Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

, two

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

and seven

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

. Her musical influences range from

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

and

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You" and her four octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range. She is also widely known for her use o ...

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

and

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...

. Kimbra's debut album, ''

Vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddi ...

'', was released in Australia in 2011. Singles from the album include " Settle Down", "

Cameo Lover "Cameo Lover" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist Kimbra from her debut studio album, ''Vows''. The song was released in New Zealand and Australia as the album's second single on 29 March 2011. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011 ...

" (which won an

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

Award), "

Good Intent "Good Intent" is a song by New Zealand singer/guitarist Kimbra from her debut studio album, ''Vows'' (2011). The song was released in New Zealand and Australia on 15 August 2011 as the third single from the album. The single peaked at number 98 o ...

" and " Two Way Street". A reworked version of the album was released in Europe and the United States in 2012. It featured several new songs, including "

Come into My Head "Come into My Head" is a song performed and co-written by New Zealand recording artist Kimbra, issued as the sixth and final single from her debut studio album '' Vows''. Although no physical single was released for the song, a music video was ...

", "

Warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

" (on which Kimbra was joined by musicians Mark Foster from ''

Foster the People Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members are singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis. Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending several years in ...

'' and DJ

A-Trak Alain Macklovitch (born March 30, 1982), known by his stage name A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highly ...

), and a cover of

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

's "Plain Gold Ring". ''Vows'' reached the top 5 in New Zealand and Australia. In May 2012, the album was released in North America, debuting at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200, her highest-charting album. Vincent Fantauzzo's portrait of Kimbra was a finalist for the 2012

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

. The portrait was painted in conjunction with the making of a video featuring her song "The Build Up". She was featured on the 2011 multi-platinum single "

Somebody That I Used to Know "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song written, produced, and performed by Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye featuring vocals from New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand by Eleven Music on 5 ...

" by

Gotye Wouter André "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), better known by his stage name Gotye ( ), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is a pronunciation respelling of "Gauthier", the French cognat ...

, which became her first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and earned them two awards at the

55th Annual Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. E ...

, including for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, making her the third New Zealand singer to win a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. Her second studio album, ''

The Golden Echo ''The Golden Echo'' is the second studio album by New Zealand recording artist Kimbra, released by Warner Bros. Records in the United States on 19 August 2014. Background Kimbra was inspired by Greek mythology for the album and spent time in a s ...

'', was released in 2014 to positive critical reception, and her third album, ''

Primal Heart ''Primal Heart'' is the third studio album by New Zealand musician Kimbra. It was released on 20 April 2018 through Warner Bros. Records. It had originally been scheduled for release on 19 January 2018, but was pushed back. Kimbra released "Hi ...

'', was released in 2018. Her fourth album, ''A Reckoning'', is scheduled to be released in January 2023.

Early life

Kimbra Lee Johnson was born on 27 March 1990 and grew up in

Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton ( mi, Kirikiriroa) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's fou ...

. Her father, Ken Johnson, was the head doctor at the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...

's student health centre, and her mother Chris was an orthopaedic nurse. At the age of 10, Kimbra began writing songs. When she was 12, her father bought her a guitar and after a few years of lessons, she was on stage, performing with her guitar tutors. Kimbra attended Hillcrest High School, competing in the national schools' musical competition Rockquest for three years running, where she was awarded second place in 2004 at the age of 14. An early recording of hers from 2004, "It Takes Time" was featured by Play It Strange, a New Zealand organization showcasing young singers and songwriters. Kimbra made her first music video, "Smile", for the children's TV show ''

What Now ''What Now'' is a New Zealand children's television programme that premiered on Saturday 9 May 1981. It is currently filmed before a live audience at a different school in New Zealand, which is selected every week. The show airs every Sunday at ...

''. Kimbra was a member of the Hillcrest High jazz choir, Scat.

Career

Early public performances by Kimbra included singing at the ''

Waikato Times The ''Waikato Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Hamilton, New Zealand and owned by media business Stuff Ltd. It has a circulation to the greater Waikato region and became a tabloid paper in 2018. The newspaper has won the title of Ne ...

'' Gold Cup race meeting in 2000 as a 10-year-old and singing the New Zealand national anthem before 27,000 people at the 2002 NPC

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

final. In 2007, after winning the Juice TV award for Best Breakthrough music video for her second single "Simply on My Lips", she came to the attention of ex-

Independiente Records Independiente is a British independent record label formed in 1997 after Andy Macdonald sold his first label Go! Discs to PolyGram in 1996 for a reported £30 million. The label, which is currently dormant, is a division of Concord Music. The ...

boss Mark Richardson (

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in the ...

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...

) and his newly formed management company and independent label Forum 5 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. She signed with Richardson and in 2008 she moved to Melbourne.

2010–2013: ''Vows'' and awards success

Kimbra @ Wellington Square (25 9 2011) (6202564956)

In June 2010, Kimbra's first single on Forum 5, "Settle Down", was released. She had started writing the track four years earlier – it was finished with

François Tétaz François "Franc" Tétaz (born 22 December 1970) is an Australian film composer, music producer and mixer, who won the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) / Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) 2006 'Feature Film Score of the ...

. The music video was directed by Guy Franklin.

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...

featured the track on his website citing " you like

Florence & the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...

and/or

, then we think you will enjoy Kimbra – her music reminds us of all those fierce ladies!" On 10 December, the Australian 'indietronica' group

Miami Horror Miami Horror are an Australian electronic music group from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Benjamin Plant, the producer and DJ, formed Miami Horror initially as a solo project. In addition to Plant, the band features Daniel Whitechurch (keyboa ...

released their single, "I Look to You" featuring Kimbra's vocals. Kimbra also stars in its music video, which features wide-angle and kaleidoscope shots of her in face paint and dresses walking through golden fields. Early in 2011, Kimbra's song "

" was a finalist for the 2011 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition and eventually won the competition. In March she issued "Cameo Lover" as her next single, its music video was released in April and was directed by Franklin. On 13 March, Kimbra went to perform for ''

Moomba Moomba (also known as the Moomba Festival) is held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Run by the City of Melbourne, it is Australia's largest free community festival. The Melburnian tradition is celebrated over four days, incorporating the Labo ...

'' Festival and ''ChillOut'' Festival in Sydney at ''Oxford Arts Factory'' to welcome the release of her next single, "Cameo Lover". On 15 July 2011, "Cameo Lover" won the songwriting competition, ahead of third placed song, "Somebody That I Used to Know", written by Australian musician Gotye. On 7 June Kimbra signed to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

New Zealand for distribution in New Zealand and Australia, as well as a worldwide deal for other territories with Warner Bros. Records in the US. On 5 July Kimbra sang in Gotye's single, "Somebody That I Used to Know", which was mixed by Tétaz. Tétaz had recommended Kimbra to Gotye after a 'high-profile' Australian female vocalist had withdrawn from the collaboration. On 29 August 2011, Kimbra's debut album, ''Vows'', was released in New Zealand and 2 September in Australia. In its first week of release it charted at No. 3 in New Zealand, No. 5 in Australia and No. 14 in the US. In its second week, it rose to No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Australian producer '

M-Phazes Mark Landon (born 1 February 1983), better known by his stage name M-Phazes, is an Australian-born producer based in LA. He has produced records for Logic, Demi Lovato, Madonna, Eminem, Kehlani, Zara Larsson, Remi Wolf, Kiiara, Noah Cyrus, a ...

' produced Kimbra's track "Call Me" and assisted on other tracks on ''Vows''. Its artwork including body art and illustrations were created by Rhys Mitchell and Raphael Rizzo. She has won the Critics' Choice Prize at the

2011 New Zealand Music Awards The 2011 New Zealand Music Awards was the 46th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced on August 2011 with winners ann ...

and Best Female Artist and Best Song (for "Cameo Lover") at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2011 The 25th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2011 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fi ...

. The US release of ''Vows'' featured new tracks not available on the Australian or New Zealand version of the album. She had performed in various location such as at the

Forum Theatre Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with ...

, Melbourne on 9 September 2011, at Astor Theatre, Perth on 17 September 2011, at the

Adelaide Botanic Garden The Adelaide Botanic Garden is a public garden at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Park Lands. It encompasses a fenced garden on North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace (between Lot Fourteen, the site of the old ...

in Brisbane on 1 October 2011, at Adelaide, Australia on 3 October 2011, at

Queenscliff Music Festival Queenscliff Music Festival is a live music festival held in the town of Queenscliff, located on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. The festival began in 1997 and is held annually on the last weekend of November. According to its webs ...

, Queenscliff, Victoria and

Wellington Square, Perth Wellington Square is a public park located on Wellington Street in the suburb of East Perth in Perth, Western Australia. History The park was originally a swamp and was drained in the 1830s. It was originally used to exercise horses. The grou ...

on 25 November 2011, at

Homebake Homebake was an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup (with the occasional artist from New Zealand). The festival was first held on 3 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New Sou ...

Festival 2011, at

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government ar ...

on 3 December 2011 and at the

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Lorne (Victoria), Marion Bay (Tasmania), Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve ...

Lorne, Australia on 30 December 2011. On 19 January 2012, "

" was played on an episode of ABC's drama ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

''. The track also appears in the video game, '' The Sims 3: Pets'', which Kimbra recorded in

Simlish Simlish is a fictional language featured in EA's ''Sim'' series of games. It debuted in ''SimCopter'' (1996), and has been especially prominent in ''The Sims'' franchise, as well as in its spinoff ''MySims'' series. Simlish can also be heard ...

for the soundtrack. Also in January, Kimbra won the "One to Watch" award at the 2012 ''Rolling Stone'' Awards. Kimbra has collaborated with Mark Foster (of

) and DJ

on the track "

", which was released on 2 April. On 14 April, she performed "Somebody That I Used to Know" with Gotye on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

''. On 15 July 2012, she performed in

Santralistanbul The SantralIstanbul ( tr, Santralİstanbul), opened in 2007, is an arts and cultural complex located at the upper end of Golden Horn in the Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey. The center, consisting of an energy museum, an amphitheater, concer ...

, Istanbul, Turkey. On 25 September, her song ''With My Hands'' was featured in

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...

's movie, '' Frankenweenie''. On 1 November, she had been nominated at the Vodafone

2012 New Zealand Music Awards The 2012 New Zealand Music Awards was the 47th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced on 3 October 2012, th ...

and won for the ''International Achievement'', ''Best Female Solo Artist'', ''Best Pop Album'', ''Breakthrough Artist of the Year'' awards, and also won as a featured artist for the song "Somebody That I Used to Know", for ''Most Played Australian Work'' and ''Song of the Year'', at the

APRA Music Awards of 2012 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2012 (generally known as APRA Awards) are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2012 was the 30 ...

. on the same year, she also received an award for ''Best Female Artist'' at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2012 The 26th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2012 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

for the second time. On 14 November 2012, Kimbra performed at the

Calvin Klein Collection Calvin Klein Collection (renamed Calvin Klein 205W39NYC in 2017 under then newly appointed creative director Raf Simons) was the brand name for the high-end designer womenswear and menswear lines from fashion house Calvin Klein which were presente ...

which held an exclusive dinner to celebrate the brand's Women's Creative Director, Francisco Costa. Kimbra also performed for other events such as, at

Festival 2012 on 8 December, at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie, New South Wales on 14 December, at the

Rhythm & Vines Rhythm and Vines (commonly known as R&V, RnV or Rhythm) is an annual music festival held at Waiohika Estate vineyard, northwest of Gisborne, New Zealand. The festival began in 2003 and was held for the one day of New Year's Eve until 2008 wh ...

Music festival 2012 in Gisborne, New Zealand on 29 December 2012 and at the Summadayze Festival in Adelaide, Melbourne, Gold Coast on 30, 31 December 2012. On 10 February 2013, Kimbra and Gotye won the ''Record of the Year'' and ''Best Pop Duo/Group Performance'' awards at the

Show for "Somebody That I Used to Know". This achievement made her only the third New Zealand singer to win a Grammy Award in history. Kimbra was also featured with the R&B singer

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 ...

in the song ''Made to Love'', published in the album '' Love in the Future''. The single was released on 11 June 2013 and the album was released on 30 August 2013. On 15 September 2013, Kimbra performed for

Rock in Rio ''Rock in Rio'' is a recurring music festival originating in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas. Nine incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, ...

Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kimbra was also involved in a non-profit charity organisation called ''So They Can''. Kimbra became the ambassador of ''So They Can'' within the year of 2013.

2014–present: ''The Golden Echo'', ''Primal Heart'', and ''A Reckoning''

After the Grammy Awards, Kimbra relocated to LA to work on her second studio album, known as ''The Golden Echo'', taking up residence on a farm. People who collaborated on ''The Golden Echo'' include

Rich Costey Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling ** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated commun ...

Daniel Johns Daniel Paul Johns (born 22 April 1979) is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the former frontman, guitarist, and main songwriter of the rock band Silverchair. Johns is also one half of The Dissociatives with Paul Mac a ...

, Taylor Graves,

Matt Bellamy Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his eccen ...

, Thundercat, Mark Foster, Bilal (Singing on the No. 8 track 'Everlovin' Ya'),

, John Robinson and also Kimbra's bandmates, Timon Martin and Benjamin Davey. During the making of the second album, Kimbra was invited to play at a concert in Adelaide and was invited to perform at WOMAD 2014, also debuting a new song titled "Nobody But You". On 19 May 2014, Kimbra released the lead single from ''The Golden Echo'' called "90s Music" to largely positive reviews. Jason Lipshutz of ''

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 ...

'' called the song "captivating" when he previewed it in May 2014. The official music video was not long released after the audio, debuting on YouTube on 3 June 2014. The song did not chart in New Zealand or Australia. 'Miracle' was released as the second single on 24 July 2014. It was her first song to chart on ''Billboard'', peaking at No. 37 on the Japan Hot 100. The song has received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many complimenting the song's disco-influenced feel. Olivia Forman of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' stated that the song has a "flawlessly fluctuating ..beat" and additionally complimented Kimbra's vocals. The music video for 'Miracle' was released onto YouTube on 19 August 2014, the official music video for the song was directed by Thom Kerr. ''The Golden Echo'' was released on 15 August 2014 (AU/NZ) and 19 August 2014 (US) charting Australian Albums (ARIA) at 5, New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) at 5 and US ''

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

'' at 43. ''The Golden Echo'' received generally positive reviews from critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the album obtained a normalised score of 70 out of 100, based on reviews from 16 selected mainstream critics. The release of the album was followed by a 12-show US tour with Empress of in November 2015. In April 2015, Kimbra toured the US with a total of five shows. Kimbra is featured in a song by Bilal called 'Holding It Back' from his album '' In Another Life''. On 15 July, Kimbra released the video for her third single from ''The Golden Echo'' called "Goldmine", which surpassed 110,000 views in a matter of a day. On 30 September 2016, Kimbra released a non-album single called "Sweet Relief". On 18 September 2017, Kimbra and her record label sent a personalised email to fans who subscribed to the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

mailing list, conveying information about her third studio-album and an upcoming single. Kimbra is managed by guitarist

Ben Weinman Benjamin A. Weinman (born August 8, 1975) is an American musician, film composer, and music manager, most notable for being the lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the metalcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan. He was the founder and sole con ...

, founding member of metal band

The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time sign ...

, since around 2017. He has also frequently contributed guitar to Kimbra's music. Kimbra (16541209

On 29 September 2017, she released the album's lead single, entitled "Everybody Knows", which was co-produced by

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

and

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

affiliate

John Congleton John Congleton is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, engineer, mixer, writer and musician. In addition to his production work, Congleton has fronted the alternative rock band the Paper Chase, and writes music for a newer project e ...

. " Top of the World" was released as the second single on 10 November 2017 and was later performed on ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...

''. "Primal Heart" was initially planned to be released on 19 January 2018, but was then pushed back to 20 April 2018. Kimbra explained the reasons for the push back and gave a song out for free to fans subscribed to her mailing list to make it up to them. The song is called "Hi Def Distance Romance". A further three more singles were released before the album release, those being "Human" on 19 January 2018, "Version of Me" on 23 February 2018 and "Like They Do on the TV" on 30 March 2018. A new version of "Version of Me" featuring

Dawn Richard Dawn Angeliqué Richard (born August 5, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter. She started her career after auditioning for ''Making the Band 3'' in 2004. During this time, Richard became a member of girl band Danity Kane, from 2005 to 2009, a ...

was released on 21 June 2018, and a new version of "Top of the World" featuring Snoop Dogg was released on 20 July 2018. Kimbra made her acting debut in a big screen adaption of the musical-drama production ''

Daffodils ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plant, perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as ''Ste ...

'' released on 21 March 2019. The singer stars alongside Kiwi lead actors

Rose McIver Frances Rose McIver (born 10 October 1988) is a New Zealand actress. She starred as Olivia "Liv" Moore in The CW supernatural comedy-drama series '' iZombie'' (2015–2019) and played Summer Landsdown the Yellow Ranger in ''Power Rangers RPM'' ...

, from '' iZombie'' and ''

The Lovely Bones ''The Lovely Bones'' is a 2002 novel by American writer Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she ...

'' and

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including s ...

, from ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

'' and ''

Go Girls ''Go Girls'' is a New Zealand comedy-drama television series that centers on four adult friends, three female and one male, living on Auckland's North Shore. In the fifth season it was the same premise, but this time centered on five adult fr ...

''. In March 2020, Kimbra released a course with online music school

Soundfly Soundfly is an online music education platform based in Brooklyn, New York. They offer online music courses and mentorship sessions as well as hosting a bi-weekly podcast, ''Themes and Variation'', and a daily blog, ''Flypaper''. The company was f ...

on vocal creativity, arranging, and production. In April 2020, she appeared as the lead expert and mentor on TVNZ 2's reboot of ''

Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...

.'' Kimbra embarked on a

Sofar Sounds Sofar Sounds ''(acronym; Songs from a Room)'', is a music events startup company, responsible for various small performances, hosted in over 400 cities. They are headquartered at the Roundhouse, London, UK - founded in 2009. __TOC__ History T ...

secret location venue tour of the United States in October and November 2021, previewing her upcoming fourth studio album. Kimbra's fourth album, ''A Reckoning'', is scheduled for early 2023.

Live band

* Timon Martin – guitar, backing vocals (2009–present), keyboards (2016–present) * Spencer Zahn – bass, keyboards (2016–present)

Previous members

* Fagan Wilcox – samples/synth/guitar/vocals (2009–2014) * Ben Davey – keyboards/vocals (2010–2014) * Stan Bicknell – drums (2009–2010) * Joe Cope (2009) * Stevie McQuinn – drums (2010–2016) * Frank Abraham – bass/keyboards (2014–2016) * Taylor Graves – keyboards/vocals (2014–2016)

Artistry

Muzic.net.nz states that Kimbra's music delves beyond the "four chord cliché but still maintains strong hooks and catchy melodies that are sometimes unpredictable but satisfying". In an interview with ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'', she listed

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

, Guided by Voices,

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at ...

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

as her influences. Her musical style is eclectic.

Discography

*''

'' (2011) *''

'' (2014) *''

'' (2018) *''A Reckoning'' (2023)

Filmography

Television

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are presented annually from 1959 by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous f ...

(NARAS). In 2012, Kimbra's collaboration with Gotye, "Somebody That I Used To Know", won the Record of the Year and the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance awards. , - , rowspan="2",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, , rowspan="2", "

" , ,

, , , - ,

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 63rd Grammy Awards category rules, "this category ...

, ,

New Zealand Music Awards

The

are awarded annually to musicians of New Zealand origin, by

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

. , - ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, Kimbra , Critics' Choice Prize , , - , rowspan="7" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, rowspan="2", ''Vows'' , Album of the Year , , - , Best Pop Album , , - , "Warrior" , Single of the Year , , - , rowspan="6", Kimbra , Breakthrough Artist of the Year , , - , Best Female Solo Artist , , - , Peoples' Choice Award , , - , International Achievement Award , , - , rowspan="2", 2018 , Best Solo Artist , , - , Best Pop Artist ,

MTV Europe Music Award

, - , rowspan="2" ,

, "Somebody That I Used to Know" , Best Song , , - , Kimbra , Best Australia & New Zealand Act , , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, rowspan="2", Kimbra , rowspan="2", Best New Zealand Act , , - , 2018 ,

MTV Video Music Award

, - , rowspan="3" ,

, rowspan="3" , "Somebody That I Used to Know" , Video of the Year , , - , Best Editing , , - , Most Share-Worthy Video ,

Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition

The

Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. The competition awards a ...

is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by

Albert Music Albert Music, formerly J Albert and Son, is an Australian company with an estimated worth in 2009 of more than A$209 million. The company has major interests in music publishing and production and it earns significant royalties through its su ...

and

APRA AMCOS APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

. It commenced in 2009. , - , 2011 , "Cameo Lover" , Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition , style="background:gold;", 1st , -

Other awards

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1990 births 21st-century New Zealand women singers APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Art pop musicians Grammy Award winners Living people New Zealand expatriates in Australia New Zealand women pop singers New Zealand women singer-songwriters New Zealand rock singers People from Hamilton, New Zealand Warner Records artists Indie rock musicians New Zealand contemporary R&B singers New Zealand mezzo-sopranos