Kiesza

Here is a full-length SEO-style article on Kiesza:

Kiesza – Life, Career, and Voice of Reinvention

Kiesza (Kiesa Rae Ellestad) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose breakout hit “Hideaway” brought her international fame. Explore her biography, musical journey, creative philosophy, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Kiesza is a dynamic Canadian artist whose journey spans folk roots, dance-pop stardom, traumatic setbacks, and resilient comebacks. Her 2014 single “Hideaway” rocketed her onto global charts, but her story is richer than one hit: she’s a classically trained musician, a former naval reservist, and a creator who continually reinvents herself. Her voice — both literal and metaphorical — has become an emblem of perseverance, transformation, and authenticity in the modern music world.

Early Life and Background

Kiesza was born Kiesa Rae Ellestad on January 16, 1989, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Fagernes in Norway.

As a teenager, she pursued dance—jazz, tap, ballet—and trained with Young Canadians.

At age 16, she joined a sailing training program with SALTS (Sail and Life Training Society). Royal Canadian Navy Reserve as a NavCom (naval communicator/decipherer role).

Her parents divorced when she was about 18. That upheaval became the emotional catalyst for her first original songwriting.

Academically, she enrolled in Selkirk College (Nelson, British Columbia) to study keyboard, voice, and guitar. Berklee College of Music in Boston, where her musical horizons widened beyond folk into more pop, electronic, and dance genres. New York City to build her career.

Music Career & Breakthrough

Early Output & Style Shift

In her early music, Kiesza leaned toward folk and acoustic styles. But her time at Berklee and her move to New York helped her evolve into more uptempo, dance-infused pop and electronic music.

Her first single in the new style was “Oops” (2012), a disco/pop-tinged track. She described it as something done “tongue in cheek.”

In 2013, she collaborated on “Triggerfinger” with Norwegian band Donkeyboy.

“Hideaway” & Sound of a Woman

Kiesza’s global breakthrough came in 2014 with “Hideaway”. “Hideaway” debuted at #1 on the UK Singles Chart.

Following its success, she released her debut major-label album Sound of a Woman (October 2014).

Other singles around that time included “Giant in My Heart”, and a cover of “What Is Love” (Haddaway). “Take Ü There”.

Hiatus, Accident & Return

In 2017, Kiesza was involved in a serious collision in Toronto: she was riding in an Uber when a taxi struck them in a side impact. She sustained traumatic brain injury and other injuries, forcing her into a long recovery period.

Her musical output slowed, but she gradually returned. In 2019 she released “Sweet Love” and resumed touring. Crave.

More recently, in 2024 she put out an EP titled Dancing and Crying: Vol. 1, exploring emotional themes and reaffirming her voice.

Creative Philosophy & Artistic Identity

Kiesza tends to speak about songwriting as organic and emergent rather than forced. In an interview, she said,

“I often begin with nothing and let the song unfold on its own.”

She’s also candid about her identity as an outsider during early years and the role marginalized spaces (e.g. gay clubs) played in giving her a stage to grow. She once reflected:

“For a while I was a completely unknown artist … the only people that would give me a shot were the gay clubs.”

Her early life in the Navy and in disciplined training taught her structure, but she’s also remarked that rigid systems sometimes suppress individuality. In one interview she said:

“I loved the bootcamp and the training. It was the actual Navy … I realized wasn’t for me because … you can’t really stick out; you can’t be the oddball out in the military.”

These reflections show her tension between structure and freedom, and how she channels both into her artistic process.

Notable Quotes

Here are some memorable quotes by Kiesza:

• “I often begin with nothing and let the song unfold on its own.”

• “You might get a ‘no’ a hundred times but you might get ‘yes’ one time. That one ‘yes’ will take you on a new path!”

• “I was a ballerina for a good 12 years. … Well, fortunately because I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing now if that had not happened.”

• “I was a weird teenager. My mother was actually worried … I had all this desire to pursue my passions … so I didn’t have any emptiness to fill.”

Lessons from Kiesza’s Journey

1. Embrace detours and adversity
   Her transition from dance to music, and then recovery from traumatic injury, show that setbacks can catalyze reinvention rather than defeat.

2. Patience with creativity
   Her approach to letting songs “unfold” emphasizes trust in process rather than forcing outcome.

3. Value the supporting communities
   Her early shows in marginalized or underground circuits gave her opportunities when mainstream venues would not — and she acknowledges their role in her growth.

4. Balance freedom and discipline
   Her formal training (in dance, navy discipline, music education) undergirds her instinctive creativity.

5. Evolve fearlessly
   Kiesza has never been comfortable staying static — she moves between genres, moods, and personal states, allowing her music to reflect her life.

Legacy & Influence

Kiesza’s impact lies both in her hit track and in the model she offers for modern musicians confronting vulnerability, disruption, and identity:

• “Hideaway” remains an iconic dance track of the 2010s, celebrated for its energy and video concept.

• She’s shown that pop artists can survive_long silences and return meaningfully.

• Her story is often cited in conversations about artists with disabilities or traumatic brain injury, resilience, and mental health in music.

• Her musical versatility (writing for others, working across genres) makes her a reference for artists wanting to avoid being pigeonholed.