Kiana Ledé
Kiana Ledé | |
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| Birth name | Kiana Ledé Brown |
| Born | April 3, 1997 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
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| Website | kianalede |
Kiana Ledé Brown (born April 3, 1997) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and pianist currently based in Los Angeles, California. She starred as Zoe Vaughn on the second season of MTV's horror series Scream. Ledé also starred as Veronica Washington on Netflix's original series All About the Washingtons. Kiana's debut album, Kiki, was released on April 3, 2020, to commercial and critical success.
Early life and education[]
Kiana Ledé Brown was born on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona. Her father is of African American and Indigenous American descent, while her mother is Hispanic of Mexican-American[3] descent.[4][5][6] As an infant, Ledé began to sing the alphabet immediately after learning it and began performing at the age of 3 upon receiving her first karaoke machine. As a child, Ledé began to regularly perform in school plays and beauty pageants while taking voice lessons and piano study.[7] She would regularly get kicked out of class for singing, prompting her mother to enroll her in a performing arts school so she could put her talent to good use.[8] She attended Mountain Pointe High School.[7] She would spend her teenage years refining her craft, and would later relocate to Los Angeles to further her music career.
Career[]
In 2011, Ledé's mother discovered Kidz Bop, a website for kids to upload and share videos of themselves performing. She uploaded a video of Ledé performing an original number on the piano which was selected as a finalist. After performing Adele's "Someone Like You" to earn her a place in the Top 4, Ledé won the 2011 KIDZ Star USA Grand Prize out of 45,000 submissions, the largest national talent competition for kids ages 15 and under.[7]
At a school assembly, Ledé was told that she won the national talent search by American Idol winner Kris Allen. The prize included a RCA Records recording contract and a starring role in the Kidz Bop 21 music video and commercial. Allen said after seeing her live, "she went from 'She's good' to 'She is no doubt gonna win this thing.'"[9]
Ledé said she had the opportunity to listen to and select from her top three song choices. After considering and listening to the songs, she said she chose her first single "Hey Chica" because of the upbeat tempo. The song was released June 19, 2012.[10] Brown has performed the song on The Today Show and at the 86th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She also performed "Do The Mermaid" from Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2.
In 2012, Ledé was named cover girl for Miss Moxie's Holiday 2012 issue.[11] The site praised "Hey Chica" for promoting a "clear message of self-empowerment and encourages young women to feel beautiful in their own skin."
At the age of 16, Ledé moved to North Hollywood. She worked at a gymnastics center and a jazz club due to her receiving no advance from RCA Records. As artists do, she wanted more creative control of her music, so she showed the label what she was working on. They did not see potential in her work, and dropped her a month later. She was later motivated by Grammy award-winning production duo Rice N' Peas to perform cover songs. The series was dubbed "Soulfood Sessions" and helped her gain a following.[12]
In 2016, Ledé was cast in the series regular role as Zoe Vaughn on the second season of MTV's Scream.[13] In 2018, she also accepted a lead role alongside Joseph Simmons of Run-DMC in the Netflix original series All About The Washingtons. The series was cancelled after only one season.
Following her departure from RCA Records, Ledé signed with Republic Records[1][14] after her rendition of Drake's "Hotline Bling" helped gain their attention. She would later release her debut EP Selfless in July 2018.[14] The EP includes her breakout single "Ex", which became her first entry to the Billboard charts, peaking at number 9 on the US R&B Songs charts and at number 1 in several countries.[15] It has earned platinum status from the RIAA as of June 2020. To promote Selfess, she served as opening act with Ro James on Jessie J's R.O.S.E. Tour.
Ledé's second studio EP, Myself, was released in June 2019, and included the single "Bouncin" featuring rapper Offset, which peaked within the top 30 of Billboard's rhythmic airplay chart. She would also embark on her first headlining tour that same year.
Stand-alone singles "Title" and "Easy Breezy" would build momentum for her debut album, which Ledé had been working on for some time. Her highly anticipated 17-track debut album, titled Kiki was released on April 3, 2020, which debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200[14] to positive reviews. The album features guest appearances from R&B stars Ari Lennox, 6LACK and more. The lead single "Mad at Me" interpolates Outkast's 2000 hit song "So Fresh, So Clean".
A tour was planned starting in Europe, but it was eventually postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently scheduled to perform across Europe on May 23.
Ledé would later make a few guest appearances on tracks with Usher, Queen Naija and others. She released the deluxe edition of Kiki on October 23, including seven bonus tracks.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Deadlands: The Rising | Evacuee / Zombie | |
| 2018 | Next Gen | Greenwood (voice) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Temporary Dreams | Herself | Evelyn Worku |
| 2015 | Guidance | Riley | Episodes: "The Pictures", "The Secrets" |
| 2015–2016 | Betch | Various characters / Herself | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Scream | Zoe Vaughn | Main role (season 2); 11 episodes |
| 2018 | All About the Washingtons | Veronica Washington | Main role; 10 episodes |
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [16] | ||
| Kiki[17] |
|
30 |
Extended plays[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Soulfood Sessions |
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| Christmas by Ledé |
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| Selfless |
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| Myself |
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Singles[]
As lead artist[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bub. [18] |
US R&B /HH [19] |
US R&B [20] |
NZ Hot [21] | ||||
| "Hey Chica" | 2012 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Home for Christmas" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Choose You" (featuring Pell) |
2017 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "One of Them Days" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Fairplay" (solo or featuring ASAP Ferg) |
— | — | — | — | Selfless | ||
| "Ex"[22] | 2018 | 6 | 44 | 9 | — |
|
Selfless & Myself |
| "Can I" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | Myself | |
| "Bouncin" (featuring Offset) |
— | — | — | — | |||
| "Title"[24] | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Easy Breezy"[25] | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Mad at Me" | 2020 | — | — | — | 18 | Kiki | |
| "Forfeit" (featuring Lucky Daye) |
— | — | — | — | |||
| "Chocolate" (featuring Ari Lennox) |
— | — | — | 28 | |||
| "Only Fan" (with Jacquees) |
— | — | — | — | |||
| "Ur Best Friend"[26] (featuring Kehlani) |
2021 | — | — | — | 27 | TBA | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
As featured artist[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Bruised Not Broken"[27] (Matoma featuring MNEK and Kiana Ledé) |
2019 | Non-album singles |
| "Mama" (Ella Eyre and Banx & Ranx featuring Kiana Ledé) | ||
| "I'm Her" (Queen Naija featuring Kiana Ledé) |
2020 | missunderstood |
| "A Little More"[28] (G-Eazy featuring Kiana Ledé) |
2021 | These Things Happen Too |
Promotional singles[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Do the Mermaid" | 2012 | Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 |
| "Big Spender" (featuring Prince Charlez) |
2018 | Fifty Shades Freed: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
Other charted songs[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot [29] | |||
| "All to You" (Russ featuring Kiana Ledé) |
2020 | 38 | Shake the Snow Globe |
Other appearances[]
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Touch Me" | 2015 | VenessaMichaels | Non-album single |
| "Running to the Sky" | 2018 | Daveed Diggs | Blindspotting: The Collin EP |
| "Undercover" | Ljay Currie | Free (EP) | |
| "Clutch" | 2020 | Col3trane | Non-album single |
| "In Too Deep" | Jacob Collier | Djesse Vol. 3 | |
| "This Day" | Usher | Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey – Soundtrack | |
| "Stuck in the Middle, Pt. II" | Tai Verdes | Non-album single |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Zellner, Xander (March 20, 2019). "R&B Singers Nicole Bus, The Bonfyre & Kiana Ledé Debut on Emerging Artists Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Kiana Ledé on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "How I Stopped Hiding Behind Makeup & Found the Real Me".
- ^ "I'm watching Kiana Ledé at Ones to Watch!".
- ^ "Kiana Ledé Opens up About 'Life-Changing' Album and Her Mixed Race Identity".
- ^ "NEXT: Intent on Impact, Kiana Lede is Ready to Leave Her Mark". 14 December 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Burnsilver, Glenn (August 9, 2012). "Kiana Brown Wants to Be a "Normal" Star" Phoenix New Times.
- ^ "Kiana Ledé Sings Ex And Talks About Her Acting Career And Upbringing With Mina SayWhat". YouTube. November 6, 2018.
- ^ Masley, Ed (October 22, 2011). "Phoenix teen Kiana Brown wins 'KIDZ Bop' talent search" The Arizona Republic.
- ^ Roemhild, Travis (June 10, 2012). "MP student works hard to make a name in the music industry" Ahwatukee Foothills News.
- ^ Miss Moxie (November 22, 2012). "Kiana Brown Announced as Next Miss Moxie Cover Girl Archived December 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine" Miss Moxie.
- ^ Zaynab (December 17, 2018). "Kiana Ledé Reveals How She Bounced Back After Being Dropped From Her Label". HotNewHipHop.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 10, 2016). "MTV's 'Scream' Sets New Cast, Season 2 Premiere Date". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Ginsberg, Gab (March 22, 2019). "Emerging Artists Spotlight: Kiana Ledé". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "Emerging Hip-Hop: NLE Choppa, Kiana Lede & Luh Kel Make Noise With Latest Chart Moves". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "Billboard 200: April 18, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ @KianaLede (March 13, 2020). "My debut album #Kiki is coming April 3rd Red heartShout out to all my beautiful friends who shared their gifts and love with me on this album. I can finally let you all SEE who I made magic with! Pre-order it here: KianaLede.lnk.to/Kiki" (Tweet). Retrieved March 14, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100: May 4, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ "Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: May 4, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ "Billboard R&B Songs Chart – April 27, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ Peaks on the NZ Hot Singles Chart:
- "Mad at Me": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- "Ur Best Friend": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 2, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
- ^ Goldman, Tatiana (November 2, 2018). "R&B Siren Kiana Ledé Opens Up About Second Chances, Her Love for Leon Bridges, & Making People Cry [Q&A]". Ones to Watch. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum".
- ^ "Title by Kiana Ledé". Apple Music. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
- ^ "Easy Breezy – Single by Kiana Ledé". Apple Music. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- ^ @KianaLede (22 July 2021). "Hey guys