optical control device with several laser beams. Users operate the device by using their hands to interrupt the beams. History The product was created by musician and record prod ...

which caused

Deadmau5 Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as Deadmau5 (stylized as deadmau5; pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house music, though he also produces ...

to hint at possible legal action. Wells produced the commercial (and coined the slogan "So Easy Even a Mouse Can Play It") as a result of a feud between Deadmau5 and

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...

(a spokesperson for Beamz). EDM artists including

Zedd Anton Zaslavski (russian: Антон Заславский; born 2 September 1989), known professionally as Zedd (), is a Russian-born German disc jockey, DJ, record producer, and songwriter. Zedd grew up and began his musical journey in Kaise ...

Wolfgang Gartner Joseph Thomas Youngman (born March 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Wolfgang Gartner, is an American DJ and music producer. Much of his music prior to 2010 was released through his own record label, Kindergarten, but he signed with Ultr ...

Steve Angello Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis ( el, Στέφεν Πάτρικ Γιόζεφσον Φραγκόγιαννης; born 22 November 1982), better known by his stage name Steve Angello, is a Greek-Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record ...

and Dirty South all commented about the spot on Twitter. In an article regarding

deadmau5 Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as Deadmau5 (stylized as deadmau5; pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house music, though he also produces ...

's trademark dispute with

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

, ''Complex'' Magazine quoted Killian as saying "The spot didn't imply an endorsement and the character could've easily been Mickey Mouse, Mighty Mouse, or Chuck E. Cheese. The front of the Deadmau5 head is unique, but to claim IP of a generic mouse silhouette is really grasping for straws."

Personal life

From 2012 to 2013 it was rumored that Wells was dating adult film actor Tommy Defendi after the two made multiple public appearances together. In 2013 Wells also photographed Defendi for the TLA Gay holiday catalog cover. In 2016 Wells revealed to ''The New York Post'' that in 2010 he'd been the target of a scammer posing as the nephew of Diane von Furstenberg and agent of Mariah Carey. “Once I started digging and spoke with some prominent entertainment attorneys, I found he was a fake,” Wells said of the incident.

Other works

Wells art directed and photographed adult performers Tommy Defendi and Andy Taylor for the 2013 TLA Gay holiday catalog cover.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

*2010: " V.I.P." *2011: "Psycho" *2012: "It's Like That" (feat. Nixon) *2012: "STRFKR" *2013: "Remix My Love" (feat.

) *2015: "Flatline" *2017: "Blue Dream"

Awards

Art & Olfaction Awards

* 2016 (3rd Annual): Finalist - Perfumer of

's Dark Ride in the Best Independent Fragrance Category

Taste Awards

* 2018 (9th Annual): Winner (Special Achievement Honoree) - Hollywood Tastemakers Award * 2018 (9th Annual): Finalist - Ferrara Flame Award for Best Branded Content for Killian Wells "Blue Dream" Music Video (Presented by

) * 2016 (7th Annual): Winner - Director of Viewers Choice Best Mini Film or Documentary "Flazéda by Pearl" for

* 2016 (7th Annual): Finalist - Director of Best Fashion Film "Flazéda by Pearl" for

* 2016 (7th Annual): Finalist - Ferrara Flame Award for Best Branded Video Promotion or Campaign "Flazéda by Pearl" for

OUTMusic Awards

* 2010: Nominated - OUTStanding Dance Song (" V.I.P.") * 2010: Nominated - NEXT Generation Talent Search Contest - OUTStanding Original Song ("V.I.P.")

Independent Music Awards

* 2008 (7th Annual): Nominated - Best Website Design for an Indie Label (Inferno Records)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Killian American male singer-songwriters Record producers from New York (state) Living people Singers from New York City Place of birth missing (living people) American male pop singers 21st-century American singers 1988 births 21st-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from New York (state)