Kito (musician)

Maaike Kito Lebbing, known professionally as Kito, is an Australian record producer, songwriter and DJ currently based in Los Angeles, California. Kito originally debuted in 2009 on Skream's record label Disfigured Dubz. After independently releasing an EP in 2018 called Haani, Lebbing debuted under Astralwerks/Capitol, releasing singles featuring Empress Of, AlunaGeorge, Fletcher, Zhu and Jeremih. She has created official remixes for Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)" (2011), Broods' "Too Proud" (2019) and Wafia's "Flowers and Superpowers" (2019), and produced music for musicians such as Mabel, Jorja Smith, Banks and Ruel, and in 2019 was nominated for the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year (Los Angeles) at the 2020 Global APRA Music Awards.

Kito
Birth nameMaaike Kito Lebbing
BornDenmark, Western Australia
GenresElectronic, pop
Occupation(s)Producer, artist, DJ
Years active2008–present
LabelsPayday, Mad Decent, Sony, Ed Banger Records, Astralwerks, Capitol
Associated actsKito & Reija Lee, Diplo
Websitekitomusic.com

Between 2011 and 2014, Lebbing released music as a part of the duo Kito & Reija Lee, as well as a collaborative EP with Feadz entitled Electric Empire (2012). She has had her productions sampled and used in songs by America rap artists Trinidad James, Big Boi, T.I. and Ludacris.[1]

Biography

Lebbing grew up in the small town of Denmark, Western Australia,[2] and first began producing music as a teenager using FruityLoops.[3] At 17, Lebbing moved to Perth to study fashion, however soon quit and began working at a record store while studying music for a year at TAFE.[2] Lebbing began working as a DJ at nightclubs in Perth, and in 2006 travelled to Europe for a year, which led her to develop a love of dubstep and inspired her to become a full-time musician.[2]

In 2008, she debuted her first releases through Skream's Disfigured Dubz label.[3] Lebbing later sent demos of hers which she had created with friend and vocalist Reija Lee to producer Diplo on MySpace, which caused him to sign them to his label Mad Decent as a duo.[3][4] Kito & Reija Lee relocated to London in 2011,[5][4] releasing their debut extended play Sweet Talk in the same year, as well as remixing Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)".[6] Lebbing collaborated with Feadz in 2012 on the EP Electric Empire,[7][8] and in 2013, rapper Trinidad James sampled the group's song "Run for Cover" for his song "Females Welcomed", which was also later used as a sample for Big Boi, T.I. and Ludacris' song "King Shit".[1] The group released a second EP in 2014, II,[1] however disbanded in 2015. Lebbing remained in London and worked as a producer, creating songs for musicians such as Mabel, and worked on Jorja Smith's 2018 debut album Lost & Found.[5]

After a break-up in 2017, Lebbing moved back to her hometown in Western Australia, and recorded her second solo EP, Haani.[9] The EP, released in the following year, featured collaborations with musicians such as Elley Duhé, Broods and Hudson Mohawke.[9] She soon relocated to Los Angeles,[10] and after signing to Astralwerks/EMI Music Australia released "Wild Girl", a collaboration with Empress Of,[11] soon followed by "Alone with You" featuring AlunaGeorge.[12]

In 2019, Kito was nominated for the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year (Los Angeles) at the 2020 Global APRA Music Awards.[13]

Artistry

Lebbing was influenced by her mother's love of Kate Bush as a child, as well as DJ Shadow's Endtroducing..... (1996) and Dr. Octagon's Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996) which were introduced to her by her sister.[14] As a teenager, Lebbing primarily listened to drum and bass and hip hop,[1] and cites Burial as one of the dubstep musicians who influenced her love of the genre.[2]

Discography

Extended plays
Title Details
Kito EP
Electric Empire
(Feadz & Kito)
Haani
  • Released: 19 October 2018[17]
  • Label: Bimyou
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles
List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Dance
[18]		 US
Dance Airplay
[19]
"What If"[20] 2008 —— Non-album singles
"Cold"[20] ——
"Get Faded"
(featuring Tara Carosielli)		 2015 ——
"Ego"[21] 2018 —— Haani
"Strawberries"[22]
(featuring Elley Duhé, Trinidad James and Kodie Shane)		 ——
"Creature Kind"[23]
(Kito & Broods)		 ——
"Wild Girl"[24]
(Kito & Empress Of)		 2019 —28 Non-album singles
"Alone with You"[25]
(featuring AlunaGeorge)		 ——
"Bitter"[26]
(Fletcher with Kito)		 2020 —— The S(ex) Tapes
"Follow"[27]
(Kito, Zhu, Jeremih)		 2035 Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart, or were not released in this territory.

Remixes
Title Year Other artists Album
"Run the World (Girls) [Kito Remix]"[28] 2011 Beyoncé N/A
"Split the Atom (Kito Remix)"[29] 2012 Noisia Split the Atom: Special Edition
"Away with Me (Kito Remix)"[30] SpectraSoul featuring Tamara Bless Away with Me EP
"Who Gon Stop Me (Kito Remix)"[31] Jay-Z and Kanye West N/A
"Mirror Maru (Feadz & Kito Remix)"[32] 2013 Cashmere Cat Mirror Maru Remixes
"Too Proud (Kito Remix)"[33] 2019 Broods N/A
"Flowers and Superpowers (Kito Remix)"[34] Wafia
"Navvy Pieces (Kito Remix)"[35] 2020 Navvy

Guest appearances and production credits
Title Year Other artists Album
"Female$ Welcomed"[1] 2013 Trinidad James, Reija Lee Don't Be S.A.F.E.
"Childhood Memories"[36] Rockwell, Sam Frank N/A
"Man Enuff" 2016 M.O Who Do You Think Of? LP
"Leave You Lonely" Tara Carosielli N/A
"Money" 2017 I Know You Hate Me EP
"Stupid" Loxe, Tara Carosielli X Tape
"Not a Toy" Fanny Anderson N/A
"Low Key" Mabel Ivy to Roses
"The One" 2018 Jorja Smith Lost & Found
"Don't Worry" Annie Bass Control
"In Your Arms" 2019
"For You"
"Sweet Nothing"
"Something Changed"
"Forgive Me"
"Gimme" Banks III
"Next Mistake" Icona Pop N/A
"Real Thing" Ruel Free Time
"Thot 4 No Reason" 2020 Sonny747 N/A
"Entendido!” Lao Ra N/A
"Palladium" Kacy Hill Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again

References
  1. Dowling, Marcus (19 March 2014). "Kito & Reija Lee Talk Their New Single "Starting Line" and Their Mutual Love of Snacks". Complex. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  2. Alessio, Dom (11 December 2009). "Kito: "Dripping with attitude." Interview by Dom Alessio". Cyclic Defrost. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  3. Joshi, Tara (31 August 2017). "Kito shares her studio secrets". Redbull. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  4. "KITO: FROM AUSTRALIA TO THE UK AND EVERYWHERE INBETWEEN". Gender Amplified. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  5. "Kito". Triple J. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  6. Gordon, Smash (20 October 2011). "Getting To Know You... Kito". Fabric London. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  7. Dickson, Rebecca (9 November 2012). "MAD DECENT AND ED BANGER DJS TO TOUR AUSTRALIA". Mix Mag. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  8. "Feadz & Kito - Electric Empire - 12" Vinyl". Earcandymusic. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  9. "Rising Australian Producer Kito's HAANI EP Out Now". Broadway World. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  10. Helman, Peter (27 September 2019). "Kito & Empress Of – "Wild Girl"". Stereogum. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  11. Davies, Hayden (2019). "This Week's Must-Listen Singles: Kito, Nina Las Vegas x Anna Lunoe + more". Pilerats. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  12. Ju, Shirley (21 May 2020). "KITO & ALUNAGEORGE SHARE "ALONE WITH YOU" OFFICIAL VIDEO". Flaunt. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  13. Wilson, Zanda (12 December 2019). "London performers revealed for first Global APRA Music Awards". The Music Network. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  14. "INTERVIEW + MINIMIX: KITO & REIJA LEE". Nest HQ. 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  15. "KITO EP". Beatport. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  16. "Electric Empire - EP". iTunes. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  17. "@skopemag News For October 19, 2018 @ 2 pm est". Skopemag. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  18. "HOT DANCE/ELECTRONIC SONGS". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  19. Peak positions for Kito's singles on the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart:
  20. "What If/Cold". Forced Exposure. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  21. "Ego - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  22. "Strawberries (feat. Elley Duhé, Trinidad James & Kodie Shane) - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  23. "Creature Kind - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  24. "Wild Girl - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  25. "Alone with You (feat. AlunaGeorge) - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  26. Kent, Matthew (15 May 2020). "FLETCHER and Kito share new single "Bitter", as previously heard on The L Word". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  27. "KITO & ZHU SHARE FEEL-GOOD MUSIC VIDEO FOR JEREMIH-ASSISTED SINGLE, 'FOLLOW'". Conscious Electronic. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  28. "Run the World (Girls) [Remixes] - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  29. "NOISIA – SPLIT THE ATOM (SPECIAL EDITION) (CD)". Vision Recordings. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  30. "AWAY WITH ME EP". Beatport. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  31. "Christmas Special". BBC. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  32. "MIRROR MARU". Beatport. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  33. "Too Proud (Kito Remix)". iTunes. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  34. "FLOWERS & SUPERPOWERS KITO REMIX". Beatport. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  35. "NAVVY REVEALS VIDEO FOR 'PIECES' PLUS A KITO REMIX". Around the Sound. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  36. "Childhood Memories". Amazon. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
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