Kimya Dawson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kimya Dawson
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Dawson at the 2010 Harvest of Hope Festival in St. Augustine, Florida
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 17, 1972 Bedford Hills, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Anti-folk |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Labels | Rough Trade Records, K Records |
| Associated acts | Moldy Peaches, Aesop Rock, The Uncluded, Antsy Pants |
Kimya Dawson (born November 17, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for her folk and anti-folk music. Kimya is also one half of the duo called The Moldy Peaches.
The Moldy Peaches became very popular. Their song "Anyone Else but You" was used in many independent films. This song became super famous when it was in the 2007 movie Juno. Actors Michael Cera and Elliot Page sang it in the film. The Juno soundtrack also has other songs by Kimya and her friends. "Anyone Else but You" is her most successful song so far. Besides The Moldy Peaches, Kimya has made seven solo albums. She has also worked with many different artists. These include Aesop Rock, They Might Be Giants, and The Mountain Goats.
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Kimya Dawson's Music Journey
Kimya Dawson became well known as a co-founder of The Moldy Peaches. She started this band with Adam Green. The Moldy Peaches took a break in 2004. After that, Kimya released many homemade albums. She also toured a lot in North America and Europe.
Music for Kids
Kimya released a special album for children. It is called Alphabutt and came out on September 10, 2008. Some song titles are "The Alphabutt Song" and "Pee Pee in the Potty." Many of Kimya's musical friends helped with this album. Their children also sang on it. Kimya was even invited to be on the Sesame Street TV show.
In 2012, Kimya joined a project called "30 Songs / 30 Days." This project supported Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. It was a big media project inspired by a book.
Songs in Movies and Documentaries
Kimya Dawson's songs have been used in several films. These include The Guatemalan Handshake and Glue. Both movies were shown at the Olympia Film Festival in 2007.
In 2008, Kimya contributed a song called "Anthrax." This song was about the 9/11 events. It was part of the soundtrack for the Body of War documentary.
Juno Movie Soundtrack
The song "Anyone Else But You" by The Moldy Peaches was in the documentary Murderball. This film is about wheelchair rugby players. The song was also famously used in the movie Juno. The music in Juno was very popular. Critics liked Kimya's "sweetly melancholic" songs. They helped to show the main character's feelings.
Kimya helped choose many songs for the Juno film. This helped to create the movie's mood. NPR listeners voted the soundtrack as one of the best of 2008. Five of Kimya's solo songs are on the Juno soundtrack. Two songs from Antsy Pants and one from The Moldy Peaches are also included. The film's music was also based on Kimya's style.
The Juno soundtrack album became very successful. It reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2009, the Juno soundtrack won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack.
Two of Kimya's songs were also on the soundtrack for Unmade Beds.
Working with Other Artists
Kimya Dawson has performed on many recordings. She has worked with artists like Ben Kweller and The Mountain Goats.
She sang a duet with Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind. This song, "Self-Righteous," is on their album Out of the Vein. Kimya also appears on Third Eye Blind's album Ursa Major. She is on the song "Why Can't You Be."
Regina Spektor worked with Kimya on the song "Fire." This song is on Kimya's Hidden Vagenda album. Kimya also formed a band called 'The Bundles' with Jeffrey Lewis.
Kimya released a free album called Holiday Rampage. She made this album under the name Geniusis. She worked with Aesop Rock and other musicians on this project. In 2011, Kimya recorded a session with Aesop Rock. They performed three songs together.
Kimya released her solo album Thunder Thighs in 2011. This album features many guest artists. These include Aesop Rock and John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats. Her child, Panda, also performed on the album.
She has performed many times with Paul Baribeau. Kimya often mentions him in her songs.
Kimya played at An Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall. She performed with John Green and Hank Green in 2013.
In 2013, Kimya and Aesop Rock released their first music video. Their band is called The Uncluded. The song was titled "Earthquake." Their first album, Hokey Fright, came out in May 2013. The video for their song "Delicate Cycle" features a cameo by Lil Bub.
Kimya Dawson's Life
Kimya Dawson moved to Bedford Hills, New York, in 2005. In 2006, she married musician Angelo Spencer. In July 2006, Kimya had a child named Panda. Later that year, the family moved to Olympia, Washington.
Kimya is good friends with wrestler Bryan Danielson, also known as Daniel Bryan. He is a guest artist on her song "Captain Lou." This song is a tribute to wrestling manager Lou Albano.
In late 2019, Kimya shared that she had been impacted by gender dysphoria. She stated her pronouns as "she/they/grandpa." She had used "Grandpa Kimya" on Twitter since 2012. In a tweet, Kimya said that knowing words like "gender fluid" and "nonbinary" would have helped her growing up. She wished these terms had been more common.
Kimya Dawson's Music Albums
Before The Moldy Peaches' albums, Kimya released several homemade CDs.
With The Moldy Peaches
- The Moldy Peaches – Released September 11, 2001
- County Fair/Rainbows – A single released in 2002
- Moldy Peaches 2000: Unreleased Cutz and Live Jamz 1994-2002 – Released March 18, 2003
Solo Albums
- I'm Sorry That Sometimes I'm Mean – Released November 5, 2002
- Knock Knock Who? – Released August 3, 2004
- My Cute Fiend Sweet Princess – Released August 3, 2004
- Hidden Vagenda – Released October 5, 2004
- Remember That I Love You – Released May 9, 2006
- Alphabutt – Released September 2008
- ”Follow That Dream” – Released in 2023
With Antsy Pants
- Antsy Pants – Released 2006
With The Bundles
- The Bundles – Released 2009
With The Uncluded
- Hokey Fright – Released July 5, 2013
Songs on Other Albums
- Third Eye Blind's 2009 album: Ursa Major [Bonus Track Version] – "Why Can't You Be" (With Kimya Dawson)
- Third Eye Blind's 2003 album: Out of the Vein – "Self Righteous"
- Antifolk Vol. 1 – "I'm Fine"
- Anticomp Folkilation – "Will You Be Me" (Live)
- Afro-Punk Compilation Record Vol. 1 – "Loose Lips"
- AFNY Collaborations. Volume 1 – Kimya Dawson and Jeff Lewis
- Titanium Heart and Chains of Love – Kimya Dawson and Matt Rouse EP
- A.K.A.- smooth jams e.p. with Adam Green and Akida Junglefoot Dawson
- The Art Star Sounds Compilation February 2005 – "Velvet Rabbit" (Live)
- No Parachute. Vol. 1. (DVD) – "Lullaby For The Taken" (video directed by Ted Passon). 2005
- Robot Boy DVD. – "Lullaby For The Taken". 2005
- I Killed the Monster: 21 Artists Performings the Songs of Daniel Johnston – "Follow That Dream" 2006
- Juno Soundtrack – 2008
- The Terrordactyls song "Devices" featuring guest vocals by Kimya Dawson
- Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran – "Anthrax". March 18, 2008
- Tallahassee Turns Ten: a Mountain Goats Cover Album (2012)
Images for kids
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Kimya Dawson with Paul Baribeau in June 2014. They are wearing matching socks with cartoon rabbits.
See also
In Spanish: Kimya Dawson para niños
