K. Flay Biography

K. Flay is an American rapper and songwriter who’s debut album peaked at number 2 on Billboard, Heatseeker Chart.

Early Life

Kristine Meredith Flaherty was born in Wilmette, Illinois on June 30, 1985. Kristine’s father was a guitarist and died during her freshman year. In 2003 she was accepted to Stanford University to study psychology and sociology. It was there that her passion for music would grow and develop.

Career Beginnings

Displeased with the simplistic and misogynistic lyrics from the mainstream hip hop, she started writing and recording her own material. She released a mixtape in 2004 and began performing and attracting local attention. Flay graduated and moved to San Francisco to work further on her style. A more electro and indie mixtape was released in 2009 called Mashed Potatoes. Along with MC Lars, she issued the collaboration extended play Single and Famous. She then revealed a self-titled EP in 2010 and I Stopped Caring in ’96 in 2011. The record served as inspiration and pushed her to pursue music full-time.

RCA Records

K.Flay was offered a record deal with RCA Records and released the EP Eyes Shut in 2012. She then self-released a mixtape, West Ghost, followed by the RCA EP What If It Is issued in 2013. The record label, however, did not know where to place her alternative and diverse sound so she left the same year.

Success

She seemed to find more success independently, and in 2014 Flay finally released a full-length record Life as a Dog. The album charted on Billboard’s Top 200 albums. As a result, she supported the album with a tour in Europe and US, headlining and opening for AWOLNATION and Third Eye Blind. K. was the first artist to be signed on Interscope’s subsidiary label Night Street. She then released the EP Crush Me in 2016. In 2017 she released the single Black Wave while announcing her upcoming second LP Every Where Is Some Where.

Photo credit: Interview Magazine