Kittens (DJ)
Lauren Abedini
| |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Lauren KITTENS Abedini |
| Born | October 7, 1989 Los Angeles, CA |
| Occupation(s) | DJ |
Lauren Parissa Abedini (born October 7, 1989), better known by her stage name KITTENS, is an American DJ, record producer, podcast host, and intersectional feminist advocate of Iranian and American descent based in Los Angeles. She has been mentored by and performed with and for Usher and Kid Cudi.[1] She was part of the acclaimed musical group Athletixx with fellow DJs Promnite, Falcons, and Hoodboi.[2]
Career[edit]
Abedini started working as a DJ while she was in college studying business and women's studies. She soon started working at a nightclub in Los Angeles. While still in college, she was DJ-ing at a pool party when she met someone who used to work for Kid Cudi who introduced her to him. A month later she was contacted by Kid Cudi to DJ for him at Buku Festival in 2013.[3] After graduating, she decided to give herself 6 months to see if she could become financially stable working as a DJ. During that time, while playing shows with Kid Cudi, she met Usher, who became a mentor to her.[4] Since then she has performed at many of his private parties,[5] held a coveted DJ residency at Drai's Beachclub in Las Vegas,[6] and performed at many music festivals, including Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas[7] and Coachella in 2018.[8] Throughout her career, Abedini has also collaborated with esteemed brands such as YSL, Dior, Tiffany & Co., Adidas, and Netflix. Including designing a sneaker for Adidas[9] and a documentary episode highlighting her story with YSL Beauty.[10]
Personal Life[edit]
Family[edit]
Abedini was born on October 7th, 1999 in Los Angeles, California. Her father had immigrated to the United States from Iran at the age of 18, her mother is originally from California, and she has one older brother. Abedini identifies as Persian-American and is greatly in touch with her Persian family and culture, including by speaking Farsi.[11] She partially credits her mother who frequently took her to jazz music festivals for her love for music.
Sexuality and Relationships[edit]
Abedini identifies as lesbian. She has been rumored to have dated several female celebrities, including Ruby Rose[12] and Demi Lovato[13]. Abedini has been in a relationship with Ash Mendez since 2019.
Women's Empowerment and Queer Advocacy[edit]
Lauren is an avid supporter of intersectional feminism. She frequently speaks out for equity in the music industry[14] and teaches a charity based course on the basics of how to DJ[15] called PWR WITH KITTENS. PWR WITH KITTENS[16] is exclusively for women and gender expansive people because she feels that women face discrimination and unique challenges in the music industry, particularly in the DJ community. All of the proceeds from these courses are donated to women's shelters.[17] Lauren also has a widely celebrated podcast, SHE/HER/THEY with KITTENS which explores societal identity expectations and creativity with esteemed guests such as Kehlani, Demi Lovato, REZZ[18], Sarah Shahi, Hayley Kiyoko, and more.
References[edit]
- ↑ http://thesource.com/2014/05/10/her-sourcekittens-talks-being-mentored-by-usher-becoming-the-female-diplo/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/7311589/fools-gold-athletixx-pnthr-exclusive
- ↑ https://thissongissick.com/post/buku-music-art-project-2013-lineup-details-kid-cudi-calvin-harris-passion-pit-kendrick-lamar-sts9-nero/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDgo-Uuas3Y
- ↑ https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/music/a12228903/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-demi-lovatos-rumored-girlfriend-lauren-kittens-abedini/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/8213551/drais-las-vegas-resident-djs-2018
- ↑ https://lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com/news/the-edc-las-vegas-2018-lineup-is-here/
- ↑ https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/music/coachella-2018-lineup
- ↑ https://editorialist.com/p/adidas-speedfactory-am4-kittens/
- ↑ https://www.yslbeautyus.com/push-the-boundaries/meet-kittens.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDgo-Uuas3Y
- ↑ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11162857/Ruby-Rose-ex-DJ-Lauren-Abedini-celebrate-10-year-anniversary-breakup.html
- ↑ https://www.girlfriend.com.au/demi-lovato-opens-up-about-dating-girls
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/women-in-dance-music-me-too-times-up-krewella-kittens-dani-deahl-8256914/
- ↑ https://mixmag.net/feature/girl-pwr-kittens-shows-young-women-the-strength-in-building-a-female-dj-community
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/dj-kittens-launches-feminist-dj-workshop-7872930/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/lifestyle/7872930/dj-kittens-launches-feminist-dj-workshop
- ↑ https://edm.com/industry/rezz-opens-up-mental-health-insomnia-rare-interview
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