Kaytranada

Biography

Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized in all uppercase, sometimes shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian music producer, and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, and original music projects beginning in 2010 under the alias Kaytradamus. By 2013, and under the moniker Kaytranada, he began gaining wider recognition and, the following year, signed a deal with XL Recordings, with whom he would release his critically acclaimed debut studio album 99.9% in 2016. In 2019, he released its follow-up, Bubba, for which he won two Grammy Awards including Best Dance/Electronic Album. Celestin is one half of the hip hop duo the Celestics, along with his brother Lou Phelps.

Early life

Kaytranada was born Louis Kevin Celestin on August 25, 1992, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Shortly after he was born, his family relocated to Saint-Hubert near Montreal where he was raised, and where he began his music career. Celestin's father was employed as a taxi driver and an estate agent, and his mother worked in healthcare. His parents divorced when he was 14. That same year, Celestin began to produce his own music after his brother Lou Phelps introduced him to FL Studio. The first song he ever sampled was Earth Wind & Fire's September, at 15 years old. Celestin ended up dropping out of high school to pursue music full-time to help support his family financially.
In an April 2016 article with The Fader, Celestin disclosed that he was gay and discussed his anxiety about coming out to his family. In the same interview, he shared his hopes of avoiding being defined by his sexuality as he's seen peers be labeled in the industry. Later in May of that same year, during an interview with The Guardian, he further opened up about mental health struggles brought on by his sexuality, which he said contributed to an identity crisis.

Career

Celestin began his career under the name Kaytradamus in 2010. He released two projects as Kaytradamus before changing his name to Kaytranada in 2012. In 2013, Celestin became an overnight hit on SoundCloud for his rework of "If" by Janet Jackson. Celestin was on the roster of HW&W Recordings, an independent label based in Los Angeles and Toronto. Celestin has released 13 projects and 41 remixes. He has toured more than 50 Canadian, American, European and Australian cities.
In December 2014, he signed an exclusive recording agreement with XL Recordings. During 2015, Celestin opened for two nights of Madonna's Rebel Heart Tour, one in Canada and one in the United States. Speculation arose that Celestin and producer Rick Rubin had started working together when a photo of them surfaced online around February 2015. It was later confirmed that they had formed a partnership backed by Pulse Recordings.
His debut album, 99.9%, was released on May 6, 2016. The album includes features from GoldLink, AlunaGeorge, Syd, Anderson .Paak, and Vic Mensa, among others. He also collaborated with Craig David on the song "Got It Good", which is on David's sixth studio album, Following My Intuition. Celestin won the 2016 Polaris Music Prize for his album 99.9%. The album received a score of 8.0 from Pitchfork.
On December 13, 2019, his second album, Bubba×BUBBA13 December 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1DO IT2:1222 the Music3:553Go DJ2:374Gray Area2:205Puff Lah1:53610%3:077Need It2:188Taste3:379Oh No2:4810What You Need3:0411Vex Oh2:4212Scared to Death2:3313Freefall3:0114Culture4:0915The Worst in Me3:4716September 211:5217Midsection4:49, was released on RCA Records. It received a score of 8.1 from Pitchfork.
On March 14, 2021, Celestin won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording for "10%" and Best Dance/Electronic Album for Bubba.
On April 7, 2023, Celestin and Aminé released "4eva" featuring Pharrell Williams, the first single from their joint album. The duo released a joint studio album, Kaytraminé, on May 19, 2023. The album includes guest verses from Pharrell Williams, Freddie Gibbs, Big Sean, Amaarae, and Snoop Dogg.
Celestin performed at the 22nd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2023.
In May 2024, Celestin announced that his third solo album, Timeless×TIMELESS7 June 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Pressure1:582Spit It Out3:393Call U Up2:594Weird3:275Dance Dance Dance Dance1:436Feel a Way3:177Still2:158Video3:129Seemingly3:1810Drip Sweat2:2811Hold On3:1612Please Babe2:4713Stepped On3:0114More Than a Little Bit2:5515Do 2 Me3:5116Witchy3:4717Lover/Friend4:19Disc 21Wasted Words1:272Snap My Finger3:213Stuntin3:024Out of Luck2:59, would release on June 7, 2024. Collaborators on the album include Childish Gambino, PinkPantheress, Don Toliver, and Ravyn Lenae, among others.
On August 11, 2025 Celestin announced that his fourth studio album, Ain't No Damn Way!, would be released days later on August 15, 2025. On the next day, he released the first single "Space Invader×SPACE INVADER12 August 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1SPACE INVADER4:34" which samples Latrelle feat. Kelis' My Life.

Personal life

Being a vocal member of the gay community, Celestin became the first Black producer and the first openly gay artist to win the award for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the Grammy Awards in 2021 for his work on his sophomore album, Bubba×BUBBA13 December 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1DO IT2:1222 the Music3:553Go DJ2:374Gray Area2:205Puff Lah1:53610%3:077Need It2:188Taste3:379Oh No2:4810What You Need3:0411Vex Oh2:4212Scared to Death2:3313Freefall3:0114Culture4:0915The Worst in Me3:4716September 211:5217Midsection4:49. Celestin discussed this in a 2021 interview with Billboard, before the event, "A lot of young kids who aspire to be musicians probably have the same inner struggles as me, being Black and gay just [trying to] fit in". Coming out in 2016, Celestin spoke about being gay and not fitting into stereotypical conceptions of a gay person, stating: "That's what I dealt with coming up. I was like, Yeah, I'm gay. But am I really gay? 'Cause I don't have the culture down. I'm not like, 'Yes, queen!' and stuff like that. So that was really hard to deal with." He has also spoken about the pressure he felt in relation to his lack of knowledge of LGBTQ history, his interracial relationship, and social media.

Studio albums

99.9% (2016)
Bubba (2019)
Kaytraminé (2023; with Aminé)
Timeless (2024)
Ain't No Damn Way! (2025)