Kiara Saulters, known professionally as Kiiara, is an American singer-songwriter from Wilmington, Illinois. She is currently signed to Atlantic Records.
Her 2015 single "Gold" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She is also known for contributing vocals to Linkin Park's 2017 single "Heavy".
real name: Kiara Therese Saulters
labels: Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group
genres: pop music, electropop, alternative R&B, experimental pop
influenced by: Yelawolf, Eminem, Linkin Park, Joyner Lucas
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Kiiara was born on May 24, 1995, in Wilmington, Illinois. She attended Wilmington High School where she played for the school's volleyball team. While recording her breakout EP, she also worked as a hardware store clerk. She started a studio internship to help familiarize herself with the music process and get practice recording.
In 2013, Kiiara independently released an acoustic pop single called "Bring Me Back" under her real name.
Kiiara has cited Eminem, Rihanna, Joyner Lucas, Yelawolf, and Linkin Park as her influences.
"Gold" is the debut single by American singer Kiiara, released on October 26, 2015. It was the lead single from her debut extended play (EP) Low Kii Savage (2016) and was also included on her debut studio album, Lil Kiiwi (2020).
Commercially, the single was a sleeper hit, becoming her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 13. A remix featuring Lil Wayne was released on November 18, 2016.
Kiiara first wrote "Gold" on a classical guitar in 2014. The song was based on a childhood lesson of not having to answer to anybody: "It just seemed right; it fell out of my mouth when I wrote it." Then, a producer named Felix Snow made an electro-pop twist of the song that was more vibe-oriented and less lyrical than Kiiara's classical acoustic version. Another co-writer the singer worked with, preferring the classical acoustic version over Snow's rendition, recommended doing a mixture of both types of songs. The artist originally planned to name the song "W.E.L.Y.K," acronym for "without ever letting you know," but ultimately decided on "Gold" after finding the initial title too "trendy."
The track was first released on SoundCloud in the summer of 2015; at the time, Kiiara kept her real identity unknown for the music to be focused on. A day later, she garnered a swarm of emails from several major labels and signed with Atlantic. Shortly after, it, as well as "Feels," played on the first week of Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show.
According to the sheet music published at musicnotes.com, the song is written in F minor, with a moderate tempo of 84–88 beats per minute. It features a prominent glitchy vocal sound effect that appears throughout the chorus. This effect was done by producer Felix Snow who took portions of the pre-chorus and added them to an MPC, giving the song its distinctive trill sound. Musically, "Gold" is an electropop and trap song that contains elements of snap as well as Alt-pop beats. The song's verses are backed by a finger-click beat with double and triple-timed hi-hats in the chorus, along with a bassline and contains synths and vocal effects.
"Gold" received positive reviews. Website Renowned for Sound described the song as an "electrifying mix" between Scandinavian electropop and Atlanta trap. Carl Williott of Idolator stated "The Illinois singer sounds a bit like Ellie Goulding crossed with Lorde, and she was wise to pair up with SZA collaborator Felix Snow, who has given the track a nice balance of snappy percussion and warped atmospherics. The most intriguing part, though, would be the chorus. It's equal parts disorienting and addictive, and the bold choice suggests she knows exactly what she wants to accomplish with this project." Stereogum's Tom Breihan claimed that "[Gold] feels like some fascinating new mutation of bedroom-pop music," and said that it "takes cues from...
"Whippin" is a song by American singer Kiiara, featuring American electronic music producer Felix Snow and was included on her debut studio album Lil Kiiwi. It was released on April 12, 2017 through Atlantic Records.
"Whippin" is in the key of G minor, and moves at a tempo of 83 beats per minute in a 44 time signature. It features electronic voice glitches over a hip hop-inspired beat. It was compared to her hit single "Gold."
Mike Wass of Idolator said "'Whippin' is all about capturing a vibe via a repetitive chorus and demented electronic production. There is a little more bite this time, however, courtesy of Kiiara's fiery verses." Sam Murphy of The Interns wrote that "there are similarities to 'Gold' but ultimately it’s a new beast with even sweeter hooks." The Musical Hype was more critical of the song, writing that it called for "no need for deep analysis." He additionally called the second verse "forced," and wrote that "anyone could’ve recorded 'Whippin.'"
The music video for "Whippin" was released on May 8, 2017 and it was directed by Colin Tilley. It features Kiiara on various modes of transportation.