Kaytranada

Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known by his stage name Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian DJ and record producer.[1][2][3][4] Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, and original music projects beginning in 2010 under the alias Kaytradamus. By 2013, and under the moniker Kaytranada, he began gaining wider recognition and, the following year, signed a deal with XL Recordings, with whom he would release his critically acclaimed debut studio album 99.9% in 2016. In 2019, he released its follow-up, Bubba, for which he was nominated for three Grammy Awards. Celestin is one half of the hip hop duo The Celestics, along with his brother Lou Phelps.

Kaytranada
Kaytranada in September 2016
Background information
Birth nameLouis Kevin Celestin
Also known as
  • Kaytra
  • Kaytradamus
Born (1992-08-25) August 25, 1992
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
OriginMontreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • DJ
  • record producer
Years active2010–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitekaytranada.com

Early life

Kaytranada was born Louis Kevin Celestin on August 25, 1992 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Shortly after he was born, his family relocated to Montreal where he was raised. Kaytranada began to DJ at the age of 14. The following year, at 15, Kaytranada began to produce after his brother introduced him to FL Studio.[5][6]

Career

Celestin began his career under the name Kaytradamus in 2010. He released two projects as Kaytradamus before changing his name to Kaytranada in 2012. Kaytranada was on the roster of HW&W Recordings, an independent label based in Los Angeles and Toronto.[7] Kaytranada has released 13 projects and 41 remixes. He has toured more than 50 Canadian, American, European and Australian cities.[8][9][10][11]

In December 2014, he signed an exclusive recording agreement with XL Recordings. During 2015, Kaytranada opened for two nights of Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour, one in Canada and one in the United States.[12] Speculation arose that Kaytranada and producer Rick Rubin had started working together when a photo of them surfaced online around February 2015. It was later confirmed that they had formed a partnership backed by Pulse Recordings.

His debut album, 99.9%, was released on May 6, 2016.[13] The album includes features from GoldLink, AlunaGeorge, Syd tha Kyd, Anderson Paak, and Vic Mensa, among others. He also collaborated with Craig David on the song "Got It Good", which is on David's sixth studio album, Following My Intuition. Kaytranada won the 2016 Polaris Music Prize for his album 99.9%.[14] The album received a score of 8.0 from Pitchfork.[15]

On December 13, 2019, his second album, Bubba, was released on RCA Records. It received a score of 8.1 from Pitchfork.[16]

Personal life

In an April 2016 article with The Fader, Kaytranada revealed that he is gay.[17]

Discography
Main article: Kaytranada discography

Since 2010, Kaytranada has released two studio albums, two studio EPs, numerous singles, and at least a dozen beat tapes. He is also a prolific remix artist and has released a series of collaborative projects with The Celestics and Robert Glasper, among others.

Studio albums

Production discography
Main article: Kaytranada production discography

Awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Nominated work Result
2015 SOCAN Awards Electronic Music Award Kaytranada Won
2016 Rober Awards Music Prize[18] Best Electronica Kaytranada Won
Breakthrough Artist Nominated
Floorfiller of the Year "Lite Spots" Nominated
iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards[19] Best Post Production Nominated
AIM Independent Music Awards[20] Independent Video of the Year Nominated
Polaris Music Prize[14] Canadian Album of the Year 99.9% Won
2017 Juno Awards Breakthrough Artist of the Year Kaytranada Nominated
Electronic Album of the Year 99.9% Won
Video of the Year "Lite Spots" Nominated
Canadian Independent Music Awards[21] Album of the Year 99.9% Nominated
Artist of the Year Kaytranada Won
iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards[22] Video of the Year "Glowed Up" (ft. Anderson.Paak) Nominated
SOCAN Songwriting Prize Nominated
2019 "Chances" (ft. Shay Lia) Nominated
2021 Grammy Awards[23] Best New Artist Kaytranada Pending
Best Dance Recording "10%" (ft. Kali Uchis) Pending
Best Dance/Electronic Album Bubba Pending

References
  1. "Stream King Kaytranada Finds Success IRL". MTV October 22, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  2. "Kaytranada - At All". Pitchfork September 5, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  3. "Listen to Kaytranada's Remix of Pharrell's "Happy"". Complex May 12, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  4. "Photo Diary: Kaytranada x Mobb Deep in the Studio". Red Bull March 31, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  5. "Kaytranada Discusses Drake Production Influence and Haitian Music". Hypetrak. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  6. "Interview: Kaytranada on His Funky XL Debut: "It's definitely going to surprise you"". The Fader May 12, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  7. "Kaytranada". Huhwhatandwhere.com. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  8. "Kaytranada: Not Missing A Beat". Vice February 5, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  9. "Kaytranada". EARMILK. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  10. "Kaytranada (Vibe)". Vibe. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  11. "Kaytranada Channels Dilla, Embraces Up-Tempo Neo-Soul". Spin June 3, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  12. "Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour Confirms Kaytranada Will Open Tonight's Show at Joe Louis Arena". Broadwayworld.com.
  13. "25 best Canadian debut albums ever". CBC Music, June 16, 2017.
  14. "Kaytranada wins 2016 Polaris Music Prize for his album 99.9%". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  15. "Kaytranada: 99.9% Album Review - Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com.
  16. "Kaytranada: Bubba Album Review - Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com.
  17. Frank, Alex (April 5, 2016). "Kaytranada Is Reaching 100%". The Fader. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  18. https://roberawards.com/awards-archive/2016-the-year-in-music/the-rober-awards-2016-music-poll/
  19. "Drake, Alessia Cara lead with seven nods each at MMVAs". Toronto Star. May 18, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  20. "AIM Awards 2016 shortlist revealed". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  21. "Home - Jim Beam INDIES with INDIE88". Jim Beam INDIES with INDIE88. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  22. "Full List of THE 2017 IHEARTRADIO MMVA Nominees – Bell Media". www.bellmedia.ca. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  23. "Grammy Nominations 2021". The New York Times.
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