biography of Okay Kaya

Kaya Wilkins

 (born August 14, 1990), better known as Okay Kaya, is a Norwegian-American musician born in New Jersey.

Wilkins was born in New Jersey and raised in Nesoddtangen, four miles outside of Oslo. Raised by her mother along with five brothers, she has both Scandinavian and African-American roots. 

Wilkins' first release under the moniker of Okay Kaya was the song "Damn, Gravity", which was released in 2015.  Three years later, she released her first full-length album, Both.  The album was recorded with her boyfriend Aaron Maine of the band Porches.  In 2020, Wilkins released her second full-length album as Okay Kaya, titled Watch This Liquid Pour Itself, via Jagjaguwar.  The album received three out of five stars from The Guardian. Her cover of Cher's Believe was featured in the HBO show Industry 

Wilkins acted her first role in the Norwegian drama Thelma. In August 2020, she released her mixtape Surviving is the New Living. 

About

Singer with over 80,000 followers on her okay.kaya account. Her songs include "Damn, Gravity," "I'm Stupid," "Dance Like U," and "IUD."

Before Fame

At the age of 13, she wanted to be a rapper and a dancer. She was born in New Jersey but raised in Norway, and relocated to New York because she wanted to live in a big city. She uploaded her first YouTube video in March 2015, the music video for "Damn, Gravity."

Trivia

Also an actress, she has appeared in the Norwegian dramas Thelma and Exit Plan. 

Family Life

She was born Kaya Wilkins and is of mixed Scandinavian and African-American descent. Her mother was a painter and her father was an aspiring Broadway actor who later wrote government policy for the U.S. She has five brothers. Her brother, Elias Jengo, and her boyfriend, Aaron Maine of the band Porches, are both musical collaborators. 

Associated With

Her cover of Cher's Believe was featured on the HBO show Industry.

Biography