Krista

**Krista James Ward** (born April 9, 1995) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and producer. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, since she was a kid, Krista had little interest in music.

Krista's debut studio album, *State of War*, was released on May 20, 2016, to very positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number six on the US *Billboard* 200 and was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album and its songs were nominated for four Grammy Awards, while Krista was nominated for Best New Artist at the 59th annual ceremony. *State of War* was ranked as the best album of 2017 by *Time*.[8]

Her music incorporates elements of varied styles, including dream pop, R&B, electronic music, and hip hop. Krista's lyrics are described as "unraveling" and her songs often revolve around themes of sexuality, nostalgia, and abandonment. Krista cites a variety of artists as influences, including Björk, Lara Liwford, and Lauryn Hill, among others. Krista also takes influence from non-musical artists, including filmmaker David Lynch.

## Early life

Krista James Ward was born on April 9, 1995, in Stockholm, Sweden. Her mother is a psychologist and her father is a businessman. She has two brothers. Krista grew up in the affluent Djursholm district of Danderyd Municipality, just north of Stockholm. She describes her childhood as being "very free" and her family as "pretty liberal". The singer excelled in arts at school and grew fond of literature, writing poetry and short stories.

At age 12 she began participating in a choir of teenagers in a local church, and since then started taking piano and vocal lessons improve her vocal technique. Krista started working on her own, producing music and putting it online. In 2013 she moved to London seeking a better life. She started taking some gigs and making performances in pubs and bars there, and some time later was discovered by a local record label. She signed with them, but never actually released any music, being dropped soon after.

## Career

#### **2014–2016: Career beginnings and *State of War***

While working singing at a bar in London, Krista was introduced to Swedish producer Håkan Hellström. He invited her to some writing and production sessions to help learn new things. She decided to work on her own tracks, spending six months in her shed studio producing a demo, while doing session singing to support herself. She learned to play the drums and became knowledgeable about music programming and record production.

Krista met an A&R man at a party in Stockholm and handed him her demo. They met again by chance in a bar in London. He liked her demo and subsequently introduced her to a songwriting group which included Håkan Hellström. In 2015, Krista decided to pursue a career in songwriting which led her to travel to Los Angeles, and work with Swedish producer Max Martin. He presented her to Sony Music, and then she was signed by them and started working on some stuff. The idea was to release an EP focused on Europe market, but Jay-Z heard about her and was interested. She then signed with Roc Nation in the US and started recording her first LP.
Krista's first single "Gold" was released by Roc Nation on April 2017, and was received with praise from critics. It was followed by "Behave", an electro-rock song and *State of War* was released a week later. The album was received with very positive reviews by music critics and was heavily promoted by Krista. It peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 chart. "Money All Around" was the third and final single from the album, reaching good numbers worldwide. Its music video was rated R and was considered by critics one of the best of 2016.

### **2017–present: *S*econd album delay and *Oblivion***

Krista started working on her sophomore album right after the release of "Money All Around". The album was going to follow a more electronic and dance sound, and the lead single from the project "We Rise Tonight" was released on February 2017 along with its music video. The song was a smash hit in Europe, debuting atop the UK Charts. However, Krista stated she was unsatisfied with the album direction and decided to go back to the studio to work on new songs.

On October 12, 2018, the singer released her second studio album, *Oblivion*. It topped the album chart in Sweden and peaked at number 3 on the US *Billboard* 200. Its lead single, "Peach", entered the top 10 in Australia and was certified Platinum. In New Zealand and Sweden, it also made the top 10 where it was also certified Platinum. "Trainwreck" was released as the second single in November, finding success in Europe and Australia. The third single from the album, "Free", was released on January 2019. Krista started the Oblivion Tour on January 14 to support the album.

## Discography

* *State of War* (2016)
* *Oblivion* (2018)
* *deep cut.* (2020)

## Tours

#### **Supporting**

* Eric Medina – Love Sex Magic Tour (2016)