Kimbra

Kimbra draws on jazz, R&B, dance, and rock traditions to craft some of the boldest pop hybrids heard across the 2010s and 2020s. The New Zealand singer-songwriter earned swift early recognition by fusing nearly a century of pop influences into her 2011 debut album Vows, which brought multiple awards, and by guesting on Gotye’s Grammy-winning global success “Somebody That I Used to Know.” Far from prompting safer choices, that breakthrough only encouraged further experimentation. The seamless stylistic blends of 2014’s The Golden Echo made clear why artists such as Prince, Imogen Heap, the Mars Volta, and Minnie Riperton rank among her favorites, while the more cohesive pop-and-R&B focus of later releases like the introspective 2023 album A Reckoning continued to showcase her distinctive yet broadly resonant voice.

Born in Hamilton, New Zealand, Kimbra began composing songs at age 10, picked up guitar lessons near age 12, and was already playing live during her teenage years. She sang in her high school jazz choir and entered the nationwide Rockquest competition for several seasons, finishing second in 2004. That same year her composition “It Takes Time” appeared in Play It Strange, a national platform highlighting up-and-coming singer-songwriters. In 2007 she attracted the interest of Melbourne-based Forum 5 after earning the Juice TV Best Breakthrough Music Video award for the single “Simply on My Lips.” Following her signing with the label she moved to Melbourne and commenced work on her first album. Forum 5 issued her debut single “Settle Down” in June 2010, followed by the Miami Horror collaboration “I Look to You” in December. March 2011 brought the single “Cameo Lover,” which captured the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition. She joined the Warner Bros. roster that June, and the label released Vows that August. Produced by M-Phazes, the album earned acclaim for its inventive genre-shifting and reached the Top Five in both New Zealand and Australia, where it was certified platinum. At the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards she received the Critics’ Choice Prize; later that year the ARIA Music Awards named her Best Female Artist and awarded “Cameo Lover” Best Song.

Around the launch of Vows, Kimbra joined Australian-Belgian singer Gotye on the multi-platinum single “Somebody That I Used to Know,” which became her first U.S. number one in early 2012. A substantially revised edition of the album arrived in Europe and the United States that May, climbing to number 14 on the charts. This version added six new tracks, among them a cover of Nina Simone’s “Plain Gold Ring” and the collaboration “Warrior” with Foster the People’s Mark Foster and DJ A-Trak; it was issued in Australia as Vows: Australian Tour Edition and in New Zealand as Vows: Deluxe Edition. After contributing “With My Hands” to the Frankenweenie soundtrack in September, she closed 2012 with concerts across Australia and New Zealand. At year’s end she claimed five prizes at the New Zealand Music Awards, including Best Female Solo Artist and Best Pop Album. Recognition for the Gotye partnership extended into 2013, highlighted by the 2012 Grammy wins for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

While touring with Gotye, appearing on John Legend’s Love in the Future track “Made to Love,” and performing at festivals, Kimbra started preparing her sophomore album. She worked again with producers Rich Costey and M-Phazes and enlisted contributors including Bilal, Van Dyke Parks, Muse’s Matt Bellamy, the Mars Volta’s Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, and Silverchair’s Daniel Johns, who co-wrote several songs. Expanding on the eclecticism of Vows, the August 2014 release The Golden Echo drew from grunge, R&B, and mainstream pop while reflecting her fascination with Greek mythology and a desire to step back from public view. Another critical favorite, it again reached the Top Five in New Zealand and Australia and peaked at number 43 on the U.S. charts. Kimbra rejoined Bilal in 2015 for his album In Another Life and introduced her own single “Sweet Relief” in 2016. The 2017 track “Everybody Knows” previewed her third album, Primal Heart. A more focused, contemporary R&B-oriented collection featuring work with John Congleton and Skrillex, Primal Heart arrived in April 2018, reaching number 31 on the Australian chart and number 12 in New Zealand. That year she was named Best Solo Artist at the New Zealand Music Awards.

Kimbra made her acting debut in the 2019 musical drama Daffodils, then served as expert and mentor on the New Zealand series Popstars and the Apple TV+ show Helpsters in 2020. Late in 2021 she launched a U.S. tour that previewed her next record. Released in January 2023, A Reckoning harnessed the reflective and explosive poles of her music to mirror global tensions and the search for equilibrium.