Brooke Candy

Brooke Dyan Candy was born on July 20, 1989, in Oxnard, California, and grew up in Agoura Hills, a Los Angeles suburb. Her father served as the former chief financial officer for Hustler magazine, and her mother worked as a pediatric nurse. Candy’s parents divorced when she was eight. During her childhood, she spent time in the office of Larry Flynt, Hustler’s chief executive officer. After graduating high school in 2007, she moved to San Francisco, engaging with LGBTQ+ communities that influenced her creative expression. She later returned to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. During this time, she lived out of her car and worked as a stripper at the Seventh Veil adult club in Hollywood. This career path initially strained her relationship with her parents, though it later improved as her music career developed. While interning for Rachel Zoe, Candy also worked as a mannequin stylist for Hustler storefronts.

Candy’s music career began to gain traction between 2011 and 2013, starting with a chance encounter with producer Khris Lorenz at a party. This led to the creation of her debut single, “Das Me,” released on October 16, 2012. In August 2012, Candy gained wider recognition appearing in Grimes’ music video for “Genesis.” She independently released music videos for “Das Me,” “Everybody Does,” and “I Wanna Fuck Right Now,” each accumulating over a million views by early 2013. Her first major label recording was a guest appearance on Charli XCX’s track “Cloud Aura” from her debut album, True Romance. Candy self-released her debut mixtape, The Mixtape, on June 25, 2013, featuring eight club-rap songs.

Between 2014 and 2017, Candy achieved significant milestones in her career. Sia noticed her and became an executive producer for Candy’s debut EP, helping her secure a record deal. In February 2014, Candy signed with RCA Records. She released her debut major label single, “Opulence,” co-written with Sia and produced by Diplo, on April 22, 2014. The accompanying music video, directed by Steven Klein and styled by Nicola Formichetti, was praised for its theme of empowering “freaks.” The Opulence EP was released on May 6, 2014, to critical acclaim. In August 2015, she partnered with MAC Cosmetics for a makeup line and released the single “Rubber Band Stacks,” which was featured in the Madden NFL 16 video game. She released several pop-driven singles in 2016, including “Happy Days” and “Paper or Plastic,” and the moderately successful “Living Out Loud,” featuring Sia. Despite plans for a debut album, Daddy Issues, with Sia as executive producer, Candy left RCA and Columbia’s UK roster in 2017 to pursue an independent career.