Alessia De Gasperis | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Kai |
| Born | Alessia Patrizia De Gasperis-Brigante (1990-03-17)17 March 1990 (age 35) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Warner Music |
| Website | alessiadegasperismusic |
Alessia Patrizia De Gasperis-Brigante (born 17 March 1990), formerly known asKai (also stylized inall lowercase), is aCanadian singer-songwriter fromToronto, Ontario.[1] Best known for her collaborations, she co-wrote and was featured onFlume'sGrammy-nominated "Never Be Like You",Diplo's "Revolution", and "Mind" from byJack Ü's Grammy award-winning 2015 album.[2]
Alessia De Gasperis-Brigante attendedBishop Strachan School.
Kai derives her name from the Japanese wordkai, which means 'change'. She claims to be something new in music and she only wants "to relate [and] share her stories with her fans and anyone who will lend their ear."[3]
On 2 April 2021, she said the following on social media: "Kai was part of me I felt safe in sharing. An aspect of me. But I'm ready to be all of me now. Change is good when it's coming from truth. Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Alessia De Gasperis and I look forward to our friendship and journey together and I'm grateful for your love and support always and forever, ADG (Alessia De Gasperis)"[This quote needs a citation]
In 2011, Kai released her debutextended play,11:11, which included her debut single "I Choose Me", which is frequently used in campaigns forFirst Choice Haircutters. The EP received minimal promotion and did not chart.[4][3]
In 2012, Kai collaborated withMontrealdubstep groupAdventure Club on the track "Need Your Heart",[5] which features Kai's vocals and writing. The song has been remixed by several artists, including Minnesota,[6] Crywolf, and Candyland. The track peaked at number 2 on the iTunes Electronic music chart.[7]
Kai collaborated withDiplo on hisEPRevolution, co-writing and appearing on the title track "Revolution". She lent her vocals to the track "Crawl" byChildish Gambino for his second studio album,Because the Internet.
In 2014, Kai wrote "Sweet Talker", which was produced by Diplo, the title track fromJessie J'sthird studio album of the same name which was released in October 2014. She stated that she wrote the song withRihanna in mind.[8] She wrote and was featured on the track "Mind" on the 2015 debut album ofJack Ü, a collaborative project ofSkrillex and Diplo.
In 2016, Kai wrote and was featured on the track "Never Be Like You" by Australian electronic musicianFlume. It reached number one in Australia[9] and the top 20 in the United States,[10] as well as becoming her first song to top the iTunes Electronic music chart.[7]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| 11:11 |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [11] | AUS [12] | AUS Indie [13] | BEL (FL) [14] | FRA [15] | NZ [16] | US [10] | |||||||
| "Need Your Heart" (Adventure Club featuring Kai) | 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||
| "Crawl" (Childish Gambino featuring Kai) | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 86 | Because the Internet | ||||
| "Never Be Like You" (Flume featuring Kai) | 2016 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 27 | 2 | 20 | Skin | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Revolution" (Diplo featuring Faustix, ImanoS and Kai) | 2013 | Revolution | |
| "Mind" (Jack Ü featuring Kai) | 2015 | Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü |
Other featured in
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Independent Music Awards | Best Folk Singer-Songwriter Song | "I Choose Me" | Nominated[27] |
| 2012 | Toronto Independent Music Awards | HNSS – Best Acoustic Performance[28] | N/A | Won |
| 2016 | ARIA Awards | Best Pop Release | "Never Be like You" | Won |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Video | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Grammy Awards | Best Dance Recording[29] | Nominated | |
| APRA Awards | Dance Work of the Year[30] | "Never Be Like You" (Harley Streten, Kai, Geoffrey Earley) – Flume featuring Kai | Won | |
| Most Played Australian Work[31] | Won |
