Kimya is a singer/songwriter from Washington whose style is commonly classified as anti-folk. More specifically, Kimya makes acoustic, lo-fi pop songs — usually armed with only her guitar and her girlish singing voice — with revealing, guileless, even cutesy lyrics. Her subject matter ranges from death and diseases to pop culture references and ranting about the negative health effects of wheat.
She was a member of indie pop band The Moldy Peaches, who are currently on hiatus. She also joined Aesop Rock for the side project The Uncluded, who debuted with their album Hokey Fright in 2013 and are still touring together.
Solo albums:
- I'm Sorry Sometimes I'm Mean (2002)
- Knock Knock Who (2004)
- My Cute Fiend Sweet Princess (2004)
- Hidden Vagenda (2004)
- Remember That I Love You (2006)
- Alphabutt (children's album) (2008)
- Thunder Thighs (2011)
Tropes Associated with Kimya Dawson:
- Abusive Parents: Describes situations of abuse and neglect by parents to children that Kimya has known in "Stinky Stuff."
- Album Title Drop:"So if you want to cut yourself, remember that I love youAnd if you want to burn yourself, remember that I love youAnd if you want to kill yourself, remember that I love you]]"
- Broken Ace: Is this for a while in "The Competion", where she is driven to do well in everything she did by her personal demons, but found it didn't make them go away.
- Crowd Song: "Loose Lips."
- Department of Redundancy Department: "And they'll make a moving made for TV movie for lifetime all about my life," from Underground.
- Downer Beginning: "My Mom", which starts with her having a dream about unable to stop 'her favorite baby' from drowning.
- Epic Rocking: "Walk Like Thunder."
- Folk Music: More or less.
- From Bad to Worse: A lyric in her collaboration song with Aesop Rock called "That Cat Has Worms."
- Kimya and Aesop Rock: Here's where it goes from bad to worse I heard meow meow that cat has worms!
- Grief Song: "I will lose my shit if even one more person I know dies..."
- See also "It's Been Raining" from Hidden Vagenda.
- New Sound Album: Much of Thunder Thighs sees Kimya expanding her signature sound, including a rap song, "Zero Or A Zillion." She also wrote an album of kid songs.
- One of the Kids: Describes this feeling in "You're In" after finding out she's pregnant, making the experience even scarier.
- Power Ballad: "Anthrax" from Hidden Vagenda.
- Self-Backing Vocalist: When she's not backed up by children's voices.
- Shrinking Violet: Kimya tends to come off like this trope in musical form.
- Singer-Songwriter
- Silly Love Songs: "Anyone Else But You."
- Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion: Lots of them, and one of the trademarks of her writing style.
- The following is from Utopian Futures.
Kimya: There's plenty of fresh air here in town, the plants are all growing on the cars.- From The Competion.
Kimya: When I delivered newspapers they said I was too slow. When I was a barista they said I made lousy foam. - Three Chords and the Truth
- Toilet Humour: Just check out the song "Alphabutt," which teaches kids the alphabet through a long series of fart references.
