Kito

Maaike Kito Lebbing, known professionally as Kito, is an Australian record producer, songwriter and DJ currently based in Los Angeles, California. Between 2011 and 2014, she was a member of the duo Kito & Reija Lee, and in 2012 collaborated with Feadz on Electric Empire. She has released an EP in 2018 called Haani and a number of singles, and has remixed songs for others as well as producing songs. In 2019 she was nominated for the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year (Los Angeles) at the 2020 Global APRA Music Awards.

Biography

Kito grew up in the small town of Denmark, Western Australia, and first began producing music as a teenager using FruityLoops. At 17, Kito moved to Perth to study fashion, however soon quit and began working at a record store while studying music for a year at TAFE. Kito & Reija Lee relocated to London in 2011, Kito collaborated with Feadz in 2012 on the EP Electric Empire, and in 2013, rapper Trinidad James sampled the group's song "Run for Cover" for his song "Females Welcomed", which was also later used as a sample for Big Boi, T.I. and Ludacris' song "King Shit". The group released a second EP in 2014, II, The EP, released in the following year, featured collaborations with musicians such as Elley Duhé, Broods and Hudson Mohawke. and after signing to Astralwerks/EMI Music Australia released "Wild Girl", a collaboration with Empress Of, soon followed by "Alone with You" featuring AlunaGeorge.

In 2019, Kito was nominated for the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year (Los Angeles) at the 2020 Global APRA Music Awards.

In September 2022, Kito released "Sad Girl Music" featuring Banks.

Kito co-wrote a number of tracks on Lily Allen's October 2025 album West End Girl.

Artistry

Kito was influenced by her mother's love of Kate Bush as a child, as well as DJ Shadow's Endtroducing..... (1996) and Dr. Octagon's Dr. Octagonecologyst (1996) which were introduced to her by her sister. As a teenager, Kito primarily listened to drum and bass and hip hop, Label: Disfigured Dubz Formats: Twelve-inch single, Digital download

Released: 26 March 2012 Label: Ed Banger Records, Because Music Formats: Twelve-inch single, CD, digital download

Released: 19 October 2018 Label: Bimyou Formats: Digital download, streaming

Released: 5 November 2021 Label: Kito, UMG Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles + List of singles, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Certiffication Album USDance USDance Airplay "What If" 2008 — — "Cold" 2018 — — Haani "Strawberries" — — "Creature Kind" — — "Wild Girl" 2019 — 28 "Alone with You" 2020 — — "Bitter" — — RIAA: Gold The S(ex) Tapes "Follow" 20 35 "Recap" (with VanJess and Channel Tres)2021 32 — Blossom"Steal My Clothes" (with Bea Miller) — —"Skin & Bones"(featuring Winona Oak) — —"Locked On You" (with Broods) — — "Sad Girl Music" (featuring Banks) 2024 — —BIMYOU "Back 2 Love" (featuring Wafia & Nonso Amadi) — — "Deya" 2025 — — "Echo"/"Tight" — — "Hold Close" (with Mallrat and jamesjamesjames) — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart, or were not released in this territory.

Remixes Title Year Other artists Album "Away with Me (Kito Remix)" SpectraSoul featuring Tamara Bless Away with Me EP "Who Gon Stop Me (Kito Remix)" Jay-Z and Kanye West "Mirror Maru (Feadz & Kito Remix)" 2013 Cashmere Cat Mirror Maru Remixes "Too Proud (Kito Remix)"2019 Broods "Flowers and Superpowers (Kito Remix)" Wafia "Navvy Pieces (Kito Remix)" 2020 Navvy "Venus Fly Trap (Kito Remix) [feat. Tove Lo]" 2021 MARINA