Producer
Kaytranada arrived during the early 2010s with ear-perking remixes and an array of sounds that veered from
J Dilla-inspired hip-hop beats to distinctly woozy house grooves. Numerous commissioned works and short-form solo releases led to the Haitian-Canadian's full-length debut,
99.9%, the winner of 2016's Polaris Music Prize and 2017's Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. After signing to major-label RCA, he released his second LP,
Bubba, which won a both a Juno Award and a Grammy Award for its song "10%." He followed up with the 2021 EP Intimidated.
Born Louis Kevin Celestin in Haiti, the Montreal, Quebec-raised
Kaytranada, a voracious listener, got hooked on DJ'ing and production during his teen years. Early on, as Kaytradamus, he issued a series of digital EPs, albums, and remix compilations. Around 2013, he began to operate as
Kaytranada with the EP Todo and three-track 10" At All. In 2014, he remixed
Disclosure's "January," produced "My Block" for personal heroes
Mobb Deep, and made his XL label debut that August with "Leave Me Alone," a collaboration with vocalist and fellow Montreal native
Shay Lia.
During the next two years,
Kaytranada's profile steadily rose with additional XL material ("Drive Me Crazy," featuring
Vic Mensa) and outside productions highlighted by "Girl" (from
the Internet's Grammy-nominated
Ego Death), "Lite Weight" (
Anderson .Paak), "Love" (
Rome Fortune), and "Honey" (
Katy B).
99.9%, his proper debut album, was released in 2016 with guest appearances from
Phonte,
Little Dragon, and a few of his previous collaborators. It won that year's Polaris Music Prize, and in 2017 won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. Various remixes, edits, and productions, including work for
Gorillaz,
Snoop Dogg, and
Kendrick Lamar, followed through 2018, the year
Kaytranada returned on major-label RCA with Nothin Like U/Chances, an EP co-starring
Ty Dolla $ign and
Shay Lia.
Bubba, his Juno Award-winning second album, was released the following December with
Teedra Moses,
Kali Uchis, and
Masego among the contributors. A stand-alone track, "Look Easy" featuring
Lucky Daye, arrived in July 2020. After his song "10%" won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording,
Kaytranada returned with the 2021 EP Intimidated featuring collaborations with
H.E.R.,
Thundercat, and
Mach-Hommy. ~ Andy Kellman