Klein is a singer-songwriter and producer from

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

, England. She released the EP ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

'' on UK label

Hyperdub __NOTOC__ Hyperdub is a British, London-based electronic music record label and former webzine, founded by Steve Goodman, a.k.a. Kode9. The label was formed in 2004, and grew out of the UK's early dubstep scene. Artists signed to the label hav ...

in 2017 and has received praise for her albums '' Lifetime'' (2019) and ''Frozen'' (2020) on her record label ijn inc.

Biography

Klein lives in

, and comes from a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

background. A fan of

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

and theatre, she wrote poetry before moving to production as a hobby, receiving some early encouragement from musicians

Mica Levi Mica Levi (; b. 28 February 1987), also known by their stage name Micachu, is an English singer, songwriter, composer and producer. Levi is classically trained and since 2008 has released experimental pop music with their band Good Sad Happy B ...

and Arca (musician), Arca. After independently releasing the projects ''ONLY'' and ''Lagata'' in 2016, she garnered a cult audience and critical praise from sources such as ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

'' and Boomkat. Klein released Tommy to the UK label

in 2017, appearing on

Laurel Halo Laurel Anne Chartow (born June 3, 1985), known professionally as Laurel Halo, is an American electronic musician currently based in Berlin, Germany. She released her debut album ''Quarantine'' on Hyperdub in 2012 to critical acclaim; it was named ...

’s album ''

Dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes ...

'' and releasing her label debut EP ''

'' later that year, receiving positive reviews from publications such as ''

Tiny Mix Tapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...

'' and ''

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

''. In 2018 she directed and scored ''Care'', a fantasy musical inspired by Disney princesses and the UK care system; it premiered at London's ICA in February 2018.

Music

Klein's work has been described as "grainy pop

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

s," with elements like R&B-inspired vocals, heavily manipulated

audio samples In sound and music, sampling is the reuse of a portion (or sample) of a sound recording in another recording. Samples may comprise elements such as rhythm, melody, speech, sounds or entire bars of music, and may be layered, equalized, sped up or ...

, and surreal metallic drones.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called her work "an utterly unique, surreal blend of R&B and experimental electronics." She assembles her tracks in sound editing program Audacity, and cites some of her major influences as singer

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

, composer

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

, rapper Soulja Boy, and the reality TV show '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta''. Klein describes her music with the word "

spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:

Discography

LPs *''ONLY'' (2016, self-release) *'' Lifetime'' (2019, ijn inc.) *''Frozen'' (2020, ijn inc.) *''Harmattan'' (2021, Pentatone) *''Cave in the Wind'' (2022, Parkwuud Entertainment ) EPs *''Lagata'' (2016, self-release) *''

'' (2017,

) *''cc'' (2018, self-release)

References

{{Reflist English women in electronic music 21st-century Black British women singers English record producers English experimental musicians Hyperdub artists British women record producers Singers from London