First Listen: Kay - 'Going Diamond' (feat. Kurtis Blow)

The way it keeps spewing fascinating pop singers our way, Canada might just be the next Sweden. Canada has given us some of the most wonderful gifts: Alanis Morissette (and Ryan Reynolds); Shania Twain; Celine Dion; Justin Bieber; Deborah Cox; Nelly Furtado; Feist; k.d. lang; Anjulie...the list goes on. One of the latest forces to make its way into American ears from our good ol' neighbors to the North, eh, is the blonde bit of brilliance known as Kay.

This is Kay. Get it?

Kay has fascinated me since she appeared on Doctor Rosen Rosen's stellar EP Girls, Volume 1 (see how I fawned over their collaboration "Hot"), which included as a bonus track one of the singer's breakout singles "M.A.J.O.R." - also produced by the good Doctor and subsequently remixed by none other than Tiësto. Since then, Kay, who has wisely gone from ho-hum dirty blonde to platinum hottie in recent months, has appeared on singles by techno big shots Diplo and Datsik ("Pick Your Poison") and Tiësto ("Work Hard, Play Hard").


Now the bombshell is featured on the Canadian release Cherrytree Pop Alternative from Cherrytree Records, the folks behind Robyn, Far East Movement, La Roux, LMFAO, Colette Carr, Ellie Goulding, Frankmusik, Feist, and more. The new track, "Going Diamond," features one of rap's icons, Kurtis Blow, who in 1979 became the first rapper signed by a major label and is one of Kay's major idols and influences. The track is a breezy, upbeat 90s throwback, but its real purpose - and achievement - is in showing off Kay's numerous talents and most intriguing stylistic attributes: a mixture of rap and singing a la Ke$ha (but to different effect), major attitude and palpable sex appeal, and talent for clever and sometimes ridiculous wordplay, and a visual and musical style that mixes '90s girl-power chic with contemporary hip-hop are among them. The presence of a music (and music industry) icon like Blow is a big vote of confidence in the emerging star...not that anyone who has the chance to hear her music should need any further convincing.

Since the track is only available for sale in Canada (so far), here it is for the rest of the world. I think this gal is the real deal. See if you agree.

 

  Going Diamond (feat. Kurtis Blow) - KAY by MY.NAME.IS.KAY

More about Kay at her website, Facebook, Twitter, or here on Vertigo Shtick