Varien height - How tall is Varien?

In 2019, EDM.com cited her as the Trent Reznor of electronic music. In 2020, Varien came out as transgender.

The Ancient & Arcane was acclaimed upon release, with EDM website Dancing Astronaut calling it a "cinematic masterpiece", giving particular praise to "Ghost Spores" as "reinvigorat[ing] the soul with its harp-tinged melody and orchestral instruments that once again highlight Varien’s idiosyncratic musicianship."

In April 2018, Kaelar wrote, arranged, and produced K-Pop group VIXX's lead single for their album Eau de VIXX, "Scentist". The track went on to hit #1 on the Mnet charts and was licensed for Korean television shows like The Return of Superman.

As of May 2018, Kaelar had reported over 20,000,000 Spotify streams.

On October 26, 2018, Varien released her next EP, Death Asked a Question, via Most Addictive Records. In an interview with EDM Joy, she cited the EP as being the physical manifestation of her struggles during her hiatus, in contrast to the "fantastical" narrative of The Ancient & Arcane.

In 2017, Kaelar announced a hiatus from the Varien alias and removed all of her social media accounts. Across two interviews with EDMSauce, she cited the psychological impact of social media on humans as her reason for going on a blackout, also saying she "needed a break from it.". However, in 2018, Kaelar announced via her YouTube channel that she would begin producing music under the Varien name again, after her hiatus allowed her to "take a deep breath from it all". As of 2018, Varien has begun releasing music independently on her own imprint, Kitsune Soundworks, a name inspired by 90s game and media developers like RareWare, SquareSoft, Bethesda Softworks, and Arc System Works.

Kaelar's next EP, My Prayers Have Become Ghosts, was released on October 31, 2016, via Monstercat.

On August 5, 2015, Kaelar released her first LP, titled The Ancient & Arcane, on Monstercat. Prior to this, she released two tracks, "Beyond the Surface" and "Aether and Light". In an interview with UKF, she elaborated on her songwriting process for the album, saying: "I make so many other types of music so I thought I’d sit down and write – no theme, no story. It’s a very Zen experience. Very spiritual. Wake up. Do yoga. Make music. No regard for the club. No regard for where it will be played or comparisons to my past music or anything else that’s going on. I’ve never gone to any of these places I’m exploring right now. I want people to listen to it and think ‘is this Varien?’ Psychedelic, worldly, ethnic, trippy... People have never seen me go there. Yet."

In 2014, Kaelar teamed up with Two Steps from Hell on a private trailer cue compilation entitled Open Conspiracy. 2014 saw an abundance of licenses for Varien. Her music was used in trailers and promotional media for 300: Rise of an Empire, Bones, The Purge: Anarchy, Face Off, America's Next Top Model, PlanetSide 2, and Monsters: Dark Continent. Los Angeles-based singer Roniit's song "Runaway", produced by Varien, was used in multiple trailers and TV spots for the film The Loft.

On February 26, 2013, Kaelar released Pick Your Poison Vol. 1, a compilation album of trailer cues that she had done strictly for the purpose of film, television, and video game licensing. Pick Your Poison Vol. 2 released a year later.

In July 2011, Kaelar released her first Monstercat single "The Force" under the alias Halo Nova. She subsequently released two more singles under the alias before abandoning it and continuing to make music under the alias Varien, with one of the first releases as Varien being a remix of Ephixa's song "Division".

In August 2010, Kaelar achieved online virality with her slowed-down remix of Justin Bieber's "U Smile", titled "Justin Bieber 800% Slowed Down". She was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly and MTV and had articles written about the track from all over the world.

She decided to focus on solo composition and began producing in 2009, with music in video games serving as her most longtime influence to date. She claims Shin Megami Tensei, Final Fantasy, and Metroid as her biggest influences when it comes to games. Kaelar is also fascinated with the works of The Wachowskis.

Nikki Kaelar (born Nicolas Kaelar; May 15, 1990), better known by her stage name Varien, is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Varien has incorporated or experimented with styles of industrial, metal, orchestral, neofolk, and ambient music. She is known for her work on film soundtracks, along with her unconventional approach to electronic music, including many live instruments not normally found on tracks within her genres.

Kaelar was born as Nick Pittsinger on May 15, 1990 in Tampa, Florida. She claims to have had a connection to music from a very young age, and her family supported her passions. At the age of 11, Varien began playing the guitar and attempting songwriting, and she joined a number of bands experimenting with genres of rock, grindcore, metalcore, and jazz. Kaelar fully developed perfect pitch when playing the keyboard at age fourteen.