I was a weird teenager. My mother was actually worried because I didn't have any interest in dating in my teenage years. I had all this desire to pursue my passions like ballet, then sailing, then music, so I didn't have any emptiness to fill.
— Kiesza
I wear crop tops and stuff, but I genuinely like that style, so it's just has to be genuine. Once you start getting to that world where you're using sexuality to try to propel something, you're losing the moment. You've lost; people are not focusing on that anymore.
When I started writing music on the guitar, it started off very folky because of my limited ability to play. It was slow, soft melodies. But then, as I got better on the guitar, I started exploring different sounds.
It wasn't until I wrote 'Hideaway' that I found the song I related to as an artist.
People have mentioned, 'Maybe you should try to be more sexy. Look at how this butt stuff propelled this person to the top of the chart; it's amazing!' And I'm like, 'What if I really want to sing something to people?' I speak my mind. I want to be that person people feel they can listen to.
I didn't date for my entire teen life - it just wasn't on my mind.
You cannot go wrong by learning classical music because it trains the ear.
I love Canadians. I think we make an impact around the world just when people meet us, and whenever I meet another Canadian, I see it as well.
The moment I wrote my first song, I got addicted.
You cannot teach a person how to write songs. It's about being your own person and following your instincts.
My sound definitely pays a lot of homage to the Nineties, but not just the dance music. There's also breakbeats, R&B, the big ballads. It's that whole era infused with very modern sounds.
I tend to obsess over my passions.
Life experience brings out different emotions and different perspectives on things. I just want to be constantly evolving.
A lot of people preach and talk, but I think the only way to preach is to actually do things.
To be honest, I'm more of a sneaker person. My legs hurt if I wear heels for too long.
I'm very naturally happy, quirky and positive.
I didn't want to be that artist that is successful as a result of someone else. Not that that's wrong, but I felt like I had what it took. I really believed I could do it on my own, so I wanted to try, at least.
I was a very unpredictable child. I'd pack a bag and go off and do a hike in the mountains for 10 days.
From the age of three to 15, I wanted to be a ballerina and trained really, really hard. Then I had that classic movie story moment, where I had an injury and had to give up my dream.
I believe that anyone can be what they want to be; it just comes down to hard work.
You're taught that you can keep going in the military. Your point of collapse is not what you thought it was. Your body is built to survive, and when you think you're going to collapse, you still have so much more left in you.
When something really grabs me, I dive into it.
I feel like, when you turn on the radio and you hear a great song, you know it's a great song, and you sing along. We all know what a great song sounds like, so we all have that instinct, it's just being able to accept your own instincts when you write that song.
In the Navy, the path is paved for you. Your job is to be a soldier and fit in. As long as you stick to your place, it's actually really easy.
When I'm on a plane, I am the annoying person humming into my phone. Sitting there static with nothing to do, a lot of melodies come to me. So I've written a lot of songs on planes.
Beauty has so many forms, and I think the most beautiful thing is confidence and loving yourself.
I like to be creative with my red carpet outfits, but equally, sometimes I am just in the mood to go all out with a ball gown and heels - but only If you get me on the right day!
I don't think shoving my butt into people's faces will tell them anything about who I am. How is that connecting to your audience? What is that doing for your music?
I was in a rock band; I was my own folk singer; I was in a death metal band for a very short time; I was in a cover band, a jazz band, a blues band. I was in a gospel choir.
Oh man, the Vengaboys are my guilty pleasure.
I probably wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the gay community supporting me. I wouldn't be the artist I was today if it wasn't for that because that was the only community that let me try, let me perform without knowing who I was.
As an artist, I feel so fortunate to be able to learn from all these great musicians that came before me, when some people have nobody that came before them.
I tend to sort of dive into things without worrying about risk or anything. Like, when I get an idea, I tend to just go for it and see what happens.
It's hard to dance to really fast music. All you can do is pump your fist to it, and after a while, you're going to have a seizure.
I loved the bootcamp and the training. It was the actual Navy and the structure after it that I realized wasn't for me because they're building soldiers. It's a system, and you can't really stick out; you can't be the oddball out in the military.
