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Kaiit
Musical artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaiit (/ˌkɑːˈiːt/ kah-EET) is the performance name of Kaiit Bellamia Waup (born 29 October 1997, Papua New Guinea), who is a neo soul singer-songwriter based in Australia. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, they won the inaugural Best Soul/R&B Release category for the single, "Miss Shiney" (2019).
Biography
Kaiit was born as Kaiit Bellamia Waup,[1][2] in 1997 in Papua New Guinea (PNG)[3][4] to a Papua New Guinean father and Indigenous Australian mother of Gunditjmara and Torres Strait Islander heritage.[4] The artist grew up in both PNG and Australia.[4] Initially pursuing a career as a make-up artist, Kaiit turned to performing as a singer based in Melbourne.[4][5]
Kaiit's first single, "Natural Woman", was issued in mid-2017.[3] It is co-written by Kaiit with Michael Chan, Jack Hewitt, Michael Cooper and Mohamed Komba.[6] Sonny Thomas of Purple Sneakers praised the song, "Jam-packed with soul and seemingly effortless cool, she shines on her new single and film clip."[7] It is included on their five-track debut extended play, Live from Her Room, which was issued in September 2018.[4][8] Gloria Brancatisano of Beat rated it at 8.5 out-of 10, "Kaiit paints a picture of a woman who understands her worth, appreciating those who come into her life to improve it while carefully removing those who are toxic."[8]
Another single, "OG Luv Kush Pt 2", from the EP had been issued in 2018, which is "an essay of reasons to leave a relationship and in spite of the listed problems, Kaiit shows her strength in character."[8] The track was shared on social media by American singer, Jill Scott.[4] At the APRA Music Awards of 2019 "OG Luv Kush Pt 2" was short-listed for Song of the Year.[9] In that year the singer-songwriter undertook a European tour including a performance at England's The Great Escape Festival.[4] In May 2019 the single, "Miss Shiney", was released.[10] It won the inaugural Best Soul/R&B Release category at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019.[11][12][13]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the artist turned to crowdfunding to maintain their independence from major record labels.[4] In August 2021 they launched a GoFundMe page to "recover [her] independence as an artist" and continue releasing new music.[14] They performed new material in February 2023 at Nocturnal x Midsumma held at Melbourne Museum.[15] In March 2024 the singer supported Zambian-born Sampa the Great at Supreme Court Gardens, Melbourne.[16] Kaiit performed new songs, "2000 n Somethin'" and "Dumb Sis Juice", by "Combining fluid jazz sounds with wavy, celestial vocals, Kaiit delivered a quirky, intimate performance that left listeners feeling giddy and euphoric."[16]
Kaiit's debut studio album And Off She Goes is scheduled for released in May 2025.[17]
Personal life
Kaiit is non-binary,[18] and uses she/her, he/him, and they/them pronouns.[19] Her partner in life is fellow singer Adrian Eagle,[4][20] who was also nominated for Best Soul/R&B Release in 2019 for his single "AOK".[13]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| And Off She Goes |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Live from Her Room |
|
Singles
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Warning" (with Cookin' on 3 Burners)[27][28] | 2018 | Lab Experiments Vol. 2 |
Awards and nominations
APRA Awards
The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters".[29]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "OG Luv Kush Pt 2" by Kaiit (Kaiit Waup, Michael Chan, Anthony Douglas, Mohamed Komba, Jaydean Miranda, Damian Smith) |
Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [9] |
| 2020 | "Miss Shiney" by Kaiit (Kaiit Waup, Vincent Goodyer, Nicholas Martin) |
Song of the Year | Shortlisted | [30] |
| 2025 | "Space" by Kaiit (Kaiit Waup, Jake Amy, Anthony Liddell, Jaydean Miranda, Justin Smith) |
Most Performed R&B / Soul Work | Won | [31] |
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Miss Shiney" | Best Soul/R&B Release | Won |
Music Victoria Awards
The Music Victoria Awards, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005.[32][33]
Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition
The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins" and is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. It commenced in 2009.[35]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019[36] | "Miss Shiney" | Unpublished prize | Won |