# Kota Banks

Jessica Mimi Porfiri (born 13 October 1994), who performs as Kota Banks, is an Australian pop singer-songwriter and musician. 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. Banks has co-written songs for fellow Australian artists. She supported What So Not on his national tour. By November 2017, her music had accumulated over 20 million plays on Spotify.

## Early life

Kota Banks was born in 1994 in Sydney, Australia, as Jessica Mimi Porfiri, 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. She returned to Sydney.

## Personal life

Banks is a Christian. She prays every time she writes music. 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."

## Career

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. It was produced by the duo as MOZA. 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."
Her second single, "Holiday", appeared in 2017, which was co-written with Danny Omerhodic, who produced the track for NLV Records, as Swick. "Empty Streets" featuring MOZA, was her next single in that year, which was also co-written with Chew and Nacson. For the Junior Eurovision Song Contest of 2017, Banks, Chew and Nacson, with Chloe Papandrea, co-wrote Australia's entry, "Speak Up". It was performed by Isabella Clarke in Tbilisi, where Clarke finished third.
For the FOMO Festival in Adelaide, Banks joined Nina Las Vegas (a.k.a. Nina Agzarian) on-stage to perform "Holiday" in January 2018. The pair co-wrote "Alibrandi" with Omerhodic, which Las Vegas performs using Banks on vocals. In March her single, "Zoom", was premiered on Triple J's Good Nights and subsequently received high rotation on the national youth radio station. 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."
Banks released her debut extended play, Prize (styled as PRIZE), in mid-2018, as a ten-track mix tape. It was produced by Omerhodic, who shared the song writing with Banks on most of its tracks. 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." 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. From 2019, she shares her life through TikTok and tries to get more attention through extended play (EP).

## Discography
### Mixtapes

List of mixtapes, with release date and label shown :
| Title | Details |
| Prize | Released: 29 June 2018 Label: NLV Records Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### Extended plays

List of EPs, with release date and label shown :
| Title | Details |
| Sweet and the Spice | Released: 31 July 2020 Label: Sony Music Australia Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

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 | Non-album singles |
| "Empty Streets" (featuring MOZA) | 2017 | Non-album singles |
| "Zoom" | 2018 | Non-album singles |
| "Fiorentina" (featuring Capo Lee) | 2018 | Prize |
| "Child" | 2018 | Prize |
| "I'm It" | 2018 | Prize |
| "20 Missed Calls" | 2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Big Bucks" | 2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Feel Again" | 2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Italiana" (standard or acoustic version) | 2020 | Non-album singles |
| "Snip Snip" (prod. by Swick) | 2020 | Sweet and the Spice |
| "Let U Leave" | 2020 | Sweet and the Spice |
| "Never Sleep" | 2020 | Sweet and the Spice |
| "Yes" | 2020 | Sweet and the Spice |
| "Mutual XO" | 2022 | |

#### As featured artist

List of singles as featured artist, with year released and album shown :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Don't Look Down" (Pez featuring Kota Banks) | 2016 | Don't Look Down |
| "Decisions" (Swick featuring Kota Banks) | 2018 | Non-album single |
Notes
* ↑ Prize is stylized in all caps.

### Music videos

List of music videos, with year released and director shown :
| Title | Year | Director |
| "Zoom" | 2018 | Ella Carey |