Kiesza and Rye Rye

At the tender age of 16 Ellestad took part in the Sail and Life Training Society (SALTS) program, which provides sailing training to young people, a year after she joined the Royal Canadian Navy reserves with her brother. She became a Naval Communicator during her time there, and was where she taught herself to play the guitar.

After leaving the Navy and competing in the Miss Universe Canada pageant, Ellestad attended Berklee College of Music in Boston on a scholarship, after which she moved to New York City, U.S., and started performing her mix of folky, acoustic songs. Soon after Ellestad found a proclivity towards upbeat dance and house music which led her to collaborate with producer Rami Samir Afuni.

Kiesza’s first single titled “Oops” released in 2012 was a song about a couple that had unprotected sex and was later revealed was made as a joke. But the song introduced Ellestad’s style of up-tempo pop combined with often facetious lyrics and had meant the Canadian singer/songwriter has been asked to write lyrics for the likes of Rihanna, Kylie and Icona Pop.

Ellestad’s breakthrough came with the video for her single “Hideaway” released through the indie label Lokal Legend. The video features Kiesza elaborately dancing through the streets of Brooklyn, New York, U.S. and was impressively shot in a single take. The song premiered on Annie Mac’s Special Delivery segment on BBC Radio 1 and later debuted at No.1 on the UK Singles Chart, released April 26, 2014. Kiesza’s follow-up single, also premiered on Annie Mac’s radio show on June 13, 2014 reacher No.4 in the UK singles chart.

This made way for Ellestad’s first full-length album titled “Sound of a Woman” which attempted to adopt the same sound as “Hideaway”, featuring cameos by Mick Jenkins and Joey Bada$$. Released in late 2014 to positive reviews, the album reached No. 42 in the US Billboard 200 and No. 10 in the German Album chart.