Kiesa Rae Ellestad (born January 16, 1989), known professionally as Kiesza ( ), is a Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist from

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

. In 2017, she was involved in a car accident in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, suffering severe injuries that required her to take several years off to recover. To date, she has released the albums '' Sound of a Woman'' (2014) and '' Crave'' (2020).

Early life

Kiesza was born and raised in

. Her last name, Ellestad, is Norwegian from her paternal side and her grandfather is from Fagernes in Norway. In an interview with '' Metro'', Kiesza claimed that she can trace her lineage to someone who fought alongside

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

at the

Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( or ) was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Ro ...

, elaborating, "There's a lot of Scottish people in Canada. Tons. My grandpa was of Scottish heritage—he was of the

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

Douglases". At thirteen, Kiesza took a sailing class at summer camp, and continued her interest past age 16, when she took part in the Sail and Life Training Society (SALTS) program. She later became a sailing instructor at the Glenmore Sailing School in 2007. A year after, she joined the reserves of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

along with her brother, becoming a NavCom (Naval Communicator). It was while 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, where she trained in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

tap dancing Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...

, as well as theatre. She also trained as a ballerina, but a knee injury at age 15 ended her ballet career. When Kiesza was 18, she said that her parents' divorce inspired 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.

Music career

2006–2013: Career beginnings

In 2005,

CKUA CKUA Radio is a Canadian donor-funded community radio station based in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally located on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton (hence the UA of the call letters), it was the first public broadcaster in Canada ...

''Folk Routes'' host Tom Coxworth selected Kiesza to perform for a live audience and to be broadcast live on his radio show. Shortly after, she was accepted to

Selkirk College Selkirk College is a public college founded in 1966 with its main campus in Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. The college has student housing at its Castlegar and Nelson campuses. Students frequently struggle to find accommodation. The col ...

Nelson, British Columbia Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the British Columbia Interior, Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The city is known for its collection of restored heritage buildings that date ba ...

, where she studied keyboard, voice, and guitar; she graduated in 2009. Next, Kiesza won a scholarship to attend

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts. Afterward, she went to New York City in 2010 to advance her music career. Although she started as mainly a

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

singer, after attending Berklee and then living in New York, she moved to a more "uptempo sound", for which she worked with producer Rami Samir Afuni. In 2010, she was selected to play at the

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

celebrations at

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

in London to 30,000 people. In 2012, Kiesza released her first single after starting work with Afuni in New York, a "disco-infused pop" song 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, Kiesza said "Oops" was made as a joke. In 2013, the singer was featured in the single " Triggerfinger" by Norwegian band Donkeyboy. She has also written for other artists, such as

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

, and Icona Pop.

2014–2016: ''Sound of a Woman''

In February 2014, Kiesza released the video for her new single " Hideaway" through the label Lokal Legend. ''Idolator'' considered it unique for having a

long take In filmmaking, a long take (also called a continuous take, continuous shot, or oner) is Shot (filmmaking), shot with a duration much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general. Significant camera mov ...

throughout the entire video, as Kiesza walked and danced through N 12th Street in Brooklyn, New York City. John Gentile of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' 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 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. "Hideaway" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Shortly after "Hideaway" charted, Kiesza released a new video for her cover of

Haddaway Nestor Alexander Haddaway (born 9 January 1965) is a Trinidadian-born German singer best known for his 1993 hit single " What Is Love", which reached number 1 in 13 countries. Early life Haddaway was born in Trinidad and Tobago. His father wa ...

's song "

What Is Love "What Is Love" is a song by Trinidadian-German singer Haddaway, released as his debut single from his debut album, ''The Album (Haddaway album), The Album'' (1993). The song, both written and produced by Tony Hendrik, Dee Dee Halligan and Karin ...

". Mike Bell of the ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'' 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

show on June 13, 2014. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number four. Kiesza collaborated with

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...

and

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

(working together under the name

Jack Ü Jack Ü was an American electronic dance music duo consisting of electronic music producers Skrillex and Diplo, formed in 2013. They released their first official single, "Take Ü There", featuring vocals from Kiesza, on October 4, 2014. They re ...

) on the song "

Take Ü There "Take Ü There" is the debut collaboration single by American Electronic dance music, EDM DJ duo Skrillex and Diplo together as Jack Ü, written and performed by the duo and Canada, Canadian singer Kiesza, and produced by the duo. It serves as th ...

", which was released as the first single from the producers' collaborative 2015 mixtape, '' Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü''. She co-wrote Gorgon City's " Go All Night", featuring

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...

singing her lyrics, which was on the British duo's debut album, '' Sirens''. Kiesza appeared as a guest on

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

's album '' Paper Gods'' on the song "Last Night in the City", released September 11, 2015. She wrote several songs for

, which were considered for the Barbadian artist's eighth studio album, '' Anti''. She also worked with

Loreen Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui (born 16 October 1983), known professionally as Loreen (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in Eurovision Song Conte ...

on the 2015 single "

I'm in It with You "I'm in It with You" is a song by Sweden, Swedish singer Loreen. The song was written by Loreen, Simen M. Eriksrud, Kiesza, Kiesa Ellestad and Espen Berg. It was released globally as a digital download on 14 August 2015 The song did not enter the ...

2017: ''Dearly Beloved'', Malinkiesza, ''Phantom of the Dancefloor'', and second album

Kiesza released the single "Dearly Beloved" on January 6, 2017. An accompanying music video, which showcases her with a white guitar, was posted on YouTube the same day through the KieszaVevo channel. According to the artist, the song and her future material were inspired by her "best friend Alice hopassed away nearly a year and a half ago s of 1/6/17. The friend in question was Alicia Lemke, who had died in November 2015 from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. On March 17, 2017, Pitbull released ''

Climate Change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

'', featuring a collaboration with Kiesza titled "We Are Strong". At the same time, Cerrone released the album ''RedLips'', featuring a collaboration with Kiesza titled "Ain't No Party".

2017–present: Hiatus and return to performing in 2019

Nick Krewen, writing in the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', reported that Kiesza was involved in a car accident in 2017 in Toronto, when an

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

vehicle she was in was struck by a taxi in a side collision. He reported that part of her recovery, from what she described as a

traumatic brain injury A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity ranging from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI/concussion) to severe traumati ...

, required her staying in a darkened room for six months. After a two-year hiatus following the car crash, Kiesza released a new single, "Sweet Love", and returned to touring in June 2019. ''Paper'' magazine referred to the new song as being a "blend of genres". In 2020, she released her second studio album, '' Crave''. According to ''Paper magazine'', Kiesza is working on a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

. In May 2024, Kiesza released a new EP, titled ''Dancing and Crying: Vol. 1'', which received praise from critics.

Other ventures

In 2014, Kiesza was selected to be the face of a new line of fashion eyewear called "Color Block" by retailer

Fendi Fendi Srl () is an Culture of Italy, Italian luxury goods, luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925 by fashion designers Edoardo Fendi and ...

, 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.

Discography

* '' Sound of a Woman'' (2014) * '' Crave'' (2020)

Tours

Headlining * Sound of a Woman Tour (2015) Opening act *

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...

– Demi World Tour (2014) *

Lindsey Stirling Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007. Stirling per ...

– The Artemis Tour (2021)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1989 births Living people Beauty pageant contestants from Calgary 21st-century Canadian guitarists 21st-century Canadian keyboardists 21st-century Canadian multi-instrumentalists 21st-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women guitarists Berklee College of Music alumni Canadian beauty pageant contestants Canadian dance musicians Canadian female dancers Canadian people of Norwegian descent Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian women pop singers Canadian women singer-songwriters Canadian women songwriters Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year winners Juno Award for Video of the Year winners Musicians from Calgary Royal Canadian Navy personnel 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Selkirk College alumni Singers from Alberta