Flaherty was born and raised in Wilmette, Illinois. She attended New Trier Township High School. When she was seven, her parents divorced. Her mother remarried soon after, bringing in an extended step-family. She has described herself as a tomboy during childhood, preferring baggier clothing and rejecting "all things girly". When she was 14 years old, Flaherty\'s father—a guitarist who loved all musical genres—died. Many of her songs are a tribute to him. In 2003, she entered Stanford University in California, pursuing a double major in psychology and sociology. According to Flaherty, many people she met during her time at Stanford influenced her musical style.\n', '

K.Flay began her music career in 2003, believing that most hip hop hits on the radio were "simplistic, misogynistic and formulaic". After bragging to a friend that she could write similar songs, she wrote "Blingity Blang Blang", which she described as a "low budget rap parody that contained far too many obscenities". After writing and performing the song, Flaherty realized that she enjoyed writing and recording music. She continued to experiment with music by writing songs and performing and recording them on her computer. She released a mixtape called Suburban Rap Queen in 2005, which she produced on her laptop, and began performing.\n', '

In 2010, K.Flay released her self-titled EP, and in 2011 self-released the mixtape I Stopped Caring in \'96, which she later remarked was a career turning point. K.Flay signed with RCA Records in 2012, releasing two EPs: Eyes Shut in 2012, with songs produced by Liam Howlett from the British band The Prodigy, and What If It Is in 2013. She parted ways with RCA Records in 2013 because of differences of opinion. Upon leaving RCA Records, she left behind more than 60 songs she had written while signed under RCA Records, but no longer owned the rights to. K.Flay has described her time with RCA Records as similar to "an ill-advised marriage".\n', '

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