Christina Parie
Christina Parie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christina Parie February 10, 1996 Castle Hill, New South Wales, Australia |
| Other names | KYA, Christina Castle, Penny Lane |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Finalist on The X Factor Australia (season 3) |
| Notable work | "16 & Unstoppable", "What I Live For", Chapter 1 EP, "Crazy Lover" |
Christina Parie (born 10 February 1996), who also performs under the names KYA and Christina Castle, is an Australian vocalist recognized primarily for reaching the finals on the third season of The X Factor Australia in 2011. She secured a contract with Warner Music Australia and launched her first single, "16 & Unstoppable," in July 2012. Later, adopting the moniker KYA, she collaborated with LDN Noise to release "What I Live For" in May 2014.
Following her departure from Warner Music, Parie adopted the alias Penny Lane to support her relocation to the United States. In 2019, she resurfaced as Christina Castle with a three-track EP entitled Chapter 1, which explored themes of inner conflict and perseverance. This was succeeded by the release of "Crazy Lover" featuring Gangsta Boo, a track that serves as an anthem against abuse and for empowerment.
Early life
Christina Parie was born in Castle Hill, New South Wales to parents Jim and Mary Papoulias. She is the middle sibling, with one older sister and one younger brother. As the sole vocalist in her family, she credits artists such as Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and The Cranberries as key influences. Her musical journey began as the lead singer of Losing Sight, a Sydney-based band that performed at various local venues and festivals. Parie attended Mount St Benedict College until completing year ten before leaving school to dedicate herself fully to music after gaining exposure on The X Factor.
2011: The X Factor Australia
In 2011, Parie auditioned for the third season of The X Factor Australia, choosing Kelly Clarkson's "I Do Not Hook Up" for her performance in front of judges Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, and Mel B. Keating commended her remarkable stage presence, while Mel B expressed astonishment that she had not yet been signed by any record label. Sebastian remarked that she embodied the type of talent sought after by the music industry. Parie advanced to bootcamp as part of the Girls category under Mel B's mentorship, subsequently moving on to the home visits stage held in Hollywood with Mel B and guest judge Melanie C. Mel B selected Parie to proceed to the live shows alongside Tyla Bertolli and Jacqui Newland.
During the seventh week of live performances, Parie found herself in the bottom two alongside Reece Mastin following her rendition of David Guetta's "When Love Takes Over." The judges chose to save Mastin, leading to Parie's elimination as the final contestant from the Girls category. The Herald Sun described her departure as one of the season's most surprising moments.
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Theme | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions | "I Do Not Hook Up" | Kelly Clarkson | Free Choice | Advanced to Bootcamp |
| Bootcamp | "Dear Mr. President" | Pink | Advanced to Home visits | |
| "Rolling in the Deep" | Adele | |||
| Home visits | "What's Up?" | 4 Non Blondes | Advanced to Live shows | |
| Live show 1 | "Since U Been Gone" | Kelly Clarkson | Judges' Choice | Safe |
| Live show 2 | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | Cyndi Lauper | Party Anthems | Safe |
| Live show 3 | "Gives You Hell" | The All-American Rejects | Rock | Safe |
| Live show 4 | "Zombie" | The Cranberries | The 90s | Safe |
| Live show 5 | "Teenage Dirtbag" | Wheatus | Number-one Hits | Safe |
| Live show 6 | "Weir" | Killing Heidi | Australian Hits | Safe |
| Live show 7 | "When Love Takes Over" | David Guetta and Kelly Rowland | Dance | Bottom two |
| Live show 7 (bottom two) | "I'm with You" | Avril Lavigne | Free Choice | Eliminated |
2012–2013: 16 and Unstoppable
At the beginning of 2012, Parie, along with fellow X-Factor participant Johnny Ruffo, joined Reece Mastin as support acts on his inaugural Australian headline tour. By March, she had uploaded a cover of Simple Plan's "Jet Lag" to YouTube, which subsequently led to an opportunity to tour Australia with Simple Plan and We the Kings.
Parie contributed vocals to the track "Jet Lag" during this tour. In June 2012, she secured a recording contract with Warner Music Australia. Her first single, "16 & Unstoppable," was made available digitally on 13 July 2012 and reached number 69 on the ARIA Singles Chart. This was followed by a five-song extended play also named 16 & Unstoppable, released on 27 July 2012. The EP featured the track "Back to Life," penned by The Veronicas. In September 2012, Parie showcased "16 & Unstoppable" at the premiere Slimefest event hosted by Nickelodeon Australia.
2014–2015: KYA
In May 2014, Parie adopted the stage name KYA (pronounced Khai-a) as a tribute to her grandmother. Her first single under this new moniker, "What I Live For," was released digitally on 2 May 2014 and attained a peak position of number 65 on the ARIA Singles Chart. On 13 May 2015, she earned the public’s vote—garnering 54%—to perform the national anthem at the 2015 A-League Grand Final.
2016–2018: Christina Castle, Little Bit Scared, Penny Lane
By 2016, Parie had taken on the stage name Christina Castle and commenced production on a new album in collaboration with Linda Perry. The following year, she toured across the United States and Canada alongside Mikey Mike as part of Yelawolf's extensive 47-date tour.
In March 2018, Castle released her single "Little Bit Scared." That June, she competed in season two of Fox’s The Four, delivering an audition performance of Ariana Grande's "Side to Side." Later in the year, she revealed that she was working on a new song titled "Crazy Lover" with producer Lido. The single "Penny Lane" was subsequently released on 15 September 2018.
2019–present: Chapter 1, Crazy Lover & Vixen
Christina unveiled her EP Chapter 1 on 25 January 2019. This was followed by the release of the single Crazy Lover, featuring Gangsta Boo, on 19 April 2019. On 16 April 2020, she introduced another single titled Vixen through SoundCloud.
Extended plays
| Title | Release details |
|---|---|
| 16 & Unstoppable |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart position |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "16 & Unstoppable" | 2012 | 69 | 16 & Unstoppable |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "16 & Unstoppable" | 2012 | Sequoia |
Singles
| Track | Release Year | Highest Chart Ranking |
Associated Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "What I Live For" (collaboration with LDN Noise) |
2014 | 65 | — |
Extended plays
| EP Title | Release Information |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 |
|
Singles
| Title | Year Released | Album Association |
|---|---|---|
| Penny Lane | 2018 | Chapter 1 |
| Crazy Lover (featuring Gangsta Boo) | 2019 | Single release |
| Vixen | 2020 | Single release |
| Shark! | 2021 | Single release |
| FFFree | 2022 | Single release |
Music videos
| Video Title | Release Year |
|---|---|
| Little Bit Scared | 2018 |
| Shark! | 2021 |
| FFFree | 2022 |