Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Rainbow Kitten Surprise was founded in 2013 by Darrick Keller and Ela Melo in a dorm room at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. The band’s unusual name originated from a friend who had recently recovered from a serious illness. They recorded their first EP, ‘Mary,’ in the same dorm room where their collaboration began. The band soon grew to include Ethan Goodpaster, Jess Haney, and Charlie Holt. Their independent debut album, ‘Seven,’ was later re-released combined with their first EP as ‘Seven + Mary.’ Early in their career, the band recorded under Split Rail Records, a student-run label at Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music, where three of the band members were students. Between 2014 and 2017, Rainbow Kitten Surprise established their presence by performing at major music festivals such as Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and Austin City Limits Festival.

The band gained broader recognition with the release of ‘How To: Friend, Love, Freefall’ on April 6, 2018, through Elektra Records. This album contained 13 tracks, including the single ‘Hide,’ which featured a music video depicting four drag queens coming out to their families. Another single from the album, ‘Fever Pitch,’ reached number 34 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart in spring 2018. In May 2019, the band released ‘Mary (B-Sides),’ which included a studio recording of ‘Heart’ and the new track ‘No Vacancy.’ In January of the following year, Rainbow Kitten Surprise was featured in a half-hour set on the PBS program Austin City Limits, recorded in autumn 2019.

After a period, the band released the single ‘Our Song’ on October 9, 2020, followed by the live album ‘RKS! Live from Athens Georgia’ on August 13, 2021. On March 30, 2022, lead singer Ela Melo publicly came out as transgender. Shortly after, on April 6, 2022, the band released ‘Work Out,’ their first new single in nearly 18 months. The band experienced challenges in 2023, canceling their year of touring due to a bandmate’s illness. In March 2024, they announced the departure of bassist Charlie Holt. Their return to recording began on March 8, 2024, with ‘Superstar’ and ‘LOL,’ leading up to their fourth studio album, ‘Love Hate Music Box,’ released on May 10, 2024. This album reflects Melo’s experiences over the past six years. They continued releasing singles including ‘Overtime’ (featuring Kacey Musgraves) on April 5, 2024, ‘SVO’ on April 26, 2024, ‘Espionage’ on February 14, 2025, and ‘Dang’ on July 18, 2025. Their upcoming album, ‘Bones,’ is scheduled for release on September 26, 2025.