Ivita

**Iva Nicoleta** "**Ivita**" **Kepper** (born 19 February 1990), known professionally as simply **Ivita**, is a Reshan singer, songwriter, model, and dancer. Born to a financially challenged family in Eva, Ivita first began her career in 2005 after forming the band High Tops Teens, with which she was a vocalist and bassist. In 2006, the band achieved success after winning season two of *Resha's Got Talent*. They represented Resha in the Pravian Song Contest 2007, before breaking up the following year.

After the break up of High Tops Teens, Ivita completed her schooling at the Royal Reshan Academy of Music, which she graduated from in 2010. In 2012, she was signed to Rek It Records and Mason Music Resha as a solo artist. Ivita's debut major label solo single, "Gangsta", became a number-one hit throughout Greater Resha and brought her back into the public eye. Her debut solo studio album, *Strawberry Sweet* (2013), was released in 2013 and became the best-selling Reshan album of the year. She went on to release two other studio albums, *Neon Roses* (2015) and *When I Sleep I Dream of You* (2017), both of which have become critical and commercial successes.

Ivita is well-known throughout Resha for her frequently changing image, signature colored hair (normally blue), alternative R&B sound, and "sultry" vocals. She has achieved immense popularity amongst teenagers, specifically through the use of social networks such as Tumblr and Twitter.

## Life and career

### Early life

Ivita was born as Iva Nicoleta Kepper in Hederhelm to parents Arnold Kepper and Iva Vekerta. Her Reshan father worked odd jobs in retail and manual labor to support the family, while her Velkanian mother has held several jobs in food services, retail, clerical work, and daycare. Ivita received her nickname in infancy in order to distinguish herself from her mother. She was raised in the Eva borough in a small two-bedroom apartment, and grew up with an older brother. Arnold died of lung cancer in 2003, with her mother later remarrying in 2014.

Ivita began her schooling at an Eva elementary school in 1996. She has described herself as "shy" and "quiet" while in elementary school. As an elementary schooler, Ivita was a high academic achiever, and her parents had plans for her to become a doctor or lawyer in order to get the family into a higher socioeconomic class. She excelled in reading and writing, and didn't express an interest in music until her early teens. Her parents initially discouraged her from pursuing a career in music, but soon began supporting her in her endeavors. She graduated from elementary school in 2006 and from the Royal Reshan Academy of Music in 2010.

### 2005–2010: Early career, High Top Teens, and hiatus

*Main article: High Top Teens.*

In 2005, Ivita formed a band with her close friends Rock Gekel, Paul Salomonsen, and Erik Dakru. Ivita was one of the band's lead vocalists, along with Gekel, and played bass guitar. Originally, the foursome, called High Top Teens, kept the band a secret from their peers in fear of being made fun of, but eventually became well-known throughout the school. In June 2005, they were hired by their school to perform at the graduation dance, which Ivita has called their "first real gig".

In December 2005, the group auditioned for season two of *Resha's Got Talent*. They made it onto the show, and further advanced from the semi-finals into the top 25. After advancing from the top 25 into the top ten, the group found themselves amongst the top five performing during finale night. During the finale, the band was declared the winners of the show, winning a $250,000 cash prize and a month-long headlining residency show in Hederhelm. Following their win, they also signed recording contracts with Asmer Music Resha and Wigwam Music. They released a self-titled studio album in September 2006, consisting of studio versions of covers from *Resha's Got Talent* and two original songs. The album was certified gold in Resha and peaked within the top ten of the Reshan albums chart.

In January 2007, they were confirmed to be taking part in *ReshaSong 2007*, Resha's national final for the Pravian Song Contest 2007. They competed with the song "Dance Again", and won the competition, winning the right to represent Resha in the Pravian Song Contest 2007. They went on to compete in the competition in Zornia, where they placed eleventh. Their second studio album, *A Piece of Us* (2007), was released in June 2007 and became their first international release. The band announced their breakup in May 2008 in order to pursue other ventures. Following the breakup, Ivita returned to school after previously using online schooling. She graduated from the Royal Reshan Academy of Music as a vocal performance student in 2010.

### 2010–2014: Solo breakthrough and *Strawberry Sweet*

After her graduation from high school in 2010, Ivita revealed that she'd be returning to the music industry and was "excited" to come back. She later released the mixtape, *Candy Girl* (2011), which demonstrated a departure from the pop punk sound of High Tops Teens, instead gravitating towards R&B and synthpop. Its lead single, "Heartache", charted in Resha and East Resha. Following its subsequent success, Ivita signed solo contracts with Rek It Records and Mason Music Resha.

Ivita released her debut major label solo single, "Gangsta", in January 2013. Much like the music seen on her mixtape, the song was an alternative R&B song that saw influences from genres such as hip hop and synthpop. It proved itself to be a major hit throughout Greater Resha, reaching the summit of the charts in Resha and East Resha. The song also charted in Berats, Kypa, Titovania, the Velkanian Isles, and Zornia. In Resha, it reigned at number-one for a total of four consecutive weeks.

After the success of its lead single, Ivita released her debut solo studio album, *Strawberry Sweet* (2013), later in April 2013. Much like its lead single, the album became a critical and commercial success, becoming the best-selling Reshan album of the year. It was certified platinum in Ivita's home country, and also received certification in Berats, East Resha, Kypa, Titovania, and the Velkanian Isles. She promoted the album with *The Strawberry Sweet Tour*, which ran from July 2013 to January 2014.

### 2014–2016: *Neon Roses*

Shortly after the release of *Strawberry Sweet*, Ivita began the early stages of preparation for her sophomore release. She later began writing songs for the album while on *The Strawberry Sweet Tour*, and by the tour's end she had written "easily over 80 songs". In October 2014, she cut her long hair into a pixie haircut and dyed it jet black, which increased public interest in her changing image. She later dyed her hair pink in October 2015, and became well-known for frequently changing her hair color to unnatural colors, despite being most often known for her blue hair.

In January 2015, Ivita revealed that she would be releasing new music "soon", and stated that the new album was "more glamourous" and had an "opulent" sound. She released her sophomore album's lead single, "Distraction", in March 2015. The song became Ivita's second number-one single in Resha, and also reached the summit of charts in East Resha, Kypa, and the Velkanian Isles. Her second studio album, *Neon Roses* (2015), was later released in July 2015. The album peaked at number-one in Resha, East Resha, Kypa, Titovania, and the Velkanian Isles, and was certified platinum in six countries. She promoted the album with the *Neon Roses Tour*, which visited twelve countries and ran from August 2015 to March 2016.

### 2016–present: *When I Sleep I Dream of You*

In July 2016, Ivita dyed her hair back to her original blue and changed her style into a shoulder-length bob with bangs. Her change in image was seen by fans and the media as a signal that she'd be releasing new music soon. In November 2016, she revealed that she had been working on new music for the past year, and that it was sounding "more ethereal and alternative" than her previous works.

In February 2017, she released the lead single to her upcoming third studio album, "Advice". "Advice" performed poorly compared to her previous two lead singles, peaking within the top forty in Resha, although it became a top ten single in Berats, East Resha, and the Velkanian Isles. A remix of the song by Zornian DJ Archangel was released in June 2017, and became a top ten single throughout Pravia.

Ivita's third studio album, *When I Sleep I Dream of You* (2017), was released in June 2017. It has become her most acclaimed album to date, and peaked at number-one in eight countries, being certified platinum in her home country. The album has been praised for Ivita's transition towards more heavily R&B-influenced songs and her autobiographical lyrics. She promoted the album with the *I Won't Do You Dirty Extravaganza*, which will run from July 2017 to February 2018.

## Personal life

Ivita came out publicly as bisexual in a 2014 interview with *Anastasia Magazine*, stating, "I've always been attracted to girls. I'm generally a private person, so it's a little hard for me to talk about something like this publicly, but I know I'm a role model and I need to show all the bisexual teens, gay teens, transgender teens, anything really, that it's okay to be who you are". Ivita has frequently campaigned for LGBT, women's, and Velkanian rights in Resha, and has also advocated for mental health awareness.

Ivita began dating Reshan footballer Gregory Galper in May 2012. In May 2013, a photograph of Ivita was published on the Instagram account of Reshan rapper Diegu. The image prompted fans of Galper, Ivita, and Diegu to assume that Ivita had cheated on Galper with Diegu. She received an outpouring of angry messages accusing her of being unfaithful, which was heavily reported by the Reshan media. The abundance of hate messages she was receiving prompted her to attempt suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. She was rushed to the hospital and was successfully resuscitated. After leaving the hospital, Ivita openly discussed her battles with anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depression, all of which she had dealt with since she was a teenager. Galper later revealed that he and Ivita had broken up in December 2012, and that she had never been unfaithful. Ivita and Diegu dated until November 2013.

## Discography

*Main article: Ivita discography.*

* *Strawberry Sweet* (2013)
* *Neon Roses* (2015)
* *When I Sleep I Dream of You* (2017)