Varien

Nikki Kaelar, better known by her stage name Varien, is an internationally recognized composer, producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her innovative, new-age sound and high-tech production technique. It juxtaposes a sense of femininity and cuteness with dark, gritty, goth styles.

Nikki describes her new music as hyperrave. It aims to exaggerate elements of Y2K-era aesthetics, rave culture, techno-optimism, transhumanism, and lots of grit and industrial attitude. Varien’s sound is an absolute expression of who Nikki is as a person and is therefore informed by everything from The Matrix and Serial Experiments Lain to Suicide Silence and breakcore/IDM to Dance Dance Revolution.

Varien has been attributed to being a true mastermind in the electronic realm, a vanguard in innovation, and a figurehead for underground electronic producers. In 2019, EDM.com cited her as the Trent Reznor of electronic music. Her music has reached over 150 million collective plays across streaming platforms and has been released on Monstercat, OWSLA, and Wakaan. Her songs receive support from Skrillex, REZZ, and LSDream to mention a few.

Nikki has previously been on the frontier of many genres; she has set the bar while she was there — #1 Hits for K-Pop groups, composer on Hollywood films including Furious 7, John Wick 3, and Hotel Mumbai and massive video games such as Doki Doki Literature Club.