Queen Naija
Queen Naija | |
|---|---|
 Queen Naija in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Queen Naija Bulls |
| Born | October 17, 1995 Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, YouTuber |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Capitol |
| Associated acts | |
| Spouse(s) | Chris Sails
(m. 2014; div. 2018) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | www |
Queen Naija Bulls (/ˈnɑːdʒə/;[1] born October 17, 1995) is an American singer and YouTuber. Born and raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan, she started out her career as a vlogger on YouTube and then participated in season 13 of American Idol. Her self-released song "Medicine" reached the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017, and she was signed to Capitol Records.
Queen Naija's self-titled EP was released on July 27, 2018, and debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200. Three singles from the album were certified platinum by the RIAA. On October 30, 2020, Queen Naija released her debut album, Missunderstood. The album debuted and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200, her first top 10 album on the chart.
Early life[]
Queen Naija was born on October 17, 1995, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She has described her background as a mix of "Arab, Black and Italian",[2] but has also mentioned having Indian[a] ancestry, though she was not sure how much.[3] Her father is from Yemen.[4][5]
Her birth name, Queen Naija, was given to her by her mother. "Queen" was inspired by her grandmother, who had the same first name, and "Naija" represented her father's name.[6]
Career[]
2014–2017: American Idol and YouTube[]
Queen Naija first gained prominence as a contestant on the thirteenth season of American Idol. She had auditioned two years earlier but had failed to advance into the next round.[7] In the thirteenth season, she advanced into the Hollywood round, but was cut when the top 30 were chosen.[7] Afterwards, Queen Naija went back to working as a security guard. She then continued on building her YouTube career.[8]
In August 2016, Queen Naija began her YouTube career alongside her then-husband, Christopher Sails, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In December 2017, Queen Naija filed for divorce from Sails. Their channel, which held over 2.3 million subscribers, was given to Sails by Queen Naija.[9]
2017–2019: Musical career beginnings and Queen Naija EP[]
Queen Naija released her song "Medicine" on December 31, 2017, and "Karma", her second single, on June 29, 2018.[citation needed]
Queen Naija did a video interview for the song "Medicine" with Genius in January 2018.[10] Queen documented on her YouTube channel a few meetings with record labels that she attended with her team/management.[11] By March 2018, Queen's initial song post of "Medicine" had more than 10 million views.[12] An official music video was released later that month.[13] The video acquired 4.5 million views on the day of its release, and has over 146 million views as of December 2019.[14] In July 2018, Queen Naija created a new collaborative YouTube channel, "Royal Family", alongside her new boyfriend, Clarence White. The channel has 2.79 million subscribers as of March 2021.[15]
On April 25, 2018, Queen Naija signed to Capitol Records.[16] On June 28, she released her second single, "Karma". She wrote and recorded the song in January 2018.[17] On the same day, the song reached number one overall on the iTunes charts.[18] "Karma" debuted at number 13 on the Billboard Digital Songs sales chart,[19] and at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100.[20] The audio for the song has over 116 million views as of March 2021.[21]
Queen Naija released her self-titled extended play on July 27, 2018. It consists of five songs: "Medicine", "Karma", "Mama's Hand", "Butterflies", and "Bad Boy".[22] The project includes production from No I.D., El Jefe, Rob Grimaldi, 30 Hertz Beats, and ClickNPress.[23] Queen described the EP as an emotional journey in which each song describes either an experience or emotion she has gone through.[24] The songs reference topics including heartbreak and betrayal, motherhood, and finding new love again.[25] "Medicine" deals with her heartbreak and emotions toward her ex-partner, and "Karma" explains overcoming the heartbreak while sending a message that she will be fine. "Mama's Hand" is dedicated to her son; she promises to give him everything and encourages him to have optimistic thoughts about the future.[26] "Butterflies" reveals that she is beginning to fall in love again with someone new. "Bad Boy" describes her connection with a new lover, and how her goodness may cause him to change for the better.[26] The EP debuted at number 26 on the Billboard 200 and reached number one on the Apple Music R&B charts.[27]
2020: Missunderstood[]
On July 24, 2020, Queen Naija released the first single for her debut album, "Pack Lite". A video for the song was released on July 31.[28] Queen released the single "Lie to Me" featuring Lil Durk on October 2. On October 5, Queen released a visual for the song. The song samples DeBarge's "A Dream".[29] On October 30, Queen Naija released her debut album, Missunderstood. The album is 18 tracks long and features artists such as Jacquees, Toosii, Mulatto, Pretty Vee, Russ, Lucky Daye, Kiana Ledé, and more.[30] The deluxe edition of the album titled "Missunderstood...Still" featuring J.I the Prince of N.Y & Ari Lennox was released on April 16, 2021 [31]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [32] |
US R&B /HH [33] |
US R&B [34] | ||
| Missunderstood |
|
9 | 6 | 1 |
Extended plays[]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [35] |
US R&B /HH [33] |
US R&B [34] | |||
| Queen Naija EP[36] |
|
26 | 14 | 2 | |
Singles[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [38] |
US Adult R&B |
US R&B /HH [39] |
US R&B | ||||
| "Medicine"[40] | 2017 | 45 | 1 | 20 | 3 | Queen Naija | |
| "Karma"[42] | 2018 | 63 | 1 | 40 | 7 | ||
| "Butterflies" | —[43] | — | 49 | 14 | |||
| "War Cry"[44] | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Away from You" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Good Morning Text" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Butterflies Pt.2" | 2020 | — | 1 | — | 10 | Missunderstood | |
| "Pack Lite" | — | 11 | — | 11 | |||
| "Lie to Me"[45] (featuring Lil Durk) |
[46] | — | — | 10 | |||
| "Love Language" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Bitter"[47] (featuring Mulatto) |
— | — | — | 18 | |||
| "Set Him Up"[48] (featuring Ari Lennox) |
2021 | — | — | — | 14 | Missunderstood...Still | |
Notes[]
- ^ Due to the ambiguity of the word "Indian" in English, this could mean "Indian" in reference to having partial Native American ancestry, or "Indian" meaning she has ancestry from the Indian subcontinent.
References[]
- ^ "Queen Naija Goes Undercover on YouTube, Twitter and Wikipedia". GQ. December 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ Queen Naija (January 10, 2018), Queen Naija Reveals Her Heritage, retrieved July 12, 2020
- ^ MY FIRST Q&A (GET TO KNOW QUEEN), April 20, 2017, retrieved July 26, 2020 – via YouTube,
I'm half Arab, and then the other part is Black and Italian. My mom is Black, Italian and Indian, but I don't know how much so I just say "Arab, Black, and Italian.
- ^ Queen Naija (November 6, 2017). "THE TRUTH BEHIND MY DAD". Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ^ Queen Naija (September 10, 2018). "Queen Naija Reveals Origin Of Her Name and Correct Way To Pronounce It". Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ Queen Naija Reveals Origin Of Her Name and Correct Way To Pronounce It, September 10, 2018, retrieved October 5, 2018 – via DJ Smallz Eyes 2 on YouTube
- ^ Jump up to: a b American Idol (January 22, 2014). "Road to Hollywood: Queen Bulls – AMERICAN IDOL SEASON XIII". Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ 106 KMEL (July 16, 2018), Queen Naija talks Detroit Slang, Cardi B, American Idol, and Her Ex!, retrieved October 5, 2018
- ^ Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM (July 26, 2018). "Queen Naija Opens Up About New Relationship, New Music, Karma + More,Medicine and Karma have been certified gold in the United States". Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ Genius (January 23, 2018). "Queen Naija "Medicine" Official Lyrics & Meaning | Verified". Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Queen Naija (March 21, 2018), FINALLY TOOK Y'ALL TO MY MEETING!, retrieved October 5, 2018
- ^ "Queen Naija