Born and raised in Japan, emerging pop artist Kyra Machida has been surrounded by music since a very young age. Her mom was a singer and would play a variety of music at home throughout Kyra’s childhood including Whitney Houston, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and more. Growing up, Kyra’s family were consistent churchgoers, and it led to Kyra singing in the choir for two years. When she was eight years old, her dad took her to see Japanese popstar Amuro Namie and for the first time, Kyra realized her dream was to be an artist herself. Kyra took piano lessons, voice lessons and sang in contests at school, but it wasn’t until she turned 14 years old that she took being a full-time artist as a serious career path when she signed with a Japanese label. After years of hard work and persistence, her journey brought her to Los Angeles to continue to pursue her goals and passion with her music. With musical influences such as Imogen Heap and Amuro Namie, Kyra describes her sound as “a mix of R&B melodies, lush vocals, plush layering harmonies over electronic influenced production.” Kyra is making her debut with her single “Connect” which is about reconnecting with her true self after years of training to be in this industry. When asked what she wants fans to take away from her forthcoming music, Kyra explains, “I want people to cherish and embrace individuality. For people to unapologetically be themselves. Be and live with who you are. ” Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.