Ivy Kane

Ivy Kane, 2016

**Ivy Kane** (June 17, 1996 - June 10, 2023) was a New Zealand singer, songwriter and record producer. Discovered by Kaden Walsh in 2013 after a YouTube video was shown to him by his bands drummer of a cover of his track 'Wild Horses' which showed off her gentle, yet powerful voice. Kane would go onto produce and write song alongside Walsh as his muse. Her music incorporated the likes of Pop, R&B, Rock, New Jack Swing and Funk. Ivy Kane's album sales were estimated to be around 25 to 50 million at the time of her death, known as a prominent and rising figure in the shaping of Pop Music with the retro style production thanks to both Walsh's and Kane's musicianship, Kane was known as one of the many forces pushing the retro production into the 2020's. She achieved 5 Number Ones in New Zealand and 5 Top 10s and was nominated for Best Engineered Album for her Debut 2015 album "Feel Me".

It would be several hours after a small concert in her Hometown in New Zealand that Kane would be found dead after battling with Alcohol Intoxication after years of media and fan scrutiny with how she was 'never able to get out from under Kaden Walsh's Shadow'.

## Controversies

In 2015, after Kane released her debut album "Feel Me." While brimming with infectious pop hooks and Kane's catchy vocals, music critics noticed the sophisticated song structures and intricate instrumentation bore striking similarities to Walsh's trademark style. Walsh provided backing vocals on 4 tracks and played instruments for all songs alongside his band at the time, which was noted for playing horns on some tracks. Questions surfaced if Kane was as involved in the song-writing as claimed in interviews.

Rumours intensified with her 2nd album "Head First" in 2016. While a massive chart-topper, it continued to feature significant creative input from Walsh, including various co-writing and production credits on all 10 tracks. Industry bloggers started speculating Walsh was using Kane as a vehicle to release music under a young, marketable face. Kane angrily refuted this, asserting she wrote all her own lyrics, with Walsh only appearing on 6 of the 10 songs as backing vocals.

Suspicions peaked after her 4th album "Bulletproof" in 2018, on which Walsh provided little to no direct input. While lauded by critics, it clearly lacked the complexity and polish of earlier songs Walsh had worked on. By now the public narrative was that Walsh, not Kane, was the true hit-making genius.

These claims were seemingly confirmed when Kane split from Walsh in 2020. Her first solo effort "Ivy Kane" was panned as derivative. A 2022 Rolling Stone article alleged at least 6 major hits were primarily written by Walsh, not Kane. She continued to deny any plagiarism up until her death in 2023 at 27.

It was also during this time that Walsh, under Black Dog Records direction of behalf of Kane, would remove all and any credit of his name and any backing vocals that remained on any tracks and release them as radio edit version of the song to only be played as such. But her untimely death also sparked intense speculation about the role of Kaden Walsh in her massive success. As controller of Ivy's catalogue on behalf of Walsh's record company, Walsh made the shocking decision to remove his name and any credits from her catalogue of hits.

In a raw, emotional interview on Apple Music, Walsh finally set the record straight. "I know people have questioned my involvement in Ivy's career over the years. But the truth is, discovering her was the best thing that ever happened to me, she just had this hypnotic, magnetic energy that pulled you in. I knew immediately Ivy had that rare superstar spark."

Walsh recounted how he swiftly signed the then-17-year-old Kane to his label as his protégé. "Ivy had a vision for her music that I truly believed in. All I wanted was to help this young talent share her gift with the world."

While he admitted fully that contributed instrumentation and backing vocals on some early tracks, Walsh maintains the essence of the songs was 100% Ivy. "She wrote all her own lyrics, melodies, and song structures. I was just there to accentuate Ivy's abilities in the studio, there would be points where I would have a bridge to add for her, a mistake or a melody that never worked out in the first demo or never worked out to begin with, and changed it, but - her voice and song writing were always front and center. We collaborated closely, but those songs came from Ivy's spirit. She led the creative direction. My role was to support and nurture the vision she already had."

Walsh had then stated that he'd hoped that by removing his credits that it only reinforced Ivy's singular artistry. "I never wanted her to feel like just my protégé. Ivy was a phenom - a true one-of-a-kind talent. She accomplished it all herself from day one. I was just blessed to witness her rise up close." And that Walsh was also 'accepting of the fact that because of this, she wanted to split apart from him as a writer and producer'

When discussing it on Apple Music for the first and only time, Walsh got emotional discussing her legacy. "The world lost an icon, someone who spoke to millions through her music. The only thing I can do now is keep her legacy alive." And hopes fans will remember Ivy by celebrating her catalogue. "That was the real Ivy - an inspiration to so many, and still touching hearts and lives through her words and voice."

## Death

On June 10, 2023. A day after performing a concert to her fans in her hometown of Auckland, New Zealand. Kane Died at the age of 27 from alcohol poisoning.

Just the night before on June 9th, Kane had performed a sold-out show at the Sir Woolf Fisher Arena. By all accounts, the concert went smoothly and Kane appeared energetic, gracious to fans, and in good spirits backstage and allowing fans to entirely sing some songs from the seven song setlist. Her longtime manager even remarked that she seemed to be in a positive headspace before her passing.

However, after returning to her hotel room from the arena, Kane was rumoured to have apparently consumed a large quantity of alcohol sometime during the night. When her assistant arrived the next day to wake her up, Kane's body was discovered unresponsive in her bedroom. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

The coroner later confirmed her cause of death to be acute alcohol intoxication. No suicide note was found, and the coroner ruled it a tragic accidental overdose. Toxicology reports showed Kane's blood alcohol level was more than 10 times the legal limit at the time of death, at 0.5 BAC.

Kane had a history of alcohol abuse issues over the years while dealing with the pressures of fame due to the constant rumours of writing and production rumours. She entered rehab in 2019 to treat her alcohol addiction on behalf of Walsh's recommendation, remaining sober for two years afterward. But close friends revealed her drinking had spiralled out of control again recently as she struggled to cope with the ongoing controversies over her musical legacy after the launch of her album Sentimental (2021).

The sudden passing of the immensely talented Kane at the peak of her career sent shockwaves through the music industry and her legions of grieving fans, which included musicial superstars such as Viper Hamato, Nathan Meyer and Kaden Walsh. Within hours, thousands of heartbroken supporters spontaneously gathered with candles outside the arena where she gave her final performance to hold a vigil in her honor.

Ivy Kane's sudden passing sent her mentor and collaborator Kaden Walsh into seclusion from the public eye to privately mourn. According to those close to him, Walsh was utterly devastated by the loss of his protégé and dear friend. Sources say he cancelled all upcoming public appearances and interviews to grieve out of the public eye. In the wake of her passing, Walsh was reportedly inconsolable and "a shell of himself." He retreated from the public spotlight to his estate in Ireland, not emerging or communicating with anyone in the music industry for weeks, however, pulling her music with all reference of Walsh in Kane's music and replacing with her vocals only and all credit being given to her.

Fans of both Walsh and Kane grew increasingly concerned about Walsh's well-being during his disappearance from view given the death of his own wife after two years. Speculation swirled that he was coping with overwhelming guilt about his role in enabling Kane's substance abuse issues and was 'doing everything in his might' to reverse his credits on all and every song.

Two months after Kane's shocking death, Walsh finally reappeared to make a tearful statement at a small press conference near his house, thanking fans on behalf of Kane's family for their love and support. Also stating he needed time to grieve away from the public eye, but would carry Kane's legacy with the label forever.

Her death also tragically occurred just before she was scheduled to embark on a major worldwide comeback tour. Kane's posthumous album "The Final Concert" was released on Christmas, 2023 after her passing as a thank you for the support from the family on behalf of a newly formed label 'Black Dog Legacy'.

While her career was relatively brief, Ivy Kane had already cemented her status as one of the most promising and iconic pop stars of her generation before her life was cut short. Her tragic death at 27 sparked renewed interest and speculation about her outstanding musical legacy - as well as the controversies surrounding her rapid rise to fame.

## Discography

Main article: Ivy Kane albums discography, Ivy Kane Singles Discography

* Feel Me (2015)
* Head First (2016)
* Blame (2017)
* Bulletproof (2018)
* Greatest Hits (2019)
* Ivy Kane (2020)
* Sentimental (2021)

Posthumous Releases:

* The Final Concert (2023)
* The Good Days (2024)

## Tours

* The Ivy Kane Party (2016)
* The Blame Game (2017-2018)
* Greatest Hits (2019)
* "The Final Tour" (2023)