Quick Facts
Biography
Kylee Saunders (born May 25, 1994), better known mononymously as Kylee, is a Japanese American singer. She is signed with Sony Music Japan's DefStar Records label.
Early life and career
Kylee was born in Chandler, Arizona, to a British-American father and Japanese mother, Her father inspired her to become a singer. She has a younger sister and a younger brother. When she was eleven years old, she passed an audition to perform the national anthem at the opening of an NBA game, earning a standing ovation. This performance earned her the interest of music producers, and she was signed onto the independent label RX-Records. Kylee attended Stoller Middle School in Portland, Oregon, until 2007, when she returned to Arizona. Kylee attended Hamilton High School and is expected to graduate from Stanford University in 2016. Kylee is a devout follower of the Mormon Church.
On October 17, 2008, her first single, "Vacancy", was released by RX-Records in the United States as a digital single. "Vacancy" was featured as the ending theme to the Sony Computer Entertainment anime series Xam'd: Lost Memories. On March 24, 2010, Kylee released her first major-label single under Sony Music Japan's label DefStar Records, titled "Kimi ga Iru Kara" (キミがいるから, "Because You Are Here"), which was featured as the theme song to the 2010 film Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, a Japan-America co-production in which she also gave a cameo performance. Her second major-label single, "Missing/It's You", was slated for release on July 7, 2010, with "Missing" being the second opening theme song to the Bones and Stan Lee anime Heroman. She also performed as one of the opening acts for the 2010 Summer Sonic Festival, playing on the Urban/Dance Stage. This was followed by her single "Everlasting", which was used as the theme song for the second episode of the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn OVA series. Kylee appeared on NBC's Today in the United States on May 13, 2011, where she was interviewed by Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, before she performed her fourth major single "Never Give Up". Kylee performed at Otakon 2011 on July 31, 2011, in Baltimore, Maryland, her US concert debut. Her fifth major single, "Crazy for You", was released on October 5, 2011; the song was used in Japanese online clothing retailer Nissen's 2011 fall collection television commercial. Kylee released her debut album, 17, on November 23, 2011. She also did a duet with Sam Tsui in May 2013.
She is to be married in 2 weeks.
Discography
The RX-Records era (2008–2009)
Single
| Release Date | Title | Notes | EP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month/Day | |||
| 2008 | December 3 | "Vacancy" |
| Kylee meets Xam'd: Lost Memories (DefStar Records) |
EP
| Release Date | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month/Day | ||
| 2009 | March 4 | Love Kicks... |
|
The DefStar Records era (2009–)
Singles
| Release Date | Title | Notes | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month/Day | |||
| 2010 | March 24 | "Kimi ga Iru Kara" (キミがいるから) |
| 17 |
| July 7 | "Missing / It's You" |
| ||
| October 27 | "Everlasting" |
| ||
| 2011 | July 13 | "Never Give Up" | ||
| October 5 | "Crazy for You" | 500,000 downloads | ||
| 2012 | June 13 | "Mirai" (未来) |
| |
| 2013 | February 13 | "Daisukinanoni" (大好きなのに) |
| |
Digital singles
| Release Date | Title | Notes | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month/Day | |||
| 2013 | May 8 | "Just Give Me a Reason" |
| |
| July 1 | "Crazy for You" (English version) |
| ||
| August 7 |
| |||
| October 7 | "Wrecking Ball" |
| ||
EPs
| Release Date | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month/Day | ||
| 2009 | July 29 | Kylee meets Xam'd: Lost Memories |
|
Studio albums
| Release Date | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month/Day | ||
| 2011 | November 23 (Japan) | 17 | Including "Unnoticed", "Yours Truly", "Brand New Wave" (feat. Orianthi) and more |
| 2013 | July 1 (20 other countries) | ||
Album appearances
| Release Date | Song | Album | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month/Day | |||
| 2012 | October 24 | "My Generation" (Yui cover) | She Loves You (A Tribute to Yui) | a new recording |
| 2013 | March 27 | "Never Give Up" | 女子力を磨く歌 (Girl Power Songs) (avex trax) | Taken from 17 |
| August 28 | "One" | Ivory7 Chord's second mini album, Synesthesia (magnifique) | only co-writing lyrics | |
Live performances
Covers on YouTube
Kylee started a covers project on YouTube.
| Release Date | Song | Original Artists | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Month/Day | |||
| 2013 | May 15 | "Just Give Me a Reason" | Pink featuring Fun's lead singer Nate Ruess | with Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider |
| August 26 | "Come & Get It" | Selena Gomez | video director: Jerry Corria | |
| October 5 | "Clarity" | Zedd featuring Foxes |
| |
| October 6 | "Wrecking Ball" | Miley Cyrus | with Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider | |
| November 28 | "Young and Beautiful" remix | Lana Del Rey |
| |
| 2014 | January 11 | "Story of My Life" / "Best Song Ever" mashup | One Direction |
|
| January 23 | "Mirrors" / "Stay" / "Holy Grail" mashup | Justin Timberlake / Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko / Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake |
| |
| February 4 | "Let It Go" from Disney's film Frozen | Idina Menzel / Demi Lovato |
| |
| February 10 | Valentine's Day Love Medley! (27 songs in 3 mins)
| Ne-Yo / Justin Bieber / Calvin Harris / Rihanna / Taylor Swift and more | with Chester See and Kurt Schneider | |
Management
Kylee is managed in the US and Japan by Antinos Management America.