• 2000-

  Alison MosshartVocals, guitar

  Jamie HinceGuitar
• The Kills guitarist Jamie Hince describes his parents as "very formal." When he first started playing music, they thought his dream to be a musician for a living was just a phase. Now, Hince says they're supportive even though they probably "would've preferred him to be an academic."
• After their show at South-by-Southwest in Austin, Texas in 2011, The Kills stayed out partying with members of the hard rock band Queens Of The Stone Age. At the beginning of the show, QOTSA frontman Josh Homme said to singer Alison Mosshart "You know this won't be an early night, don't you?"
• The Kills singer Alison Mosshart told Interview magazine that she likes to prepare for a show with a drink. "Maybe a vodka with some juice in it" she responds when asked what her weapon of choice would be.
• The Kills singer Alison Mosshart fainted while performing at Lollapalooza. The temperature was around 115 degrees Fahrenheit and since the stage was black, she felt like she was going to melt. She almost fainted a second time while performing in France at an auditorium with literally no ventilation system.
• The Kills' songs have appeared on many TV shows, including Cops, House, and True Blood.
• The Kills guitarist Jamie Hince is married to supermodel Kate Moss. The couple's 2011 wedding took place on July 1, 2011 at St Peter's Church, Southrop in Gloucestershire, England. The pair ended their relationship in the summer of 2015. Their marital ups and downs have been covered endlessly by the British tabloid press.
• Alison Mosshart first met Jamie Hince when she was just 17 and was staying in the flat below him. "I used to just hear him play electric guitar up there, and I was like, this is the f---ing coolest-sounding electric guitar ever," she revealed in an interview with the Lena Dunham newsletter Lenny Letter. "When I met him I told him, 'I want to be in a band with you,' and he thought that I was insane but I really persisted, and eventually we started writing and he encouraged me."
  
  Mosshart added that Hince the gave her a four-track cassette recorder to practise on. "Then I would run back to London with the tapes, and that's how the Kills started," she said.
• Alison Mosshart is also a talented artist. The first solo exhibition of her paintings, Fire Power, was held at the Joseph Gross Gallery in New York in July 2015.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Open Your HeartMadonna

The kid in Madonna's "Open Your Heart" video became a successful songwriter. His songs include Amy Winehouse's "You Sent Me Flying" and James Blunt's "1973."

Ur So GayKaty Perry

Katy Perry says her 2008 song "Ur So Gay" is about "guys who wear the guyliner, steal your jeans, and that whole almost hipster emo scene."

Private DancerTina Turner

Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits wrote "Private Dancer," which went to Tina Turner when he realized it wasn't a song for a man to sing.

Mmm Mmm Mmm MmmCrash Test Dummies

The third verse of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies ("they shook and lurched all over the church floor...") was inspired by girl whose parents would speak in tongues at their Pentecostal service.

Evening StarJudas Priest

Judas Priest's "Evening Star" is a Christmas carol that describes the journey of the Magi from a first person perspective.

I'll Be Missing YouPuff Daddy

Puff Daddy didn't get permission to sample the Police song "Every Breath You Take" on his Notorious B.I.G. tribute "I'll Be Missing You," but he later reached an agreement and even performed the song with Sting.

Editor's Picks

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.