KAYTRANADA

Kaytranada produces a colorful array of sounds that veer from J Dilla-inspired hip-hop beats to distinctly woozy house grooves. He emerged during the early 2010s with ear-catching remixes and original tracks. Numerous commissioned works and short-form solo releases led to the Haitian-Canadian’s XL Recordings full-length debut, 99.9%, the winner of 2016′s Polaris Music Prize and 2017′s Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. After he signed with major-label RCA, Kaytranada released his second LP, 2019′s Bubba, which won both a Juno Award (for Best Dance Recording) and a Grammy Award (for Best Dance/Electronic Recording). He earned another Grammy nomination with the subsequent H.E.R. collaboration “Intimidated” and teamed with longtime associate Aminé for the summery Kaytraminé, before he returned with his third proper album, Timeless, in 2024. Born Louis Kevin Celestin in Haiti, the Montreal, Quebec-raised Kaytranada, a voracious listener, got hooked on DJ’ing and production during his teen years. Early on, as Kaytradamus, he issued a series of digital EPs, albums, and remix compilations. Around 2013, he began to operate as Kaytranada with the EP Todo and the three-track 10” At All. In 2014, he remixed Disclosure’s “January,” produced “My Block” for personal heroes Mobb Deep, and made his XL label debut that August with “Leave Me Alone,” a collaboration with vocalist and fellow Montreal native Shay Lia. During the next two years, Kaytranada’s profile steadily rose with additional XL material (“Drive Me Crazy” featuring Vic Mensa) and outside productions highlighted by “Girl” (from the Internet’s Grammy-nominated Ego Death), “Lite Weight” (Anderson .Paak), “Love” (Rome Fortune), and “Honey” (Katy B). 99.9%, his proper debut album, was released in 2016 with guest appearances from Kali Uchis, Phonte, and Little Dragon. It won that year’s Polaris Music Prize, and in 2017 won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. Various remixes, edits, and productions — including work for Gorillaz, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar — followed through 2018, the year Kaytranada returned on major-label RCA with Nothin Like U/Chances, an EP co-starring Ty Dolla $ign and Shay Lia. Bubba, his second album, was released the following December with Teedra Moses and Masego among the contributors. A stand-alone track, “Look Easy,” featuring Lucky Daye, arrived in July 2020. After the Bubba single “10%” won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, and Bubba won a Grammy and Juno (respectively for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Dance Recording), Kaytranada returned with the 2021 EP Intimidated, featuring collaborations with H.E.R., Thundercat, and Mach-Hommy. The title song, featuring H.E.R., was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Recording. “Twin Flame,” with Anderson .Paak, appeared in 2022 and won a Juno for Rap Single of the Year. The producer collaborated with rapper Aminé for the 2023 full-length Kaytraminé, which also featured appearances from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams and Amaarae. Later in the year, Kaytranada released a double single featuring Rochelle Jordan (“Lover/Friend”) and Channel Tres (“Stuntin”). The tracks previewed another highly collaborative set, Timeless, which arrived in June 2024 with Childish Gambino, Charlotte Day Wilson, and Don Toliver among the additional guests. ~ Andy Kellman