Ko Newborn

Kristin Newborn (KO) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer crafting dreamy, emotionally charged soundscapes from the comfort of her home studio. Classically trained in piano and having picked up guitar at an early age, she’s been writing songs since she was a kid and music has been the driving force behind almost every decision she’s made in life.

Since 2005, Newborn has toured the world performing and advocating for music education in schools, carrying that sense of purpose and accessibility into every project she touches. After spending four years with a performing arts group in Orange County, CA, she returned to Indianapolis and formed her first band, Slothpop, a beloved local fixture that set the stage for her future work.

When Slothpop came to an end in 2014, Newborn stepped into her solo project KO, performing as a dream-pop duo with drummer Toddrick Heaton. Together they built sets around ethereal looped guitar layers, dynamic percussion, and vulnerable vocals-otherworldly but still deeply human.

A natural nomad, Newborn tends to move from place to place and has played with many different lineups over the years. What might look chaotic from the outside feels like a blessing to her; she’s humbled to have shared creative space with so many talented musicians, each leaving their mark on her sound.