VASSY

Born Vasiliki Karagiorgos in Darwin, Australia, soulful singer/songwriter VASSY rose to fame in 2003 after winning national radio station Triple J's Unearthed Song of the Year competition. Picked up by Warner Bros. that year, she released her debut album, My Affection, in 2005, which was preceded by the single "Wanna Fly." A U.S. distribution deal in 2006 helped bring her music to a new, larger audience; VASSY's songs were used in the Queen Latifah movie Last Holiday and the television shows Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty, as well as in commercials for Chevy, Skechers, Sprite, and Hilton Hotels. The year 2008 saw VASSY move to the U.S. and ink a new deal with Ultra Records. Releasing her U.S. debut single in 2010 — the Richard Vission-produced "History" — VASSY continued to plug her music via national club tours and campaigns with Google, Target, Victoria's Secret, and Nike. In mid-2012, she released her sophomore album, Beautiful Day, which featured production work from the likes of Tim Myers, former member of OneRepublic. One of its singles, "We Are Young," topped Billboard's dance chart, making her the first Australian artist to hit number one with her debut solo single. (The song was also featured on the trailer for Disney's Oscar-winning Frozen as well as Tina Fey's film Admission.)

Teaming up with David Guetta and Showtek for the single "BAD" in 2014 saw VASSY's profile explode, with the track reaching the Top Ten in France, Australia, and Sweden, while also placing high in the U.K., Belgian, and Austrian singles charts. (It ultimately reached double platinum and gold certifications with over a billion streams.) "BAD" won VASSY an IDMA Award for Best Featured Vocalist Performance. Her 2015 collaboration with Tiësto and KSHMR on the single "Secrets" proved to be another dance smash in multiple countries, including triple platinum in Sweden, platinum in the Netherlands and Finland, and gold in Canada and Denmark; it also scored an IDMA award for Best Electro Progressive/House track. That same year she released We Are Young, an album that fused indie pop and soul with bright electronica. In 2016, VASSY teamed up again with Tiësto to co-produce her standalone single "Nothing to Lose," which hit number one on Mediabase's U.S. Dance Airplay chart and number one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. She also joined EDM-giant for several high-profile festival appearances, including spots at Tomorrowland, Electric Zoo, and Ultra Miami. The following year, she returned with the track "Lost," featuring Afrojack and Oliver Rosa. ~ Rich Wilson