Biography
New Zealand pop singer/songwriter Kimbra became internationally known for someone else's record before her own career really kicked off, but it didn't take long for her to make a big splash on her own once she got started. Born Kimbra Lee Johnson on March 27, 1990 in Hamilton, New Zealand, Kimbra began performing as a child, singing at local sports events. In her teens, she took part in school music contests and joined her high school's jazz choir. She released her first single, "Deep for You," in 2005, when she was just 15. The follow-up, "Simply on My Lips," won a music video award that helped her get a record deal with Australian indie label Forum 5, which released her 2010 single "Settle Down," which became a Top 40 hit in New Zealand. Kimbra soon made her way to Warner Bros. for her 2011 debut album, Vows. Shortly before the album's release, she made a guest appearance on Gotye's 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know," which became a worldwide smash. This couldn't have hurt the momentum of Vows; in addition to reaching No. 3 in Kimbra's homeland, the record went Platinum in Australia, and even made a strong showing in the U.S. In 2013, Kimbra earned a Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy award for her work on "Somebody That I Used to Know." Not long after that, she went to Los Angeles to work on her second album, The Golden Echo. Released in 2014, the record included performances by Bilal and Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez Lopez as well as writing contributions from John Legend and Thundercat. The album went to No. 5 in both New Zealand and Australia, though it didn't generate any hit singles. Four years later, Kimbra released her third album, Primal Heart.
