You may not expect one of the most compelling new voices in hip hop to wield dual psychology and sociology degrees from Stanford University or find inspiration in the buttoned-up world of indie rock, but for K.Flay, defying expectations is simply part of the game.
Kristine Flaherty grew up outside of Chicago, devouring her father's classic rock records and staying up late to dance to Parliament-Funkadelic in the living room. It was this same musical open-mindedness that would later spark her artistic development. She found her musical voice in college, fusing the eclectic power of the Bay Area hip hop scene with her own unique presence, inspired by strong, independent female artists ranging from Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill to Fiona Apple and Liz Phair.
On stage, K.Flay is a one-woman whirlwind: whether she's creating beats, singing, rapping or playing guitar, her wit and acerbic charm shine through. Her talents have led her to share the stage with artists including spending 2010 on the road with Passion Pit (Campus Consciousness Tour), 3oh!3 (Streets of Gold Tour), and various dates with Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Travie McCoy and more, where she quickly won over audiences who hadn't seen anything quite like her before. Further setting her apart from the pack, she serves as her own producer in the studio, methodically infusing her hip hop swagger with a dose of sonic exploration.
K.Flay's debut self-released EP dropped on October 12, 2010 and has been receiving rave reviews nationwide. The EP which is currently available on iTunes, along with one mixtape (the genre-hopping MASHed Potatoes) available for free on her website, have set K.Flay up nicely for a successful 2011.

After kicking off 2012 in the most incredible way - by opening a sold-out show for Deadmau5 at NYC's Pier 36, the dynamic twosome is tearing full-speed ahead with the release of their debut album titled NAKED, recorded last summer at the famous Hansa Studios in Berlin (U2, David Bowie, Iggy Pop). "Liquid Mercury" the album’s first single appeared in Billboard Magazine’s Top 40 Indicator Highlights after climbing to the #37 position on the Indicator Charts, making Hank & Cupcakes the highest unsigned band on the chart. The band has also played select dates across Europe and the Middle East so far this year, including playing to a crowds of over 2,000 in Barcelona and 700 in Stockholm and are ’Getting NAKED on the road’ as they put it, this summer, with over 30 tour dates across the US.

Incessant action and whirlwind touring are nothing new to Hank & Cupcakes, who formed in Tel Aviv just prior to moving to Cuba where they spent six months of musical exploration. The duo ended up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn almost two years ago, drawn by what Cupcakes describes as "the music, the streets, the energy, the electricity and the nonstop movement of NYC... We feel we can't just sit still here and have the urge to be in constant musical motion." But if these two feel drawn to NYC, it's clear that the city strongly reciprocates that very sentiment.