Today i decide to provide
Kiesza as The Band Of the Day.
Kiesa Rae Ellestad (born 1989), better known by her stage name Kiesza,
is a Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer from Calgary who has most
recently worked out of New York City and London. She is best known for
her debut single “Hideaway”.
Personal life
Kiesza was born and raised in
Calgary. Her last name Ellestad is
Norwegian from her paternal side and her grandfather is from
Fagernes in Norway.
When she was 16 she took part in the
Sail and Life Training Society (SALTS) program
and a year later she joined the reserves
of the
Royal Canadian Navy along with her brother, becoming a NavCom (Naval Communicator). It was whilst she was at crew singalongs at the Navy that she taught herself to play guitar. Meanwhile,
she also entered the
Miss Universe Canada pageant. She stated that her time in the Navy motivated her to give away 4,500 CDs to Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan in 2008.
Kiesza took part in the Young Canadians, performing tap and jazz dancing, as well as theatre. She also trained as a ballerina, however, a knee injury at age 15 ended her ballet career. When Kiesza was 18, she says that her parents' divorce caused her to write her first song, as a way of expressing her feelings. The same year, she heard a song of hers played on the radio.
In an interview with the
Metro, Kiesza claimed that she can trace her lineage to someone who fought alongside
Robert the Bruce at the
Battle of Bannockburn, elaborating "There's a lot of Scottish people in Canada. Tons. My grandpa was of Scottish heritage - he was of the
black Douglases".
Music career
Early beginnings
Kiesza performing at Olympic Plaza in downtown Calgary, July 2007
CKUA Folk Routes host Tom Coxworth selected her to perform for a live audience and to be broadcast live on his radio show.
Shortly after, she was accepted to the
Selkirk College in
Nelson, BC, where she studied keyboard, voice and guitar.
Next, Kiesza obtained a
scholarship to attend
Berklee College of Music in
Boston, Massachusetts. After attending Berklee, she went to New York City in 2010
to advance her music career.
Although Kiesza started as mainly a folk singer,
after attending Berklee and then living in New York, she moved to a more "uptempo sound"
for which she works with producer Rami Samir Afuni. In 2010 she was selected to play at the Canada Day celebrations at
Trafalgar Square in London for 30,000 people.
In 2012, Kiesza released her first single after starting work with
Afuni in New York, a "disco-infused pop" single titled "Oops" about a
couple that had unprotected sex.
She labelled her style of music at the time as "SteamPop", described by
AjanWrites as "a flaming brew of bold, boisterous pop filled with
tongue-in-cheek lyrics". In a later 2014 interview, she said "Oops" was made as a joke.
Kiesza was featured in the single
Triggerfinger by the Norwegian band
Donkeyboy in 2013. She has also written for other artists, such as
Rihanna,
Kylie Minogue and
Icona Pop.
2014–present: Sound of a Woma
Kiesza at
Fendi store opening in May 2014
In February 2014 Kiesza released the video for her new single "Hideaway" through the indie label
Lokal Legend.
Idolator considered it unique, for having a
long take throughout the entire video, as Kiesza walked and danced through the streets of Brooklyn.John Gentile of
Rolling Stone called the style "impressive".Kiesza reported to Rolling Stone that she had trouble making the video,
partly because she broke a rib just before filming, and "couldn't move
for an entire month afterward."
It was premiered by
Annie Mac on her Mac's Special Delivery segment on
BBC Radio 1. "Hideaway" debuted at number one on the
UK Singles Chart issued for 26 April 2014.
Shortly after "Hideaway" charted, Kiesza released a new video for her cover of
Haddaway's song "
What Is Love".Mike Bell of the
Calgary Herald referred to her version of the song as a "jaw-droppingly gorgeous cover of Haddaway's 1993 dance smash What Is Love?" She performed a slowed down version, with a video showing her and
others, slowly revealed to be without clothes, to express "raw
emotions".
Kiesza's second single, "
Giant in My Heart", premiered on
Annie Mac's
BBC Radio 1 show on 13 June 2014. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number four.
Kiesza collaborated with
Skrillex and
Diplo
on the song "Take U There", which will be released as the first single
from a collaborative mixtape between the two producers. She co-wrote
Gorgon City's "Go All Night", which features
Jennifer Hudson singing her lyrics and will appear on the British duo's debut album,
Sirens.
She has written several songs for
Rihanna that may appear on her upcoming new album. She is also working with
Loreen on her new album, which will be released in 2015. In addition, she will appear as a guest on
Duran Duran's new album scheduled for a spring 2015 release.
Kiesza at Fendi store opening in May 2014
In February 2014 Kiesza released the video for her new single "Hideaway" through the indie label
Lokal Legend.
Idolator considered it unique, for having a
long take throughout the entire video, as Kiesza walked and danced through the streets of Brooklyn. John Gentile of
Rolling Stone called the style "impressive".
Kiesza reported to Rolling Stone that she had trouble making the video,
partly because she broke a rib just before filming, and "couldn't move
for an entire month afterward."
It was premiered by
Annie Mac on her Mac's Special Delivery segment on
BBC Radio 1. "Hideaway" debuted at number one on the
UK Singles Chart issued for 26 April 2014.
Shortly after "Hideaway" charted, Kiesza released a new video for her cover of
Haddaway's song "
What Is Love".
Mike Bell of the
Calgary Herald referred to her version of the song as a "jaw-droppingly gorgeous cover of Haddaway's 1993 dance smash What Is Love?"
She performed a slowed down version, with a video showing her and
others, slowly revealed to be without clothes, to express "raw
emotions".
Kiesza's second single, "
Giant in My Heart", premiered on
Annie Mac's
BBC Radio 1 show on 13 June 2014. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number four.
Kiesza collaborated with
Skrillex and
Diplo
on the song "Take U There", which will be released as the first single
from a collaborative mixtape between the two producers. She co-wrote
Gorgon City's "Go All Night", which features
Jennifer Hudson singing her lyrics and will appear on the British duo's debut album,
Sirens.
She has written several songs for
Rihanna that may appear on her upcoming new album. She is also working with
Loreen on her new album, which will be released in 2015. In addition, she will appear as a guest on
Duran Duran's new album scheduled for a spring 2015 release.
Career beyond music
In 2014, Kiesza was selected to be the face of a new line of fashion eyewear called "Color Block" by retailer
Fendi, appearing in a promotional video shot by Ruth Hogben.
The video "features Kiesza strolling on a treadmill against a painted
skyline, while singing and donning the double-framed, colourful
sunglasses."
She announced plans to release her own line of fashion under the name "SteamPop" sometime in 2014.
