Kota Banks | |
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Birth name | Jessica Mimi Porfiri |
Born | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 13 October 1994
Origin | Italy |
Genres | Pop |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 2005–present |
Labels |
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Jessica Mimi Porfiri (born 13 October 1994), who performs as Kota Banks, is an Australian pop singer-songwriter and musician.[1] She signed to Nina Las Vegas's label, NLV Records, in May 2017, which released Banks' ten-track extended play, Prize (styled as PRIZE), as a mix tape in mid-2018.[2][3] Banks has co-written songs for fellow Australian artists.[4] She supported What So Not on his national tour.[5] By November 2017, her music had accumulated over 20 million plays on Spotify.[1]
Kota Banks was born in 1994 in Sydney, Australia, as Jessica Mimi Porfiri,[6] in Sydney. She spent her late childhood and teens in Florence, a formative time that shaped her identity and connection to her heritage. Banks has been singing since the age of 9.[7] She returned to Sydney.
Banks is a Christian.[8] She prays every time she writes music.[8] In an article with The Daily Telegraph, she said:
"I just feel like it [praying] gives me more depth to my songwriting and opens my mind."[8]
Banks' debut single, "N.F.F.A.", was issued in 2016 and was co-written by Banks with Lee Chew (or Toby Chew-Lee) and Cameron Nacson.[9] It was produced by the duo as MOZA.[10] Troy Mutton of Pile Rats described how she, "dabbles in some seriously fun electronic-pop", and described her single as a "bold track both production-wise and lyrically, catchy as and slotting right alongside artists such as Nicole Millar, Jess Kent and Danish artist MØ."[10]
Her second single, "Holiday", appeared in 2017, which was co-written with Danny Omerhodic,[11] who produced the track for NLV Records, as Swick.[12] "Empty Streets" featuring MOZA, was her next single in that year, which was also co-written with Chew and Nacson.[9][13][14][15] For the Junior Eurovision Song Contest of 2017, Banks, Chew and Nacson, with Chloe Papandrea, co-wrote Australia's entry, "Speak Up".[16] It was performed by Isabella Clarke in Tbilisi, where Clarke finished third.[17]
For the FOMO Festival in Adelaide, Banks joined Nina Las Vegas (a.k.a. Nina Agzarian) on-stage to perform "Holiday" in January 2018.[18] The pair co-wrote "Alibrandi" with Omerhodic, which Las Vegas performs using Banks on vocals.[19] In March her single, "Zoom", was premiered on Triple J's Good Nights and subsequently received high rotation on the national youth radio station.[20] Triple J's Al Newstead declared, "this [track] has grown on us hard. It's a fun, flirty mix of dancehall and pop elevated by the fanciful production."[21]
Banks released her debut extended play, Prize (styled as PRIZE), in mid-2018, as a ten-track mix tape.[22][23] It was produced by Omerhodic, who shared the song writing with Banks on most of its tracks.[20][22] AltMedia's Jamie Apps rated it at three-and-a-half stars and explained, "[she] is not just a one hit wonder though as throughout the remainder of the record Banks carries the momentum forward as she celebrate feminine strength and empowerment."[24] Following the release of PRIZE, Banks announced her debut national headline tour, selling out her hometown show.
From July 2019, Banks began releasing her music under Sony Music Entertainment Australia.[25] From 2019, she shares her life through TikTok and tries to get more attention through extended play (EP).[26][27]
Title | Details |
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Prize[A] |
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Title | Details |
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Sweet and the Spice |
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Title | Year | Album |
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"N.F.F.A" | 2016 | Non-album singles |
"Holiday" | 2017 | |
"Empty Streets" (featuring MOZA) | ||
"Zoom"[30] | 2018 | |
"Fiorentina" (featuring Capo Lee)[31] |
Prize | |
"Child" | ||
"I'm It"[32] | ||
"20 Missed Calls" | 2019 | Non-album singles |
"Big Bucks" | ||
"Feel Again"[33] | ||
"Italiana" (standard or acoustic version)[34] |
2020 | |
"Snip Snip" (prod. by Swick)[35] |
Sweet and the Spice | |
"Let U Leave"[36] | ||
"Never Sleep"[29] | ||
"Yes"[37] | ||
"Mutual XO"[38] | 2022 |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Don't Look Down" (Pez featuring Kota Banks)[39] |
2016 | Don't Look Down |
"Decisions" (Swick featuring Kota Banks)[40] |
2018 | Non-album single |
Notes
Title | Year | Director |
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"Zoom"[41] | 2018 | Ella Carey |