Kito

Australian producer, songwriter, and DJ Kito blends forward-thinking dance music with bittersweet pop. She first gained notice as a dubstep artist before scoring commercial success through electro-pop collaborations with vocalist Reija Lee, notably the 2011 single “Sweet Talk.” Her production and songwriting credits include work for Jorja Smith, Banks, and Mabel, while rappers Trinidad James and Big Boi have sampled her tracks. Following the 2018 EP Haani, which featured Hudson Mohawke and Broods, she issued Billboard-charting dance singles alongside Empress Of, ZHU, and Jeremih. On the 2021 guest-filled Blossom EP she merged house with R&B, and her 2023 releases ventured into drum’n’bass with “Sticky” and garage with “Get It.”

Born Maaike Kito Lebbing in Denmark, Western Australia, she started making music at home during her teenage years, drawing from trip-hop, drum’n’bass, and IDM. She relocated to Perth intending to study fashion yet switched to music instead. After a stint at a local record store and regular club DJ sets in Perth, she journeyed to Europe in 2006 and encountered the emerging dubstep movement. Her debut Kito single, the 2009 double A-side “What If”/“Cold,” appeared on Skream’s Disfigured Dubz imprint; a self-titled 2010 EP followed, featuring vocals from Reija Lee and a Vaccine remix. Further recordings with Lee yielded “Sweet Talk,” issued as the title track of a 2011 Mad Decent EP by Diplo and later placed in Victoria’s Secret campaigns. The pair relocated to London that year, where Kito delivered an official remix of Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls).” Her 2012 project Electric Empire with French electro-house producer Feadz came out on Ed Banger, while the one-off Faux No single “Velma Kelly” surfaced on Mad Decent. Trinidad James sampled the duo’s “Run for Cover,” originally on a 2011 Mad Decent compilation, for his 2013 track “Females Welcomed,” and Big Boi later incorporated the song into the mashup “King Shit.” Kito & Reija Lee’s EP II arrived via Payday in 2014, with Zebra Katz appearing on “WORD$.”

After the duo ceased working together in 2015, Kito stayed in London and collaborated with M.O, Mabel, and Jorja Smith. Following a breakup in 2017 she returned to Australia and completed her second solo EP, Haani, which included appearances by Hudson Mohawke, Trinidad James, Broods, and others. She then settled in Los Angeles and teamed with Empress Of for “Wild Girl,” released on Astralwerks and EMI Music Australia; the track reached the Top 30 of Billboard’s Dance Airplay chart, and she earned a 2020 Global APRA Music Awards nomination for Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year. That year she issued “Alone with You” featuring AlunaGeorge and appeared on FLETCHER’s “Bitter.” Her collaboration with ZHU and Jeremih, “Follow,” peaked at number 20 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart. In 2021 she released “Recap” with VanJess and Channel Tres plus “Steal My Clothes” featuring Bea Miller; both tracks featured on the Blossom EP, which also included BROODS and Winona Oak. “Sad Girl Music,” a 2022 collaboration with BANKS, preceded further 2023 releases: Kito and Aluna appeared on Skrillex’s “Inhale Exhale,” the liquid drum’n’bass single “Sticky” arrived with Lolo Zouaï and multiple remixes, and she joined Karma Fields and Alida on the garage track “Get It.”