Genevieve Artadi

Genevieve Artadi was born on July 1, 1982, in Los Angeles.[2][3] Her parents, who had immigrated to the United States from the Philippines, were both musicians who toured in rock bands when Artadi was a child.[2] As a result, Artadi had an unanchored childhood, moving every two or three years.[4]

As a student, Artadi took classical piano lessons and Polynesian dance classes.[1][4] Her first exposure to jazz came in seventh grade, when she listened to Natalie Cole's 1991 album Unforgettable... with Love.[5] She attended California State University, Northridge, where she received a degree in Jazz Studies, before continuing her studies at California State University, Long Beach.[6]

Artadi first performed as lead singer, bassist, and keyboardist of the indie electro-pop trio Pollyn, which formed in Los Angeles in 1998 and released their first EP in 2003.[1][7] Her primary influences for the band included Portishead and Massive Attack.[5]

In 2009, Artadi met multi-instrumentalist Louis Cole through saxophonist Robby Marshall.[1][2] Artadi and Cole soon began making music together, forming the jazz-funk duo Knower. They began releasing covers of pop songs online before releasing their first album of original music as a duo, Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi, in October 2010.[1] In 2016, Artadi and Cole performed on Snarky Puppy's live album Family Dinner – Volume 2, featuring on two songs as Knower.[8] Artadi also featured on the song "When You're Ugly" on Cole's 2018 album Time.[1]

In 2015, Artadi self-released her debut solo album Genevieve Lalala, which she fully produced herself.[1] Her second solo album, Dizzy Strange Summer, which she completed in 2020, was originally planned to be self-released, but Louis Cole brought the album to Brainfeeder, who immediately signed Artadi and released the album under the label later that year.[4] The album, which also features Cole on the track "Edge of the Cliff," was mostly recorded in 2016 and 2017 and features elements of jazz, pop, and trip hop.[9]

In 2021, Artadi appeared on the fifth season soundtrack for the HBO series Insecure, featuring on the track "Satellite" with Cole and Thundercat.[10][11]

In March 2023, Artadi released her third solo album Forever Forever, her second Brainfeeder release. The album was recorded at El Desierto Studio in Mexico and features Cole, guitarist Pedro Martins, keyboardist and vocalist Chiquita Magic, and pianist Chris Fishman.[12] Artadi said the theme of the album is love, partially inspired by her on-and-off relationship with Martins at the time.[13] Half of the album's tracks were originally written for big band, following Artadi's collaborations with the Norrbotten Big Band from Sweden.[14] AllMusic's Paul Simpson awarded Forever Forever an Album Pick, praising it as "a kaleidoscopic, highly disciplined sound filled with knotty arrangements and detailed solos that always seem to fit naturally and logically within the songs."[12] Pitchfork included the album on a 2023 "Great Records You May Have Missed" list, noting its "mathy full-band chops and psychedelic giddiness of the highest order."[15]

Artadi has since begun work on her fourth solo album, which she says "is going to be anime rock inspired."[13]

• Genevieve Artadi discography at Discogs
• Genevieve Artadi at AllMusic