Electronic Music Producer Mr. Kitty Shrugs Off Controversy And Returns From Hiatus To Sold-Out Shows

The life of an artist is rarely as glamorous or easy as popular films or television shows may suggest. It’s true that the path of an artist—be they a musician, a painter, a writer, a dancer, or any other discipline—can lead to careers that blend passion, creativity, and financial success. But the presence of passion does not make the work less arduous or the industry less exhausting, and the unique social and cultural pressures artists have to contend with can easily grow into personal challenges that each artist must overcome in their own way. 

Forrest Lemaire understands this on a personal level. The Arlington, Texas-born musician began experimenting with music production in his early teens, eventually turning breakcore influences into darker electronic music and adopting the moniker “Mr. Kitty” in the late 2000s. His first two albums, Time (2014) and Ephemeral (2019), both received popular praise, especially the former’s breakout track “After Dark,” which experienced a renaissance virality on YouTube in 2019 and TikTok in 2021. Unfortunately, due to personal controversies, including a struggle with addiction, Mr. Kitty stepped away from his record label and live performances in 2021.

Despite the controversy, Mr. Kitty’s influence in the synthwave and dark electronic genres remains notable to this day, in large part due to his ability to blend emotive lyrics with nostalgic electronic sounds and chiptunes. The impact he had on the underground music community and his fans was keenly felt upon his cautious return to the stage in 2025 with performances in Houston and Los Angeles—both sold-out shows. His return to music production with his release of the 40-track Unreal in 2024 and his 2025 live shows demonstrates both his resilience and his introspective evolution, both as a musician and as a person.

“I’m glad to have endured the harshness of reality and to see the world for what it really is,” Lemaire explains. “I learned a lot about myself and that taking the time to figure it out can lead to some unexpected, yet satisfying results. To have the freedom and my own identity back means the world to me!”

Drawn To Music, Inspired By Electronica

Mr. Kitty’s love of music was instilled in him by a mixture of MTV music videos and electronic music radio stations back home in Texas. Trance music in particular caught his early attention; he’d often stay up all night listening to the now-defunct radio station, “106.7 The Texas Party Station,” and enjoying the sets put on by the chosen big-name DJ of the night. Meanwhile, more mainstream musicians like Nirvana and Marilyn Manson brought larger-than-life personas and performances that quickly became aspirational for the young Lemaire. 

Like many artists, Mr. Kitty’s musical journey began when he was given the means to emulate and create the very music that so fascinated him. A friend’s father had a home recording studio complete with a range of instruments, including keyboards and an analog mixing console, as well as the software to put it all together. When Lemaire was given the chance to demo Fruity Loops 2 (now FL Studio), a bit of mixing software that let him create simple sequences and loops, everything clicked into place. 

“I felt like I had discovered a secret that no one else knew about, and I was about to unknowingly start something that would change my life,” Mr. Kitty recalls. “I had the power to execute my ideas in a way that I didn’t think was possible.”

His experimentation and creation quickly developed into a burgeoning musical career from 2005-2010. Lemaire took on the moniker of Mr. Kitty during this time, enjoying the cute sophistication of the name and its contrast with the chaotic, aggressive drums, chiptune sounds, and atonal vocals of his work. Other artists and bands like HEALTH, Chromatics, and Klaxons served as musical inspirations that would follow him well into his career. 

“From these mentioned styles of music that I’ve listened to, I found the sounds that resonated with me and decided to use them in a different context,” Mr. Kitty says. “Not to fit into the limit of a genre, but to push a boundary by creating something of my own that I enjoy. Does this make me original? No, but my execution might differ from another person’s vision.”

From Controversy to Creative and Personal Evolution

Despite his viral growth and popularity, Mr. Kitty’s path was neither easy nor straightforward. Like many musical artists, he struggled with not only broad judgements and criticism from people both on- and offline, but a harmful drug addiction and mental health struggles. These controversies and struggles were the driving force behind his years-long hiatus from 2021 until late 2024, as he took time away from both production and performance to seek help, heal, and reconnect with himself. 

“It allowed me to grow into the person that I’m meant to become, and that I’m exactly where I need to be at this point,” Lemaire says. “I attended therapy on my phone for three years and an outpatient program for eight weeks, four times a week. To disregard the judgment and criticism of others and to focus on what’s in front of me was something difficult to deal with as I constantly exposed myself to the negativity by going online and seeking it out.”

In his return to live performances and touring, it’s only natural to wonder how he’s managing stress, navigating sobriety, and maintaining his mental health. For Mr. Kitty, it’s not always easy, but is largely helped by taking the right perspective. The techniques and perspective he’s gained from his healing hiatus largely have to do with learning when to disconnect and refresh himself creatively and socially, which helps with both stress management and general mental health. 

“When I’m stressed, I prefer to visit places where I feel insignificant, but not in the sense of not belonging,” he explains. “For example, standing in the middle of an open field and thinking about it physically, how big is the world around me? By feeling insignificant in the real world, it can help you to realize that you’re prioritizing being stressed over the actual problem. Every day, you are new.”

Sobriety is much easier to manage for Lemaire, but he recognizes that it isn’t that way for everyone. After being invited to a Cocaine Anonymous meeting by a woman he was in outpatient support with, he realized that he was neither alone in his struggles with addiction nor hopeless in his healing journey. 

“I’ve learned that nothing constructive comes from substance abuse,” Mr. Kitty explains. “It’s as if you purposefully give life to a monster. What is my intention with something built for destruction?”

A New Mr. Kitty

Having returned from his hiatus with a new perspective and a new lease on life, Mr. Kitty is prepared to rejoin the music industry—and so are his fans. His music continues to be widely streamed, with over a billion streams on Spotify alone, and his first few shows back on the touring circuit have been sold-out events full of eager and supportive fans. In taking a break and focusing on healing, Mr. Kitty has given himself a chance to refresh both his music and his career, and that’s something he appreciates deeply. 

“I think creatively, you have to take breaks from what you are doing because monotony with repetitious results can lead to insanity,” he says. “Disconnecting from the world allows your thoughts to exist in the purest form.

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