Kiana // It Was Home

KAINA creates generational music that surpasses borders, a unified expression of her native Chicago, and her Venezuelan and Guatemalan heritage. This cultural fusion is best illustrated on her 2019 debut full-length album Next To The Sun'a project that established her as a leader in a movement of artists whose work hinges on identity and representation. KAINA has continued to push this narrative through her brand of sweet-hearted optimism, which she uses to uplift and build community. Over the years, she has crafted a sound that is gentle, yet full of intent, and built a songwriting practice that explores love, legacy, and ancestry. She has also brought this on the road on national tours supporting artists like Sleater-Kinney (who make an appearance on It Was A Home), Cuco, Durand Jones, and so on. On It Was A Home, KAINA reflects on her modest upbringing, and the loss of sharing space with her family and friends in recent years, as COVID made it difficult to do so. She also deepens her storied lyricism with self reflection and self love, and how her upbringing allowed her to occupy that emotional space. This album finds her continuing to be a leader, not only in her community in Chicago, but to artists around the world honing in on their craft