Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

, two

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

and seven

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

. Kimbra's debut album, ''

Vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ...

'', was released in 2011. Singles from the album include " Settle Down", "

Cameo Lover "Cameo Lover" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter and guitarist Kimbra from her debut studio album, ''Vows''. The song was released in New Zealand and Australia as the album's second single on 29 March 2011. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011 ...

" (which won an

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

Award), "

Good Intent "Good Intent" is a song by New Zealand singer Kimbra from her debut studio album, ''Vows'' (2011). The song was released in New Zealand and Australia on 15 August 2011 as the third single from the album. The single peaked at number 98 on the Aust ...

" and " Two Way Street". A reworked version of the album was released in Europe and the United States in 2012. It featured several new songs, including "

Come into My Head "Come into My Head" is a song performed and co-written by New Zealand recording artist Kimbra, issued as the sixth and final single from her debut studio album ''Vows''. Although no physical single was released for the song, a music video was ...

", "

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

" (on which Kimbra was joined by musicians Mark Foster from

Foster the People Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members include founder and frontman Mark Foster (musician), Mark Foster and keyboardist Isom Innis. Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending ...

and DJ

A-Trak Alain Macklovitch (born March 30, 1982), known professionally as A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highl ...

), and a cover of

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

's "Plain Gold Ring". ''Vows'' reached the top 5 in New Zealand and Australia. In May 2012, the album was released in North America, debuting at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200, her highest-charting album. A portrait of Kimbra by

Vincent Fantauzzo Vincent Fantauzzo (born 1977) is an Australian portrait artist. He is known for his award-winning portraits of Heath Ledger, Brandon Walters, Matt Moran, Emma Hack, Baz Luhrmann, and his wife Asher Keddie. He has won the Doug Moran National ...

was a finalist for the 2012

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

. The portrait was painted in conjunction with the making of a video featuring her song "The Build Up". She was featured on the 2011 multi-platinum single "

Somebody That I Used to Know "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song written, produced and performed by the Belgian-Australian musician and singer Gotye featuring vocals from the New Zealander singer Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand through El ...

" by

Gotye Wouter André De Backer (; born 21 May 1980), known professionally as Gotye ( , , ), is a Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbr ...

, which became her first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and earned them two awards at the

55th Annual Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ...

, including for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

, making her the third New Zealand singer to win a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

. Her second studio album, ''

The Golden Echo ''The Golden Echo'' is the second studio album by New Zealand recording artist Kimbra, released by Warner Bros. Records in the United States on 19 August 2014. Background Kimbra was inspired by Greek mythology for the album and spent time in a ...

'', was released in 2014 to positive critical reception, and her third album, ''

Primal Heart ''Primal Heart'' is the third studio album by New Zealand musician Kimbra. It was released on 20 April 2018 through Warner Bros. Records. It had originally been scheduled for release on 19 January 2018, but was pushed back. Kimbra released "Hi ...

'', was released in 2018. Her fourth album, '' A Reckoning'', was released on 27 January 2023. She recorded a fifth studio album with several other collaborators, titled ''Idols & Vices (Vol. 1)'', which was released in September 2024.

Early life

Kimbra Lee Johnson was born on 27 March 1990 born and raised in

Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton (, ) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato, Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's List of c ...

. Her father, Ken Johnson, was the head doctor at the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

's student health centre, and her mother, Chris, was an orthopedic nurse. At the age of 10, Kimbra began writing songs. When she was 12, her father bought her a guitar and after a few years of lessons, she was on stage, performing with her guitar tutors. Kimbra attended Hillcrest High School, competing in the national schools' musical competition

Rockquest Smokefreerockquest (SFRQ) is an annual music competition for intermediate and high school bands throughout New Zealand. The first Rockquest was held in 1988, and was organised by Christchurch radio station C93FM as a local event. The following ...

for three years running, where she was awarded second place in 2004 at the age of 14. An early recording of hers from 2004, "It Takes Time" was featured by Play It Strange, a New Zealand organization showcasing young singers and songwriters. Kimbra made her first music video, "Smile", for the children's TV show ''

What Now What Now may refer to: Albums * What, Now? (Peter Hammill album), ''What, Now?'' (Peter Hammill album), 2001 * What Now? (Kenny Wheeler album), ''What Now?'' (Kenny Wheeler album), 2005 * What Now (Sylvan Esso album), ''What Now'' (Sylvan Esso al ...

''. Kimbra was a member of the Hillcrest High jazz choir, Scat.

Career

Early public performances by Kimbra included singing at the ''

Waikato Times The ''Waikato Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Hamilton, New Zealand, and owned by media business Stuff Ltd. It has a circulation to the greater Waikato region and became a tabloid paper in 2018. The newspaper has won the title of N ...

'' Gold Cup race meeting in 2000 as a 10-year-old and singing the New Zealand national anthem before 27,000 people at the 2002 NPC

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

final. In 2007, after winning the Juice TV award for Best Breakthrough music video for her second single "Simply on My Lips", she came to the attention of ex-

Independiente Records Independiente is a British independent record label formed in 1997 after Andy Macdonald sold his first label Go! Discs to PolyGram in 1996 for a reported £30 million. The label, which is currently dormant, is a division of Concord Music. The ...

boss Mark Richardson (

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai ( ) are an English acid jazz and funk band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...

) and his newly formed management company and independent label Forum 5 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. She signed with Richardson and in 2008 she moved to Melbourne.

2010–2013: ''Vows'' and awards success

In June 2010, Kimbra's first single on Forum 5, "Settle Down", was released. She had started writing the track four years earlier – it was finished with

François Tétaz François "Franç" Tétaz (born 22 December 1970) is an Australian film composer, music producer and mixer, who won the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) / Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) 2006 'Feature Film Score of the ...

. The music video was directed by Guy Franklin.

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting Tabloid jou ...

featured the track on his website citing " you like

Florence & the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...

and/or

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

, then we think you will enjoy Kimbra – her music reminds us of all those fierce ladies!" On 10 December, the Australian 'indietronica' group

Miami Horror Miami Horror are an Australian electronic music group from Melbourne, Victoria. Benjamin Plant, the producer and DJ, formed Miami Horror initially as a solo project. In addition to Plant, the band features Daniel Whitechurch (keyboards), and ...

released their single, "I Look to You" featuring Kimbra's vocals. Kimbra also stars in its music video, which features wide-angle and kaleidoscope shots of her in face paint and dresses walking through golden fields. Early in 2011, Kimbra's song "

" was a finalist for the 2011 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition and eventually won the competition. In March she issued "Cameo Lover" as her next single, its music video was released in April and was directed by Franklin. On 13 March, Kimbra went to perform for

Moomba Festival Moomba (also known as the Moomba Festival) is held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Run by the City of Melbourne, it is Australia's largest free community festival. The Melburnian tradition is celebrated over four days, incorporating the Labour ...

and ChillOut Festival in Sydney at Oxford Arts Factory to welcome the release of her next single, "Cameo Lover". On 15 July 2011, "Cameo Lover" won the songwriting competition, ahead of third placed song, "Somebody That I Used to Know", written by Australian musician Gotye. On 7 June Kimbra signed to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

New Zealand for distribution in New Zealand and Australia, as well as a worldwide deal for other territories with Warner Bros. Records in the US. On 5 July Kimbra sang in Gotye's single, "Somebody That I Used to Know", which was mixed by Tétaz. Tétaz had recommended Kimbra to Gotye after a 'high-profile' Australian female vocalist had withdrawn from the collaboration. On 29 August 2011, Kimbra's debut album, ''Vows'', was released in New Zealand and 2 September in Australia. In its first week of release it charted at No. 3 in New Zealand, No. 5 in Australia and No. 14 in the US. In its second week, it rose to No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Australian producer '

M-Phazes Mark Landon (born 1 February 1983), better known by his stage name M-Phazes, is an Australian-born producer based in LA. He has produced records for Logic, Demi Lovato, Madonna, Eminem, Kehlani, Zara Larsson, Remi Wolf, Kiiara, Noah Cyrus, an ...

' produced Kimbra's track "Call Me" and assisted on other tracks on ''Vows''. Its artwork including body art and illustrations were created by Rhys Mitchell and Raphael Rizzo. She has won the Critics' Choice Prize at the

2011 New Zealand Music Awards The 2011 New Zealand Music Awards was the 46th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced in August 2011 with winners ann ...

and Best Female Artist and Best Song (for "Cameo Lover") at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2011 The 25th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2011 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

. The US release of ''Vows'' featured new tracks not available on the Australian or New Zealand version of the album. She had performed in various location such as at the

Forum Theatre Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging wit ...

, Melbourne on 9 September 2011, at Astor Theatre, Perth on 17 September 2011, at the

Adelaide Botanic Garden The Adelaide Botanic Garden is a public garden at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Park Lands. It encompasses a fenced garden on North Terrace (between Lot Fourteen, the site of the old Royal Adelaide Hospit ...

in Brisbane on 1 October 2011, at Adelaide, Australia on 3 October 2011, at

Queenscliff Music Festival Queenscliff Music Festival is a live music festival held in the town of Queenscliff, located on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. The festival began in 1997 and is held annually on the last weekend of November. According to its web ...

, Queenscliff, Victoria and

Wellington Square, Perth Wellington Square is a public park located on Wellington Street, Perth, Wellington Street in the suburb of East Perth, Western Australia, East Perth in Perth, Western Australia. History The park was originally a swamp and was drained in the 18 ...

on 25 November 2011, at

Homebake Homebake was an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup (with the occasional artist from New Zealand). The festival was first held on 3 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New Sou ...

Festival 2011, at

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government are ...

on 3 December 2011 and at the

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve and January period. The festival hosts contem ...

in Lorne, Australia on 30 December 2011. On 19 January 2012, "

" was played on an episode of ABC's drama ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

''. The track also appears in the video game, '' The Sims 3: Pets'', which Kimbra recorded in

Simlish Simlish is a constructed language devised by game designer Will Wright for the '' Sims'' game series developed by Electronic Arts. During the development of '' SimCopter'' (1996), Wright sought to avoid real-world languages, believing that pla ...

for the soundtrack. Also in January, Kimbra won the "One to Watch" award at the 2012 ''Rolling Stone'' Awards. Kimbra has collaborated with Mark Foster (of

) and DJ

on the track "

", which was released on 2 April. On 14 April, she performed "Somebody That I Used to Know" with Gotye on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

''. On 15 July 2012, she performed in

Santralistanbul The santralistanbul (), opened in 2007, is an arts and cultural complex located at the upper end of Golden Horn where two small rivers, Alibeyköy and Kağıthane meet in the Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey. The center, consisting of an energ ...

, Istanbul, Turkey. On 25 September, her song "With My Hands" was featured in

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

's movie, '' Frankenweenie''. On 1 November, she had been nominated at the Vodafone

2012 New Zealand Music Awards The 2012 New Zealand Music Awards was the 47th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical recording artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced on 3 October 2012, th ...

and won for the ''International Achievement'', ''Best Female Solo Artist'', ''Best Pop Album'', ''Breakthrough Artist of the Year'' awards, and also won as a featured artist for the song "Somebody That I Used to Know", for ''Most Played Australian Work'' and ''Song of the Year'', at the

APRA Music Awards of 2012 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2012 (generally known as APRA Awards (Australia), APRA Awards) are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music A ...

. on the same year, she also received an award for ''Best Female Artist'' at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2012 The 26th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2012 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

for the second time. On 14 November 2012, Kimbra performed at the

Calvin Klein Collection Calvin Klein Collection (renamed Calvin Klein 205W39NYC in 2017 under Raf Simons) is the brand name for the high-end designer womenswear and menswear lines from fashion house Calvin Klein which were presented on the catwalks of New York Fashio ...

which held an exclusive dinner to celebrate the brand's Women's Creative Director, Francisco Costa. Kimbra also performed for other events such as, at

Festival 2012 on 8 December, at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie, New South Wales on 14 December, at the

Rhythm & Vines Rhythm and Vines (commonly known as R&V, RnV or Rhythm) is an annual music festival held at Waiohika Estate vineyard, northwest of Gisborne, New Zealand. The festival began in 2003 and was held for the one day of New Year's Eve until 2008 whe ...

Music festival 2012 in Gisborne, New Zealand on 29 December 2012 and at the

Summadayze Summadayze was an annual Australian music festival held in the month of January. The first event occurred on 1 January 1999 at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. It subsequently expanded into a four city festival including one in New Zeal ...

Festival in Adelaide, Melbourne, Gold Coast on 30, 31 December 2012. On 10 February 2013, Kimbra and Gotye won the ''Record of the Year'' and ''Best Pop Duo/Group Performance'' awards at the

Show for "Somebody That I Used to Know". This achievement made her only the third New Zealand singer to win a Grammy Award in history. Kimbra was also featured with the R&B singer

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

in the song "Made to Love", published in the album ''

Love in the Future ''Love in the Future'' is the fifth studio album by American singer John Legend. The album was released on August 30, 2013, by GOOD Music and Columbia Records. The album, executive produced by Legend, Kanye West and Dave Tozer, features guest ap ...

''. The single was released on 11 June 2013 and the album was released on 30 August 2013. On 15 September 2013, Kimbra performed for

Rock in Rio Rock in Rio is a biennial Brazilian multi-day music festival held at City of Rock in Rio de Janeiro. It later branched into other locations such as Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas. Ten incarnations of the festival have been held in Rio de Janeir ...

Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Kimbra was also involved in a non-profit charity organisation called So They Can. Kimbra became the ambassador of So They Can within the year of 2013.

2014–2018: ''The Golden Echo'' and ''Primal Heart''

After the Grammy Awards, Kimbra relocated to LA to work on her second studio album, known as ''The Golden Echo'', taking up residence on a farm. People who collaborated on ''The Golden Echo'' include

Rich Costey Richard Costey is an American music producer, mixer, and engineer. He has worked with musicians across genres including rock, indie, pop, hip-hop, and electronica. Notable collaborators include Fiona Apple, Vampire Weekend, Foo Fighters, Sig ...

Daniel Johns Daniel Paul Johns (born 22 April 1979) is an Australian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the Lead vocalist, frontman, guitarist, and main songwriter of the Rock music, rock band Silverchair. Johns is also one half of The Dissociat ...

, Taylor Graves,

Matt Bellamy Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, songwriter and producer. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and lyricist for the English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his eccentric stage persona, wide tenor vocal ...

, Thundercat, Mark Foster, Bilal (Singing on the No. 8 track "Everlovin' Ya"),

, John Robinson and also Kimbra's bandmates, Timon Martin and Benjamin Davey. During the making of the second album, Kimbra was invited to play at a concert in Adelaide and was invited to perform at WOMAD 2014, also debuting a new song titled "Nobody But You". On 19 May 2014, Kimbra released the lead single from ''The Golden Echo'' called "90s Music" to largely positive reviews. Jason Lipshutz of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' called the song "captivating" when he previewed it in May 2014. The official music video was not long released after the audio, debuting on YouTube on 3 June 2014. The song did not chart in New Zealand or Australia. "Miracle" was released as the second single on 24 July 2014. It was her first song to chart on ''Billboard'', peaking at No. 37 on the Japan Hot 100. The song has received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many complimenting the song's disco-influenced feel. Olivia Forman of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' stated that the song has a "flawlessly fluctuating ..beat" and additionally complimented Kimbra's vocals. The music video for "Miracle" was released onto YouTube on 19 August 2014, the official music video for the song was directed by Thom Kerr. ''The Golden Echo'' was released on 15 August 2014 (AU/NZ) and 19 August 2014 (US) charting Australian Albums (ARIA) at 5, New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) at 5 and US ''Billboard'' 200 at 43. ''The Golden Echo'' received generally positive reviews from critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the album obtained a normalised score of 70 out of 100, based on reviews from 16 selected mainstream critics. The release of the album was followed by a 12-show US tour with Empress of in November 2015. In April 2015, Kimbra toured the US with a total of five shows. Kimbra is featured in a song by Bilal called "Holding It Back" from his album '' In Another Life''. On 15 July, Kimbra released the video for her third single from ''The Golden Echo'' called "Goldmine", which surpassed 110,000 views in a matter of a day. On 30 September 2016, Kimbra released a non-album single called "Sweet Relief". On 18 September 2017, Kimbra and her record label sent a personalised email to fans who subscribed to the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

mailing list, conveying information about her third studio-album and an upcoming single. Kimbra is managed by guitarist

Ben Weinman Benjamin A. Weinman (born August 8, 1975) is an American musician, most notable for being the lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the mathcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan (DEP). He is the founder and sole constant member of the DEP, he i ...

, founding member of metal band

The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of Consonance and ...

, since around 2017. He has also frequently contributed guitar to Kimbra's music. On 29 September 2017, she released the album's lead single, entitled "Everybody Knows", which was co-produced by

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado ( , ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 45 million records, including 35 million in album sales worldwide, making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. Critics have noted ...

and

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp were an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consisted of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, thei ...

affiliate

John Congleton John Congleton is a grammy winning American record producer, engineer, mixer, writer and musician. In addition to his production work, Congleton has fronted the alternative rock band The Paper Chase, and writes music for a newer project entitl ...

. " Top of the World" was released as the second single on 10 November 2017 and was later performed on ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire variety talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing w ...

''. The third album ''

'' was initially planned to be released on 19 January 2018, but was then pushed back to 20 April 2018. Kimbra explained the reasons for the push back and gave a song out for free to fans subscribed to her mailing list to make it up to them. The song is called "Hi Def Distance Romance". A further three more singles were released before the album release, those being "Human" on 19 January 2018, "Version of Me" on 23 February 2018, and "Like They Do on the TV" on 30 March 2018. A new version of "Version of Me" featuring

Dawn Richard Dawn Angeliqué Richard (born August 5, 1983) is an American singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. She began her career auditioning for MTV's '' Making the Band 3'' in 2004, during which she formed the girl group Danity Kane. The group signed wi ...

was released on 21 June 2018, and a new version of "Top of the World" featuring

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

was released on 20 July 2018.

2019–present: Film and television, ''A Reckoning'', and ''Idols & Vices''

Kimbra made her acting debut in a big screen adaption of the musical-drama production ''

Daffodils ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as '' Sternbergia'', ''I ...

'' released on 21 March 2019. The singer stars alongside Kiwi lead actors

Rose McIver Frances Rose McIver (born 10 October 1988) is a New Zealand actress. She portrays Samantha Arondekar in the CBS supernatural sitcom ''Ghosts'' (2021–present), Olivia "Liv" Moore in The CW supernatural comedy-drama series '' iZombie'' (2015–2 ...

, from '' iZombie'' and ''

The Lovely Bones ''The Lovely Bones'' is a 2002 novel by American writer Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from a personal heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she ...

'' and

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where he was one of three delegates who refused to sign the Constitution. His wr ...

, from ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...

'' and ''

Go Girls Go, GO, G.O., or Go! may refer to: Arts and entertainment Games and sport * Go (game), a board game for two players * '' Travel Go'' (formerly ''Go – The International Travel Game''), a game based on world travel * Go, the starting position ...

''. In March 2020, Kimbra released a course with online music school

Soundfly Soundfly is an online music education platform based in Brooklyn, New York. They offer online music courses and mentorship sessions as well as hosting a bi-weekly podcast, ''Themes and Variation'', and a daily blog, ''Flypaper''. The company was ...

on vocal creativity, arranging, and production. In April 2020, she appeared as the lead expert and mentor on TVNZ 2's reboot of ''

Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...

.'' Kimbra embarked on a

Sofar Sounds Sofar Sounds ''(Songs from a Room)'' is a company that organizes music events, known for its sensation, secret gigs in unique spaces. Founded in 2009, the company has its headquarters in Boston and London. __TOC__ History Sofar Sound was found ...

secret location venue tour of the United States in October and November 2021, previewing her upcoming fourth studio album. Her fourth album, '' A Reckoning'', was released on 27 January 2023. She released her first collaborative album and fifth release overall, ''Idols & Vices, Vol. 1'', in September 2024. The album was recorded with several different featured artists including Sahtyre,

BANKS A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. As banks ...

, Tommy Raps, Ivy Sole, Fatboi Sharif, Le Asha,

DRAM Dram, DRAM, or drams may refer to: Technology and engineering * Dram (unit), a unit of mass and volume, and an informal name for a small amount of liquor, especially whisky or whiskey * Dynamic random-access memory, a type of electronic semicondu ...

, and Taylor Graves.

Live band

* Jacob Bergson – keyboards (2018–present), musical director (2021–present) * Vancil Cooper – drums (2021–present)

Previous members

* Fagan Wilcox – samples/synth/guitar/vocals (2009–2014) * Ben Davey – keyboards/vocals (2010–2014) * Stan Bicknell – drums (2009–2010) * Joe Cope (2009) * Stevie McQuinn – drums (2010–2016) * Frank Abraham – bass/keyboards (2014–2016) * Taylor Graves – keyboards/vocals (2014–2016) * Timon Martin – guitar, backing vocals (2009–2018), keyboards (2016–2018) * Spencer Zahn – bass, keyboards (2016–2021)

Artistry

Muzic.net.nz states that Kimbra's music delves beyond the "four chord cliché but still maintains strong hooks and catchy melodies that are sometimes unpredictable but satisfying". In an interview with ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'', she listed

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

Guided by Voices Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted o ...

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap ( ; born 9 December 1977) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. She is considered a pioneer in pop music, particularly electropop, and in music technology. While attending the ...

Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for her 1974 single " Lovin' You", her five-octave vocal range, and her use of the whistle register. Born in 1947, Riperton grew ...

and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

as her influences. Her musical style is eclectic.

Personal life

Kimbra has stated that she has

vitiligo Vitiligo (, ) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but it may be related to immune system changes, genetic factors, stress, or sun exposure, and susceptibili ...

Discography

*''

'' (2011) *''

'' (2014) *''

'' (2018) *'' A Reckoning'' (2023) *''Idols & Vices (Vol. 1)'' (2024)

Filmography

Television

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are presented annually from 1959 by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...

(NARAS). In 2012, Kimbra's collaboration with Gotye, "Somebody That I Used To Know", won the Record of the Year and the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance awards. , - , rowspan="2",

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, , rowspan="2", "

" , ,

, , , - ,

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 63rd Grammy Awards category rules, "this categ ...

, ,

New Zealand Music Awards

The

are awarded annually to musicians of New Zealand origin, by

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

. , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, Kimbra , Critics' Choice Prize , , - , rowspan="7" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, rowspan="2", ''Vows'' , Album of the Year , , - ,

Best Pop Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...

, , - , "Warrior" , Single of the Year , , - , rowspan="4", Kimbra , Breakthrough Artist of the Year , , - , Best Female Solo , , - , Peoples' Choice Award , , - , International Achievement Award , , - , rowspan="2", 2018 , rowspan="2", Kimbra , Best Solo Artist , , - , Best Pop Artist ,

MTV Europe Music Award

, - , rowspan="2" ,

, "Somebody That I Used to Know" , Best Song , , - , Kimbra , Best Australia & New Zealand Act , , - ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, rowspan="2", Kimbra , rowspan="2", Best New Zealand Act , , - , 2018 ,

MTV Video Music Award

, - , rowspan="3" ,

, rowspan="3" , "Somebody That I Used to Know" , Video of the Year , , - , Best Editing , , - , Most Share-Worthy Video ,

Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition

The

Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. The competition awards a ...

is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by

Albert Music Albert Group Services Pty Ltd, known as Alberts, formerly Albert Music and J Albert and Son, is an Australian music company. The company has major interests in music publishing and production and it earns significant royalties through its subsi ...

and

APRA AMCOS APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

. It commenced in 2009. , - , 2011 , "Cameo Lover" , Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition , style="background:gold;", 1st , -

Other awards

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1990 births 21st-century New Zealand women singers Aotearoa Music Award winners APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Art pop musicians Grammy Award winners Indie rock musicians Living people Musicians from Hamilton, New Zealand New Zealand contemporary R&B singers New Zealand expatriates in Australia New Zealand mezzo-sopranos New Zealand rock singers New Zealand women rock singers New Zealand women pop singers New Zealand women singer-songwriters People with vitiligo Warner Records artists