Brooke Candy Bio
Brooke Dyan Candy (born July 20, 1989) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and tattoo artist recognized for her provocative visuals, bold fashion choices, and candid explorations of sexuality in her music. Often called the “Freaky Princess” by fans and press, she first drew wider attention after appearing in Grimes’ music video for “Genesis” in 2012. Over the following decade, she built a discography that crossed from underground club rap into experimental pop, earning a reputation as a distinctive voice in alternative music.
Raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Candy combines performance, fashion, and visual art in nearly everything she does. She is openly pansexual, a vocal advocate for sex-worker rights, and has spoken publicly about managing bipolar disorder through creative self-expression. In addition to releasing her own music, she has cultivated a parallel career as a tattoo artist, a path she began pursuing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early Life and Background
Brooke Candy was born Brooke Dyan Candy in Oxnard, California, to Tom Candy, the former chief financial officer of the adult magazine Hustler, and a pediatric nurse. She is of Italian descent on her mother’s side and Orthodox Jewish on her father’s. Her parents divorced when she was eight, and she spent considerable time in the offices of Hustler chief executive officer Larry Flynt during her childhood. The experience gave her an early familiarity with adult entertainment culture and shaped her later interest in provocative imagery.
She grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Agoura Hills and has recalled becoming addicted to drugs at the age of twelve. After graduating from high school in 2007, Candy moved to San Francisco with plans of becoming a photographer, immersing herself in creative and largely LGBT social circles that introduced her to new ideas about sexual expression. She later returned to Los Angeles, at one point living out of her car while working as a stripper at the Seventh Veil adult club in Hollywood. During this period she also interned for stylist Rachel Zoe and was hired as a mannequin stylist for Hustler store fronts.
Path to Music
Candy’s transition into music came after producer Khris Lorenz spotted her outlandish fashion at a party and invited her to the studio. Working alongside Lorenz and close collaborator Jesse Saint John, she developed her debut single “Das Me,” which was officially released on October 16, 2012. The track was accompanied by a self-directed music video that quickly gained traction on YouTube, helping to establish her as a fresh voice in the underground club-rap scene.
Earlier in 2012, Candy had co-starred in the music video for Grimes’ “Genesis,” a collaboration that began when Grimes noticed her fashion at a Los Angeles party. The video brought her visibility far beyond the underground circuit. In 2013, she continued releasing independent singles and visuals, including “Everybody Does” and “I Wanna Fuck Right Now,” each of which had amassed more than a million views by early 2013. She also appeared on the Charli XCX track “Cloud Aura” and self-released her debut mixtape, The Mixtape, in June 2013.
Brooke Candy Career
Early Career (2012–2013)
Brooke Candy’s earliest professional work centered on self-released singles and visually striking YouTube music videos. Songs like “Das Me,” “Everybody Does,” and “I Wanna Fuck Right Now” defined her early club-rap style, marked by springy beats and a cyberpunk edge. Her six-track debut mixtape, The Mixtape, arrived in June 2013, collecting the material she had built during her first year in the industry.
Her first major-label recording credit came when she appeared on “Cloud Aura” from Charli XCX’s debut album True Romance. The two were introduced by Azealia Banks when Candy hosted Banks’ Mermaid Ball in Los Angeles. Her appearance in Grimes’ “Genesis” video in 2012 also became one of the most-watched independent music moments of that year, laying the groundwork for her later major-label breakthrough.
Breakthrough (2014–2017)
In late 2013, singer and songwriter Sia reached out to Candy via Instagram, eventually executive producing her debut EP and helping her secure a recording contract. Candy signed with RCA Records in February 2014, and the single “Opulence,” co-written with Sia and produced by Diplo, became her major-label introduction. The accompanying music video, directed by Steven Klein and styled by Nicola Formichetti, premiered in April 2014 and was praised by critics for its celebration of drag and queer communities.
The Opulence EP arrived in May 2014. Over the next two years, Candy released a string of singles, including “Happy Days,” “Nasty,” and “Paper or Plastic,” while partnering with MAC Cosmetics on two makeup lines. Her long-rumored debut album, Daddy Issues, was repeatedly delayed and ultimately shelved. After a collaboration cycle that included work with Sia, Greg Kurstin, Jack Antonoff, and Matthew Koma, Candy parted ways with RCA in 2017.
That same year she toured as a supporting act for Lizzo and performed at LA Pride, premiering the single “Volcano.” She also headlined her own Tie Me Up Tour and continued opening for Charli XCX. In 2018, she released singles such as “War,” “My Sex” featuring Pussy Riot, MNDR, and Mykki Blanco, and “Nuts” with Lil Aaron, while directing an erotic film titled I Love You for Pornhub.
Notable Works and Milestones
Candy’s signature works include the early singles “Das Me” and “I Wanna Fuck Right Now,” the breakout major-label single “Opulence,” and her 2019 debut full-length album Sexorcism. Her subsequent albums, Candyland and Spiral, both released in 2024, marked a hard pivot into experimental pop, house, and industrial-inspired sounds. Across her career, she has collaborated with artists including Sia, Charli XCX, Ashnikko, Erika Jayne, Rico Nasty, and Pussy Riot, and has been profiled by Vogue, MTV, and The Guardian.
Brooke Candy Award Nominations
Detailed information about specific award nominations for Brooke Candy is not consistently documented in the verified sources available, and no comprehensive nomination list can be presented with full confidence.
Brooke Candy Awards Won
Detailed information about specific awards won by Brooke Candy is not consistently documented in the verified sources available, and no comprehensive awards list can be presented with full confidence.
Brooke Candy Family
Brooke Candy is the daughter of Tom Candy, the former chief financial officer of Hustler, and a pediatric nurse. Her parents divorced when she was eight. She is of Italian descent on her mother’s side and Orthodox Jewish on her father’s. During her childhood, she frequently spent time in the office of Larry Flynt, the chief executive officer of Hustler. Her relationship with her parents was strained while she was working as a stripper, but the two later reconciled after they came to see her as a successful musician.
Personal Life
Candy identifies as pansexual and has been open about managing bipolar disorder through artistic expression and tattoos. She is also a vocal proponent of legalizing sex work and recreational marijuana use, and identifies as a liberal and a feminist.
She married fellow tattoo artist Kyle England in 2019, after the two met when she hired him as her tattoo artist. In February 2026, Candy publicly announced her divorce from England after seven years of marriage. She continues to work as a tattoo artist herself, a practice she began during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she names her fanbase #FagMob in keeping with her playful, provocative public persona.