K. Flay

Kristine Meredith Flaherty, known professionally as K.Flay, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and rapper. She is best known for her genre-defying musical style spanning hip hop, alternative hip hop, indie, and pop rock, as well as her studio albums and collaborations with artists such as Mike Shinoda, Tom Morello, and Vic Fuentes.

Flaherty was born in Wilmette, Illinois, on June 30, 1985, and attended New Trier High School. Her parents divorced when she was seven years old, and she was later adopted by her stepfather. When she was 14, her biological father died of causes related to alcoholism, an event that influenced many of her future songs. In 2003, she enrolled at Stanford University to pursue a double major in psychology and sociology, meeting people who significantly influenced her musical style.

K.Flay began her music career in 2003 while attending Stanford, writing her first song, "Blingity Blang Blang," as a rap parody. Realizing she enjoyed writing and recording music on her computer, she released her laptop-produced mixtape Suburban Rap Queen in 2005. She signed with RCA Records in 2012, releasing the EPs Eyes Shut and What If It Is before departing the label in 2013 due to creative differences and leaving behind over 60 unreleased tracks. In June 2014, she independently released her debut studio album, Life as a Dog, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 14 on the Rap Albums chart.

In 2016, K.Flay signed to Interscope Records as the inaugural artist on Dan Reynolds' Night Street Records imprint. She released her second studio album, Every Where Is Some Where, in April 2017. The album's lead single, "Blood in the Cut," earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song, while the album itself was nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Her third studio album, Solutions, was released in July 2019, followed by her 2020 EP Don't Judge a Song by Its Cover.

In 2021, K.Flay released the EPs Inside Voices and Outside Voices, which were compiled into her fourth studio album, Inside Voices / Outside Voices, in February 2022. Later that year, a viral infection caused her to suffer sudden sensorineural hearing loss and labyrinthitis, resulting in complete deafness in her right ear. She channeled her experience with vulnerability into her fifth studio album, Mono, released in September 2023.

Following Mono, K.Flay released the EP I'm Making Friends With The Silence in November 2024, featuring softer arrangements inspired by her hearing loss. She received a cochlear implant in April 2025 and collaborated with Amy Lee on the song "Fight Like a Girl" for the film Ballerina in June 2025. In February 2026, she announced an electronic side project called 2XT with musician Jason Suwito, leading to their debut album, Special Feelings. She resides in Los Angeles.