Karen Young, born on 23 March 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an American singer known for her contributions to disco and soul music. She began her career as a jingle singer and backing vocalist for various production companies based in Philadelphia. In the early 1970s, she joined the group Sandd. Her breakthrough came in 1978 with the release of "Hot Shot", a single written and produced by Andy Kahn and Kurt Borusiewicz. The song reached number one on Billboard's disco chart for two weeks and peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100, catapulting her to international fame. An album titled Hot Shot was subsequently released by West End Records of New York City. By 1981, the disco movement had started to decline, and she struggled to replicate her earlier success. She continued performing locally in Philadelphia until her death on 26 January 1991, at age 39, from a possible bleeding peptic ulcer. "Hot Shot" was later sampled by Daft Punk on their album Homework, while various remixes were released in 2007.
