Kiiara

Kiiara's rise to fame seems almost too remarkable to be true. The singer/songwriter is from a small town in Illinois. She first gained attention when her debut single, “Gold,” was uploaded to SoundCloud. In just the first eight days, the track amassed over 180,000 plays, and two years later, it was certified 3x platinum.

Although her initial song was released under her real name, Kiara Saulters, the acoustic pop genre elements featured in the song are not present in her music as “Kiiara.” The acoustic pop style was a one-off – with her new name (adding an “i” to her first name), her music embraced more of a techno-pop vibe, intertwined with hip-hop influences and her clear vocals. However, her acoustic talent isn't entirely forgotten, occasionally appearing in some of her features, such as in the fifth track “Darkside” from Bright: The Album.

Already signed to Atlantic Records by the time “Gold” was released, the immense success of the song earned her a record deal with EFFESS, a label managed by Felix Snow, a frequent collaborator and producer.

Her debut EP, low kii savage, came out in 2016, with “Gold” serving as the opening track. A flurry of singles followed her successful debut (the album peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard 200). Although most of the singles did not make the album cut, they paved the way to her recently released debut album, lil kiiwi, featuring prominent artist blackbear.

Kiiara’s style makes her a great fit for singles, especially those by producers like Cheat Codes, Felix Snow (who produces and writes most of her tracks), David Guetta, and Steve Aoki.