Kiiara

Slightly left-of-center pop artist Kiiara is a breathy vocalist whose output falls somewhere between that of Jhene Aiko and Lorde.
The Wilmington, Illinois native previously recorded as Kiara Saulters and independently issued the homey acoustic pop song “Bring Me Back” in 2013. Eventually signed to major-label Atlantic, she worked with the Cataracs’ Niles Hollowell-Dhar, and David Singer-Vine, as well as Brenton Duvall and Felix Snow, and recorded Low Kii Savage. The EP, which alternated between downcast electronic pop and bass-heavy, trap-style rap production, was a radical change in direction. Preceded by the breakout single “Gold,” it was released in March 2016. The following year, she appeared on the Linkin Park single “Heavy,” which broke into the Top 50 of Billboard’s Hot 100 and peaked at number two on the Hot Rock Songs chart. Later that year, she issued the singles “Whippin” with Felix Snow and “Wishlist.” After featuring on Cheat Codes’ 2018 track “Put Me Back Together,” Kiiara released her own single, “Messy.” Another track, “Open My Mouth,” arrived in June 2019. In October 2020, Kiiara released her debut full-length album, Lil Kiiwi. ~ Andy Kellman