Grammy-nominated songwriter, and performer K.Flay – aka Kristine Meredith Flaherty – releases “Ants” with ONErpm. On the track, K.Flay reminds us that she’s always been watching, reckoning with the nature of consequence. That’s the job; “Ants” digs into consumerism, disillusionment, and complicity, while her display of agonized honesty is as intimate as it gets.
“Ants” comes on the heels of her 2023 record, MONO, released in the wake of K.Flay’s sudden sensorineural hearing loss that left her completely deaf in her right ear. Since MONO, she’s been able to process the depth of the hearing loss and what it’s truly meant for her life. Compounded with her sobriety, her queerness, it’s all coalesced in a raw, back-to-basics sound that fans of NIN, early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, heavy guitar tones that’d make Gojira happy, the tactile recording quality of Pet Sounds – and early K.Flay – will feel comfortable in.
Of the single, K.Flay says, “‘Ants is about the destructive nature of power. It’s an expression of the disillusionment I feel when I look out at the world right now, when I see what corporations and governments and billionaires are doing. It’s also an expression of my own sense of culpability. Because I wear boots. I kill ants. So there are levels to this power, this loss. And as humans, we all have to decide — whether consciously or not — how much we’re willing to destroy.”
At 41, K.Flay has distilled the spirit she originally brought into her projects with a level of creative focus and maturity. She’s heard herself on the radio, been signed to big-name labels, collaborated with everyone from Tom Morello to Travis Barker, from FIDLAR to Pvris, Vic Fuentes, The Prodigy, and many more; she’s toured with marquee acts like Imagine Dragons, and Dashboard Confessional. Now, as a fully independent artist, what she cares about is hearing herself in her music. “When you are inhabiting yourself, you are free,” K.Flay says. “When you’re in touch with who you are, there’s an ease. And I think that kind of freedom of expression is contagious.”
In 2022, the fearless performer scaled the crag and rock of Mount Kilimanjaro. K.Flay is always reaching for new ground. This new music comes out as we approach the decade mark since her breakout 2017 album, Every Where Is Some Where, which included her smash single, “Blood in the Cut.” In the time since, she has been on an artist’s journey, navigating life right along with her creativity. “What I’ve learned about myself,” says K.Flay, “is that I NEED to make music. Before, I felt that I loved to make music. But I need to make it in a real way now, to understand myself and the world.”
K.Flay is currently shipping off on a support tour with Evanescence and Poppy in the UK, with one US date in Red Rocks this October 26th. She’s also just launched her first ever paid fan club experience, played at Super Girl Surfer Pro Festival (the world’s largest women’s sports, music, and lifestyle event), and has more music on the way throughout 2026.
EVANESCENCE UK TOUR with Poppy & K.Flay
Tuesday, September 8, 2026: First Direct Arena, Leeds
Thursday, September 10, 2026: Co-op Live, Manchester
Friday, September 11, 2026: Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Sunday, September 13, 2026: The O2, London
Plus….
K.FLAY TO PLAY RARE TINY SHOW AT THE BARFLY ON MON 14th SEPT – SOLD OUT
