Kimya Dawson is a folk-punk musician and activist currently based out of Olympia, Washington. She has been making music since 2001, and has been releasing music both as a solo artist and also as a part of the bands The Moldy Peaches, Antsy Pants, The Bundles, and most recently The Uncluded. The Moldy Peaches are her most well-known project and she and co-founder Adam Green were featured on the Juno soundtrack, reading number 8 on the Billboard 200.
Indie-folk, alt-folk, anti-folk, folk-punk – all of these have been used to describe Kimya Dawson’s music. Folk-punk seems to fit the best, with lyrics that cover everything from an anti-war utopia to battling addiction to the effects of global warming. Most of her songs are accompanied only by an acoustic guitar or ukulele, even in her bands. Sometimes even being described as “childlike” in its simplicity, her music is often very straightforward.
She has an extensive discography, starting with The Moldy Peaches’ self titled record in 2001, then her debut solo album I’m Sorry That Sometimes I’m Mean the next year. She released Knock Knock Who? and My Cute Friend Sweet Princess both on August 3, 2014, followed by Hidden Vagenda on October 5 of the same year. Antsy Pants’ self titled was released in 2006, along with another solo record called Remember That I Love You. Dawson also wrote a children’s album in 2008 called Alphabutt. The following year, The Bundles’ self titled came out. Thunder Thighs was her most recently released solo album in 2011, followed by The Uncluded’s Hokey Fright in 2013. Alongside these albums, she has also been featured on many compilation records and has shared a number of singles. You can find her solo music on her Bandcamp, and the Uncluded’s music on theirs.
Kimya Dawson is a black woman in a scene that is predominately white and male. She’s also nearly 45 and is a single mother to her 10 year old daughter, who is sometimes featured in her songs. This makes her unique, since younger artists are more frequently covered, and it may be expected for musicians to get a “real job” when they turn 30 or when they have children. Alongside her music, she’s also involved in social activism, and most recently was a part of a campaign to raise funds for Chelsea Manning. Dawson also has struggled with mental illness, eating disorders, and addiction in the past. In the face of this, Kimya Dawson shows that artists can create music at any age, while they’re in recovery, while raising children, and while doing activist work, all at the same time.
