K.Flay
K.Flay: How Did She Celebrate Her 2018 GRAMMY Nominations?
She made a name for herself as the Suburban Rap Queen on the underground hip-hop scene for more than a decade. She's now turned alt-rock radio on its ears with her major label debut, 2017's Every Where Is Some Where, released on Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds' imprint, Night Street Records. She's a graduate from Stanford (class of 2007), where she double-majored in psychology and sociology. And now she's a first-time GRAMMY nominee.
Meet K.Flay.
Hailing from Wilmette, Ill., K.Flay — born Kristine Flaherty — parlayed her potent mixture of hip-hop and indie rock to wider exposure via an opening slot on the Imagine Dragons' 2017 tour. While music was relegated to an extracurricular activity while in college, her career has gone next level given her 60th GRAMMY nominations for Best Rock Song for "Blood In The Cut" and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Every Where Is Some Where.
"For me, coming from more of an indie DIY background, it's really cool to get this kind of [recognition]," says K.Flay. "[Afterward], I ate a bunch of McDonald's — we got Egg McMuffins and coffees and stuff."
With self-explanatory lyrics such as "The boy I love's got another girl/He might be f***ing her right now," "Blood In The Cut" — co-written with JT Daly — offers a sentiment that anyone with a heart can relate to. And with its spiraling riffs and close-to-the-bone vocal delivery, it also represents a synopsis of K.Flay's hybrid musical approach.
"The inspiration was a very honest feeling of powerlessness, sadness, loserdom, if that's a word," she told AXS.com.
As a contributing engineer to Every Where Is Some Where, K. Flay is also up for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical with fellow engineers Brent Arrowood, Miles Comaskey, Daly, Tommy English, Adam Hawkins, Chad Howat, Tony Maserati, and Joe LaPorta.
"The engineering was a team effort in the truest sense," K.Flay told AXS.com. "Everyone involved put so much time and love into the project, and I hope it's that attention to detail that helped the record stand out."
K.Flay has a full itinerary on the docket for 2018 with her first headlining tour kicking off in Southern California on Jan. 11. During her headline jaunt, she'll have room to stretch out her set list, which will likely include singles such as "Giver" and "High Enough."
In the meantime, K.Flay is basking in the light of the validation she has received from her peers. And she's looking forward to her first trip to Music's Biggest Night.
"[I] feel really excited to have seen this thing that started out as a weird hobby grow into my actual job."
