Lakisha Kimberly Robinson (born May 10, 1990), known professionally as Kilo Kish, is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist.
Early life
Kilo Kish was born in Orlando, Florida, on May 10, 1990. She attended Glen Rock Elementary School in
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Winter Park High School.
Aged 18, she received a scholarship to attend the private art college
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York. It has an additional campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The institute was founded in 18 ...
in New York. While taking a year off, she worked multiple jobs before enrolling in the
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...
for textile design, from which she graduated in 2012.
Kish began to pursue a musical career when her roommates, Smash Simmons and Mell McCloud, decided to set up an in-home studio, starting a project called the "Kool Kats Klub". It was through this exposure that she initially met Matt Martians of the neo-soul band
The Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a network of networks that consists of private, publ ...
, and collaborated on
The Jet Age of Tomorrow
The Jet Age of Tomorrow (formerly The Super 3) was an American production duo from Atlanta, Georgia and a sub-group of hip hop collective Odd Future that consists of producer-singer Matt Martians, and producer-rapper Pyramid Vritra. According ...
's "Want you Still" and The Internet's "Ode to a Dream".
Career
2012: ''Homeschool''
Kilo Kish's debut EP, ''
Homeschool
Homeschooling or home schooling (American English), also known as home education or elective home education (EHE) (British English), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted ...
,'' was released on April 2, 2012, and was well received by critics, being labeled as one of the best albums of 2012 by
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
. The EP was produced by past collaborators such as
The Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a network of networks that consists of private, publ ...
The Jet Age of Tomorrow
The Jet Age of Tomorrow (formerly The Super 3) was an American production duo from Atlanta, Georgia and a sub-group of hip hop collective Odd Future that consists of producer-singer Matt Martians, and producer-rapper Pyramid Vritra. According ...
, who also provided guest vocals on the project.
On July 31, Kish released "Watergun", a song produced by The Internet, via
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
.
On September 17, "Navy" was released on The Blue Rider record label. The release also contained a remix of "Navy" by MeLo-X. A video for "Navy", as directed by Kish with Ben Rayner, premiered on
The Fader
''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture.
History and work
It is owned by T ...
zine
A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...
, in extension to the mixtape.
2014–2015: ''Across''
Kish's second EP, ''Across'', was released on July 8, 2014, in collaboration with the fashion and record label Maison Kitsune. In the following year, Kish released ''Across Remixes''.
2016: ''Reflections in Real Time''
Kish's first studio album, '' Reflections in Real Time'', was released on February 29, 2016. The song, "Taking Responsibility", from the album was featured in the third episode of the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
teenage drama television show
Euphoria
Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...
.
2017
Kish features on "Out of Body" from the deluxe edition of the 2017
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...
album ''
Humanz
''Humanz'' is the fifth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 28 April 2017 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. It was the band's first studio album released in seven years, fo ...
Kish released the single, "Elegance", on August 26, 2018.
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
named the song "Best New Track", with Sheldon Pearce commenting that "it is the best Kilo Kish song by a considerable margin, and it hones in on what makes her such an enchanting and elusive artist, using her wispy raps to drift through a warped pop jam." The release of her EP, ''mothe'', followed on September 7, 2018. On July 29, 2019, Kish released an alternative artwork for ''mothe'' which has replaced the old artwork on all digital platforms. The cover was shot by photographer Andrew Arthur, with whom she has worked in the past.
2019: ''Redux''
Kish released three singles over the course of two months, beginning in October 2019. "Bite Me" was released on October 17, 2019, and its music video was made available on YouTube the next day. Kish's next singles, "Nice Out", and "Spark" were released on November 7, and November 26, 2019, respectively. All three singles released with accompanying music videos, and were featured on Kish's EP, ''Redux'', released on December 6, 2019. Kish described ''Redux'' as 2018 ''Mothes "sister project," and has stated that the EP explores the theme of perseverance. This is also Kish's fourth collaboration with recurring producer, Ray Brady.
2021–2022: ''American Gurl''
On July 23, 2021, Kish released "American Gurl", the first single from her album of the same name. The video for the song was directed by Kish herself and Matt Cowen. "Bloody Future" was made available on August 20, 2021, and on January 28, 2022, Kish released her collaboration with Vince Staples, "New Tricks: Art, Aesthetics, and Money". She explained that the track “was inspired by the old quote warning never to bite the hand that feeds you. And though it provides, I feel yanked around by the players, trends, and expectations of our age and industry. Ever-wanting to bite, question, and change.” On March 25, 2022, Kish released the full album with 14 tracks featuring Miguel, Jean Dawson, Vince Staples, and Jesse Boykins III.