Alessia De Gasperis (born 17 March 1990), formerly known as Kai (also stylized as kai), is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

singer-songwriter from

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Ontario. Best known for her collaborations, she co-wrote and was featured on Flume's Grammy-nominated " Never Be like You",

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD wit ...

's "Revolution", and "Mind" from by Jack Ü's Grammy award-winning 2015 album.

Early life and education

Alessia De Gasperis-Brigante attended Bishop Strachan School, notable for its various alumni, including actress Laurie Holden. She is the granddaughter of deceased Italian-Canadian billionaire Alfredo De Gasperis. Kai derives her name from the Japanese word ''kai'', which means 'change'. She claims to be something new in music and she only wants "to relate ndshare her stories with her fans and anyone who will lend their ear." On 2 April 2021, she said the following on social media: "Kai was part of me I felt safe in sharing. An aspect of me. But I'm ready to be all of me now. Change is good when it's coming from truth. Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Alessia De Gasperis and I look forward to our friendship and journey together and I'm grateful for your love and support always and forever, ADG (Alessia De Gasperis)"

Career

Early career

In 2011, Kai released her debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''11:11'', which included her debut single "I Choose Me", which is frequently used in campaigns for

First Choice Haircutters First Choice Haircutters is a Canadian hair salon company. The company originated with a single salon in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, in 1980 and began franchising about 2 years later. First Choice Haircutters was purchased by Regis Corporat ...

. The EP received minimal promotion and did not chart. In 2012, Kai collaborated with

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

dubstep group Adventure Club on the track "Need Your Heart", which features Kai's vocals and writing. The song has been remixed by several artists, including Minnesota, Crywolf, and Candyland. The track peaked at number 2 on the iTunes Electronic music chart.

Breakthrough

Kai collaborated with

on his EP ''Revolution'', co-writing and appearing on the title track "Revolution". She lent her vocals to the track " Crawl" by Childish Gambino for his second studio album, '' Because the Internet''. In 2014, Kai wrote "Sweet Talker", which was produced by Diplo, the title track from

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...

's third studio album of the same name which was released in October 2014. She stated that she wrote the song with

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to th ...

in mind. She wrote and was featured on the track "Mind" on the 2015 debut album of Jack Ü, a collaborative project of Skrillex and Diplo. In 2016, Kai wrote and was featured on the track " Never Be Like You" by Australian electronic musician Flume. It reached number one in Australia and the top 20 in the United States, as well as becoming an international hit and her first song to top the iTunes Electronic music chart.

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

As featured artist

Other featured in * 2013: "Revolution" (Diplo feat. Faustix, ImanoS & Kai) * 2015: "Mind" (Jack Ü feat. Kai), RIAA: Gold * 2015: "Let Me Love You Right" (Hunter Siegel feat. Kai)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kai 1990 births APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Living people Canadian women pop singers Musicians from Toronto 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian people of Italian descent