Kiesa Rae Ellestad, known as Kiesza, is one of the performers at the 2014 MTV EMAs and we’ve got all the info on the singer right here. Read on for all the details on Kiesza’s time in the Royal Canadian Navy, her ballet career aspirations, and how her parents’ divorce affected her song-writing.
1. “Hideaway” Is Kiesza’s Breakout Song
“Hideaway” debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart issued for April 26, 2014 and made its way over to the U.S. with great success. Check out the music video for the single above.
Kiesza has had her hand in songwriting for so many big artists recently. For example, she’s written several songs for Rihanna, which may appear on her upcoming new album.
2. She Was In the Royal Canadian Navy
When Kiesza was 16 years old, she took part in a Sail and Life Training Society (SALTS) program. A year later she joined the reserves of the Royal Canadian Navy along with her brother. She then became a NavCom (Naval Communicator). While in the Navy, Kiesza taughter herself how to play the guitar and participated in the Miss Universe Canada pageant. In 2008, Kiesza gave away 4,500 CDs to Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan because of her time in the Navy.
3. Ballet Was Her Passion Until an Injury Ended her Dream
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Kiesza was in the Young Canadians dance company, performing tap and jazz dancing, as well as theatre. Kiesza also trained as a ballerina, but a knee injury when she was 15 ended her career in ballet.
4. Fendi Has Hired Kiesza as the Face of a New Eye-Wear Line
This year Kiesza was selected to be the face of a new line of fashion eye-wear called “Color Block” for Fendi. Check out the promotional video shot by Ruth Hogben, which features Kiesza. Drawing inspiration from this, Kiesza has her own line of fashion under the name “SteamPop”.
5. Her Parents’ Divorce Inspired her First Song
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Like many artists, Kiesza uses inspiration for her song-writing from her own life. When her parents got divorced, it inspired her to write her first song, in order to express her feelings.
