Kat Graham is an actress, singer, dancer and producer. Working across a variety of genres in film, television and music, she is one of most accomplished and versatile young talents working today.
Graham has starred in several box office hits such as The Heatwave, Operation: Christmas Drop, Cut Throat City, Love in the Villa, The Poison Rose, All Eyez on Me, The Holiday Calendar, Where’s The Money and also lent her voice to Nickelodeonʼs animated television show, “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Graham has starred alongside legends such as Morgan Freeman, John Travolta and Forest Whitaker
In June 2022, Kat partnered with GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and released her new dance pop album, LONG HOT SUMMER, as well as a global PRIDE tour to help raise money for the organization.
Graham is a fashion icon known for her ever changing and evolving style representing many brands such as L’Oreal, Samsung, Avon, Bing, Ford, Aquafina, Abercrombie, Nivea and Armani Exchange.
Graham is now adding entrepreneur to her long list of titles. In September 2021, she launched her new business venture, a wellness company – Modern Nirvana – together with her co-founders Frank Elaridi and Bryant Wood, supported by Deepak Chopra.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Graham speaks four languages – English, Spanish, French and Hebrew, and has been a high-profile supporter of the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees) since 2013. She is also a council member for GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), Ambassador for Rotary International and has worked with Empower 54 and The Water Project, helping fund wells for clean water to be built for villages and schools throughout Africa.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: How would you describe your personal style?
KAT GRAHAM: The fashion of the late 1980s to early 1990s and especially designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler inspire my style. I try my best to stay with those designers whose cuts and designs focus on love for the natural shape of women.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: What are some of your pre-performance rituals?
KAT GRAHAM: I do a lot of stretching and warm ups as right now I’m promoting a dance pop album. All of my dancers are Italian so it usually consists of everyone hyping each other up in the Italian language.
I work really closely with my stylists and I’m always trying on different looks, hair colors, wigs, makeup ideas so that by the time it’s ShowTime I have a definite idea of what the look is.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: Where do you find your inspiration and what sparks your creativity?
KAT GRAHAM: The LGBTQ community was the source of my inspiration for this new album. For over 10 years I have been surrounded by talented and creative artists from the “drag and ball scene” as well as music makers like Freedia. I’ve been inspired by activists like Marsha P Johnson and those that I’ve met at many different pride festivals. This is what fueled my album Long Hot Summer and what has fueled this tour.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: You are involved with acting, singing, dancing, producing, humanitarian work and you have started a wellness company. What’s your secret and how do you juggle it all so successfully?
KAT GRAHAM: I actually don’t juggle anything. I have windows where I’ll work on each thing and I have an incredible team that help me achieve my dreams. My goal is always to be of service to the world. I’m a human rights worker, so everything should always fall under that umbrella. That actually makes things a lot simpler for everyone to understand what takes priority.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: What are 5 things that you would not leave home without ?
KAT GRAHAM: I always carry a mifi (portable wifi unit) just in case I cannot connect to the Internet. I will also carry a lipgloss, a moisturizer to stay hydrated, my organizer, and of course my cell phone.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: How enjoyable has the Long Hot Summer tour been?
KAT GRAHAM: It has been so much fun traveling and singing these songs to people all over the world. It’s also been a lot harder than I thought it would be. I hadn’t been on tour since 2007 with the Black Eyed Peas and I forgot how grueling it is on your body. Touring is incredibly physically difficult and you have to really love what you do to do it.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: What does it mean to you to partner with GLAAD for your music album?
KAT GRAHAM: GLAAD is such an incredible organization that does so much to promote the rights of people in the LGBTQ+ community. They are my family and I will always do everything in my power to support them. Partnering with them on this album means so much to me and truly sets the tone for what this project is.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: What does wellness mean to you and what motivated you to become an entrepreneur and create Modern Nirvana?
KAT GRAHAM: Before Covid hit I took my own wellness for granted. We started modern nirvana in 2019 completely unaware of the impact and the future necessity of it. We just wanted to create a space where people could come and explore different tools, speakers, products, and experiences that could help them become their best selves. We realized the necessity of it in 2020 and have been working really hard to make sure we do our best to give everyone the accessibility to wellness. We have our annual summit this year and we honor different leaders and products in the wellness space.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: You’re starring in the upcoming thriller COLLIDE. What was it like to work with Ryan Phillippe?
KAT GRAHAM: Collide was a pretty wild film to shoot. It definitely included the hardest scenes I have ever done in my career. Ryan was absolutely incredible to work alongside and he is a great actor and a solid human being and professional.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: Totally switching genres, you also play Julie in the upcoming Netflix rom-com LOVE IN THE VILLA. What stuck out to you about this character?
KAT GRAHAM: I am very similar to Julie in Love In The Villa. The thing that stuck out about this character was how similar we are. I try and plan everything in my life, trying not to leave anything up to chance. Before I met my now fiancé Darren I was a workaholic and would never be interested in something as frivolous as the idea of love. The idea of investing time into a relationship had always felt like more of a distraction than something that would benefit me. Now I’m the biggest romantic junkie thanks to Darren.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: What is your favorite memory from filming LOVE IN THE VILLA?
KAT GRAHAM: This was the most joyful experience I’ve ever had and I loved shooting every single scene in this movie. I loved working with Tom Hopper and filming our dinner scenes and those scenes where we toured Verona. It was truly a magical experience.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: Have you ever been to Vietnam? What’s your favorite thing about it?
KAT GRAHAM: I’ve been invited to come to Vietnam and I’m hoping to come soon. I love the culture, the people, the food, the fashion and the beaches. Vietnam has such a rich history. I especially want to walk across the Golden Bridge, which seems like such a spiritual and incredible place to visit.
HARPER’S BAZAAR: What is something you want to do next that you have not already done?
KAT GRAHAM: I’m currently working in the postproduction phase of a refugee documentary that is going to be released next year. The movie Collide and Ninja Turtles are both coming out on August 5 and Love In The Villa is dropping September 1.
**Team Credits**
Muse: Kat Graham @katgraham
Photographer: Harold Julian @haroldjulian
Stylist: Paris Chea @parischea, Glam Deva Pink @glamdeva
Production: Burgerrock Media @burgerrockmedia @burgerrock
Talent Booking: Emily Blair Marcus / Emily Blair Media @emilyblairmarcus @emilyblairmedia
Harper’s Bazaar Viet Nam
