Kota Banks

Hailing from Sydney, Kota Banks crafts buoyant pop laced with electronic dance music. Originally known as Jess Porfiri, she began playing instruments near age eight and moved into sharing online covers during her teenage years. The Australian Institute of Performing Arts chose her in 2013, together with fourteen other adolescents, for a recording trip to Los Angeles. That opportunity prompted her to devote six months to sharpening her skills in Nashville and Los Angeles alongside seasoned musicians and songwriters. Back in Sydney she took up behind-the-scenes songwriting duties, teaming with Jai Waetford, Nina Las Vegas, and Tabitha Nauser while co-writing Isabella Clark’s “Speak Up,” which Australia selected for the 2017 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Under the Kota Banks moniker she stepped forward in 2016 by joining Moza for the electronic track “Empty Streets.” The release spread rapidly online and secured her a contract with NLV Records. She followed with the 2017 single “Holiday,” produced by Swick, and issued “Zoom” the next year.