Kota Banks

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Kota Banks
Birth nameJessica Mimi Porfiri
Born (1994-10-13) 13 October 1994 (age 29)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
OriginItaly
GenresPop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2005–present
Labels

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]

Early life[edit]

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.

Personal life[edit]

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]

Career[edit]

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]

Discography[edit]

Mixtapes[edit]

List of mixtapes, with release date and label shown
Title Details
Prize[A]

Extended plays[edit]

List of EPs, with release date and label shown
Title Details
Sweet and the Spice

Singles[edit]

As lead artist[edit]

List of singles as lead artist, with year released and album shown
Title Year Album
"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

As featured artist[edit]

List of singles as featured artist, with year released and album shown
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

  1. ^ Prize is stylized in all caps.[28]

Music videos[edit]

List of music videos, with year released and director shown
Title Year Director
"Zoom"[41] 2018 Ella Carey

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Lefevre, Jules (3 November 2017). "Kota Banks Is One of Australia's Best New Pop Acts". Junkee. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  2. ^ O'Neill, Holly (June 2018). Emma Jones, Martin Novosel (ed.). "Sur-PRIZE! Wrap your ears around Kota Bank's future facing pop mixtape". Purple Sneakers. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Kota Banks". Mushroom Music Publishing. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  4. ^ Jones, Emma (July 2018). "Interview Kota Banks". Purple Sneakers. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Exclusive: Kota Banks Signs to New World Artists". theMusic.com.au. 13 June 2018. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Repertoire Search: Songwriter/Composer: Porfiri". Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Kota Banks". triple j Unearthed. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Hermo, Dominique (16 November 2018). "Aussie singer Kota Banks is your soundtrack to summer". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  9. ^ a b "'NFFA' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 8 August 2018. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'
  10. ^ a b Mutton, Troy. "Premiere: Meet Kota Banks and her fresh new tropical banger, 'N.F.F.A'". Pile Rats. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  11. ^ "'Holiday' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 8 August 2018. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'
  12. ^ Emma Jones, Martin Novosel (ed.). "Kota Banks signs to NLV Records with monster pop tune 'Holiday'". Pile Rats. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Kota Banks". BigSound. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  14. ^ "'Zoom' into New Kota Banks Video". auspOp. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Kota Banks – New Songs, Playlists & Latest News". BBC. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  16. ^ "'Speak Up' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 8 August 2018. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'
  17. ^ "Isabella Clarke 'Speak Up'". Junior Eurovision Song Contest. 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  18. ^ Nguyen, Jenny (9 January 2018). "FOMO Adelaide Review". theMusic.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  19. ^ "'Alibrandi' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 8 August 2018. Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:'
  20. ^ a b c "Kota Banks releases surprise debut mixtape 'PRIZE'". Amnplify. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  21. ^ Newstead, Al (14 May 2018). "Best New Music: Peking Duk, Phantastic Ferniture, Didirri, Channel Tres". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  22. ^ a b Davies, Hayden. "Kota Banks Details Her Show-Stopping Debut Mixtape, Prize". Pile Rats. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Kota Banks". J Play. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  24. ^ Apps, Jamie (28 June 2018). "Kota Banks – Prize". Altmedia. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  25. ^ "Kota Banks releases new single 'Let U Leave'". Sony Music Australia. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Kota Banks on TikTok". TikTok.
  27. ^ "How Does an EP Shape Music Career on Platforms Like TikTok?". www.soundon.global.
  28. ^ "PRIZE by Kota Banks on Apple Music". Apple Music AU. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  29. ^ a b Bruce, Jasper (17 July 2020). "Kota Banks announces forthcoming EP, shares single 'Never Sleep'". NME. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  30. ^ Davies, Hayden (16 March 2018). "Kota Banks drops another brilliant pop gem in 'Zoom'". Pile Rats. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  31. ^ Smith, Joseph (8 June 2018). "Kota Banks flexes her Italian heritage on new track 'Fiorentina'". Stoney Roads. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  32. ^ "Kota Banks – I'm It (Official Video)". 3 September 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2020 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ "Kota Banks drops new track and video 'Feel Again'". Sony Music Australia. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  34. ^ "Kota Banks releases new track and video for 'Italiana'". Sony Music Australia. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  35. ^ Langford, Jackson (15 May 2020). "Kota Banks releases new single 'Snip Snip' with Swick". NME. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  36. ^ Bruce, Jasper (12 June 2020). "Kota Banks shares new single 'Let U Leave'". NME. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  37. ^ Bruce, Jasper (31 July 2020). "Kota Banks drops EP, shares latest single 'Yes'". NME. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  38. ^ "NEW AUS MUSIC PLAYLIST: Our Favourite Tunes Of The Week". Music Feeds. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  39. ^ "Don't Look Down (Radio Edit) [feat. Kota Banks] – Single by Pez on Apple Music". Apple Music MEX. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  40. ^ Antoine (7 September 2018). "Swick teams with Kota Banks for spicy club-pop number 'Decisions'". Stoney Roads. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  41. ^ Tonkin, Sarah (21 March 2018). "Kota Banks shares exciting single and video for 'Zoom'". Stoney Roads. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
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