Kitten front woman Chloe Chaidez had played in a cover band — performing alongside the likes of Band of Horses and Midlake — for three years before she decided to pursue something more mature and artistically satisfying than those cute, little cover songs. She was 13 at the time.

One year of songwriting led her, now 16, to form Kitten. Although she could have opted for rock success as a solo act, the indie starlet-in-the-making instead recruited a full group.

“I wanted a real band. I wanted growth and longevity for my career, and for that, you need people that are going to stay with you and be as involved in it as you are,” Chaidez said. “That’s what’s made it what it is.”

The sound the Los Angeles-based act has created — and is still refining — evokes something far more profound than the light, bubbly teenybopper fare of Radio Disney. Chaidez’s taste for music more closely resembles a 40-year-old man than a fellow adolescent.

“We like the ’80s and late-’70s post-punk like Joy Division and New Order stuff — that synth-based music and tight guitar lines,” she said. “Other than that, that was the exciting part: seeing where it would go. We’re growing every day, being so young, and are always finding new music. We are still really discovering our sound as we go.”

It’s obviously a different lifestyle. It beats school.
—Chloe Chaidez



Reaction has been overwhelming positive. Kitten got signed to The Control Group — former home to The Killers and Kings of Leon — and unveiled its debut EP, “Sunday School,” last year with the charming and catchy single “Chinatown,” which has the band rocking in the ballpark of Tegan and Sara, Paramore or Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Already, Kitten is putting its finishing touches on a full album for the near future.

Grab "Sunday School" at the band's website.

“I’m excited for people to hear it. It’s combining elements of that EP, but so much more,” Chaidez said. “I’m happy with how stubborn we were, and how we didn’t stop until it was right and what we wanted. That tenacity alone is what is going to make the album great.”

That will keep Kitten busy, leaving Chaidez with little time for homecomings or promenades. It’s an easy sacrifice, however, for someone intent on doing this for decades.

“It’s obviously a different lifestyle.

Sometimes, I can’t really talk to my friends about it, but it beats school. That’s for sure,” Chaidez said. “I couldn’t not do this. I’ve been fortunate enough to be given the chance to play shows, and it wasn’t even an option for me. I had to do this.”