With a billion-streaming single “Hideaway,” multiple JUNO Award wins, and world-class collaborations with Diplo, Skrillex, deadmau5, Duran Duran, and Francis Mercier, Kiesza has proven herself to be one of the most unique and zeitgeist-defining artists. 

The 2014 release of "Hideaway" highlighted Kiesza's abilities as a songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and dancer, originating from her hometown of Calgary, AB. The track received extensive radio and video play and Top 20 chart placements across North America and Europe, three JUNO Awards, Gold, Platinum, and Double Platinum status in the US, UK, and Canada, respectively, and launched her debut album Sound Of A Woman. 

Her sophomore album, Crave (2020), also drew critical acclaim, followed by a collaboration with deadmau5 that surpassed over 12 million streams.

Her latest release Dancing And Crying Vol. 1 (2024) marks a distinct sonic identity for the electronic pop star with the lead single “I Go Dance” recently entering the US Dance Radio top 10. Kiesza is pushing her vision of dance music into the world full steam ahead. 

Bonnie McKee doesn’t just write and sing pop songs. She creates bright, bold, bombastic bops meant to be bumped at eleven on the way to the best night of your life. A rush of energy surges through her colorful anthems about the crush you can’t have, the ex you don’t miss, and the dream you’re just about to make real. As a songwriter, her pen has powered GRAMMY® Award-nominated diamond-certified generational hits. As an artist, her voice has enchanted a devout and diehard audience around the globe. Now, she finally invites everyone into her world with her 2024 full-length offering, Hot City.
 
It’s more than a record; it’s a place you can go to be the best version of yourself as a scorching soundtrack sets the mood.
 
“Hot City is a blissful and carefree imaginary destination,” she elaborates. “This body of work is about chasing dreams and looking for paradise. Even if you feel like an underdog, you can pursue your goals and hopefully succeed against all odds. Personally, I hope to reach Hot City someday. The closer I get to sharing the album, the more excited I get.”
 
It's been a long time coming for Bonnie…
 
Growing up in California, she fell in love with music as a kid. She was moved by a Tina Turner documentary that brought her to tears, and she cites watching the making of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video as a core memory. Starting as a classically trained singer and pianist, she spent her formative years singing, training and learning to transform her poetry into the genre she would later make her mark in- Power Pop. 
Igniting her career, she made a stiletto-deep imprint on pop as one of the game’s most sought-after songwriters. 
She’s co-written ten number one songs, including the RIAA Diamond-certified smashes “California Gurls” and “Roar,” with Katy Perry, garnering a GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of “Song of the Year” for the latter. Simultaneously, her discography grew to include the likes of the double-platinum “Hold It Against Me” by Britney Spears and the platinum “C’Mon” by Ke$ha in addition to songs for Cher, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Bebe Rexha, Jason Derulo, Kygo, and Adam Lambert, to name a few.
 
Along the way, she amplified her solo artistry. She packed houses on tour coast-to-coast, graced the stages of hallowed venues like The Hollywood Bowl, and lit up festivals like Coachella and Pink Pop. Her 2015 Bombastic EP emerged as a cult favorite highlighted by the title track, which garnered over 20 major film and TV placements. Plus, she notably established herself as an auteur, writing, producing, directing, and starring in the 2020 award-winning short film April Kills The Vibe.
 
Bonnie had initially recorded Hot City under a previous major label deal. Faithful fans had experienced a handful of the tracks live and obsessed over rare leaks, giving the LP a near-mythic status. In 2020, Bonnie stumbled upon a “500 page-long forum” where fans clamored for the album, encouraging her next move.
 
“Since I hadn’t put out a project for so long, I wanted to re-engage my fans and let them know I’m listening to them,” she smiles. “They gave me the confidence to believe in those songs again. So, I decided to re-record them. Now, I own the masters. It’s been a triumphant feeling.”
 
That triumphant spirit courses through songs such as “SLAY.” Blown away by the track’s “weapons-grade hooks,” The FADER touted it as a “Song You Need.” Rolling Stone noted, “The album has stood the test of time and fits into the early-2010s pop nostalgia that has overtaken much of the internet.” Throughout 2023, she maintained this momentum with “Hot City” and “Don’t Get Mad Get Famous.” Moreover, she not only directed and starred in all of the respective visuals, but she also curated, casted, produced, and engineered it from the ground up- even building the sets with her bare hands.
 
The 2024 single “Jenny’s Got A Boyfriend” sees Bonnie turn up the heat. On the track, neon synths glow and the bass pulsates in time with slick claps as she lusts after her friend’s man.
 
“I had a friend with a painfully hot boyfriend who was a terrible flirt,” she laughs. “Nothing every happened of course, but he’d flirt with me and just about anyone who looked his way. Every girl in our friend group was convinced he was into them! I always loved the song ‘Jessie’s Girl’ and decided to do a female version, but instead of just longing for my bestie’s boyfriend, it was a direct response to his Casanova behavior.”
 
Then, there’s “Forever 21.” Video game-style keys beep and bloop as she paints a vivid picture of youth-gone-a-little-too-wild, “Cuz I’ll take whatever keeps me numb. I’ll stay Forever 21.”
 
“It was originally inspired by my old assistant who went on a shopping spree with my credit card at Forever 21,” she goes on. “I recognized myself in her. She had a drinking problem, so did I. It’s about being in blissful denial that I was an alcoholic. Even though it sounds like a sparkly pop song, it explores feelings of shame and being a fuckup. It was a cathartic experience and an important step towards admitting I had a problem.”
 
Completing her vision, she added the newly recorded “Snatched” to Hot City. Laced with an upbeat groove, her flirty and fiery delivery instantly turns heads as she proclaims, “I’m snatched for the rapture.”
 
“It’s an ode to the drag community,” she says. “It’s a total flex, and it basically says, ‘I’m hot, and I know it’. I’ve always had a lyrical brain and wished I could experiment with more of a stream of consciousness rap structure, where I could explore whatever nonsensical out the box rhymes that came to me. So this was a fun departure from my more traditional narrative driven lyrical style.”
 
In epic fashion, Hot City concludes on the swooning ballad “Love Spell.” Strings swirl around the sparse piano as she showcases her skyscraping range.
 
“At the time, I was in a tumultuous relationship with a person I couldn’t imagine living without,” she continues. “My brand of pop music is typically more driven by rhythm and tidy melodies, but it felt right to let the unhinged emotions and desperation of the lyric inform a more complex, intrcate melody. It’s also rare that I get to really show off my vocal range, so it was nice to let go of the perfect pop structure and indulge in my inner diva. I can’t wait to perform it.”
 
In the end, Hot City welcomes everyone.
 
“I want to provide an escape for people,” she leaves off. “My fans have watched me have incredible accomplishments and disappointing failures, so perseverance is a big part of my message. They’ve encouraged me to get back up, and I want to do the same for them. At the end of the day, I’ve realized that it’s really not about “getting there”, and that’s what I love about the concept of Hot City- It’s not a destination, it’s an experience.”