Growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, Kiana Ledé's infatuation for music and the arts began as early as she was a toddler. Receiving her first karaoke machine at the age of 3, her innate sense of charisma and boundless, forthright expression developed in her primary years leading up to secondary school where she balanced taking voice lessons, beauty pageants, studying piano & performing in her school plays. Kiana was clearly destined to be immersed in the world of fine arts, her intention has consistently leaned toward always conveying her most honest and true self. Entered into Kidz Bop's 2011 Star USA competition by her mother, Lede was signed to RCA Records as per the contractual winnings of the contest. Moving to Los Angeles, she continued to catapult deeper into understanding her own identity, always allowing herself to be a clear vessel for divinity to work through, regardless of what obstacles or challenges she faced along the way. Working several jobs at once in such a large, bustling city that characterizes the city of Los Angeles, she didn't let anything set her off her path – her momentum and outreach growing exponentially from what she mentions as a "new sense of self". Her compelling vocal presence was brought to the forefront with her Soulfood Sessions where she quickly regained her footing; her covers of Drake's "Hotline Bling" & Roddy Ricch's "High Fashion" & "Ballin" , gaining more than a few thousands of views on YouTube. Signing to Republic Records by the hand of co-founder Monte Lipman, her first official studio album Selfless released in 2018 which featured her hit song "EX", which accumulated 60+ million streams.
Her unconventional approach toward the R&B-soul genre as a whole, along with her inherent songwriting abilities, has given her the opportunity to be extremely relatable to the average listener, thus reforming her voice and image, both musically & professionally. April 3 was not only Ledé's 23rd birthday but, also the official release date for her newest debut album KIKI, yielding at 17 songs in length. Concretely embedding her essence across the realms of R&B, Ledé taps in on a more intimate level by describing her learning experiences associated with the highs and lows of relationships and her trekking discovery toward her newfound sense of independence and self-awareness. Studded with a strong set of guest appearances by other R&B counterparts such as Dreamville's Ari Lennox, 6LACK, BIA, and Lucky Daye, Ledé's ability to throw us to the depths of the innermost corners of her soul lacking fear of judgment and being 100% selfless in her message to the world just goes to show that she was built for everything she has coming to her direction. Having the pleasure of speaking with Kiana for a brief chat over the phone, we were able to examine some of her inspirations behind the album, our collective experience along with the never-ending pursuit of happiness, and what it means to be your authentic self, even when the odds are stacked against you.
What moments in your development as a young woman were the most character-defining for you?
I had a pretty big turning point when I was 20. I started being able to hold my ground more during studio sessions and meetings whereas before, I was always really nervous when it came to speaking my mind. I always felt like I was saying the wrong things any time I spoke. Eventually, I talked myself out of that and came to realize that I was doing everyone a disservice by not giving my input. I feel like everything became more functional when I finally decided to speak up and be secure in standing my ground.
How do you feel about being involved in the music industry at such a young age? What were some of the most important fundamentals you learned through being signed to your first label at 15?
I dealt with a lot of adult things at a young age so I can say that I wasn't emotionally equipped to experience all that I did. On the one hand, it was great because I was learning how to become a businesswoman. I really had my own business, which was myself. I was scheduling two sessions a day and working at a gymnastics center. I definitely was handling my own shit but it was weird at certain points. On the other hand, everyone also knows that the music industry isn't policed very well and I definitely had some weird shit go down but again, I'm happy that I went through it early on so I could be more prepared at the age that I'm at now.
I can't imagine moving to Los Angeles at 15. Were there moments that you doubted yourself & what you were accomplishing? I’m sure there was a fluster of emotions ranging from fear, uncertainty, to loneliness. How did you cope throughout those moments?
I personally didn't deal with it well. Throughout everything though, I can say I've always had a great support system/team along the way. For instance, Mike Woods, who executive produced on my album, met me before I got dropped from my first label. When that happened, he, my mother, and one of my managers, Jeremy, gave me 6 months to reboot. I spent a lot of time in complete solitude not doing shit. When that 6 month period was up, they told me, "alright, time to go". That's when I began doing my Soulfood Sessions series on YouTube. I think that was an excellent way to get back into working again because it wasn't all my original idea to begin with, being that I was really nervous to even be in a studio again. It was a great segue for sure, and I'm really grateful that we were able to make that happen.
As a woman of Jamaican, Lebanese & Native American background, it resonated with me heavily when I read in your past interviews that you had an interesting experience growing up when it came to being multiracial. In an industry that is focused on characterization & appearance, was it difficult for you to find yourself through those stigmas?
Yes, absolutely. As a mixed girl, I've always been so defensive as to who I wanted to be. I always wanted to prove to people that I was every bit of myself, down to every ethnicity. I've always felt this "lone wolf" energy throughout my life. At this point in my life though, I'm focusing on the fact that the territory does come with a lot of privilege, as well. I've seen it so much in the acting world where there are these "acceptable" versions of black, Mexican, Native American, etc. Now I'm concentrating on what I can do to help us shift away from those ideals.
The name of your album is actually a nickname that I had all throughout my childhood, the same spelling too, which I thought was ironic. What made you choose this title?
In my previous project, I felt like I was giving people who I was but, I wasn't going as deep as I knew I could go. My first project "Selfless" I was depressed as f*ck. My second project "Myself" I tapped into my inner confidence, really feeling myself but I had a guard up. With that project, I wanted to prove that I loved myself instead of just loving myself in my own way. Now, I'm at a point where I have 17 songs where people can really get to know me, my story, my personality, and who I am. Because we're diving a bit deeper than usual, I wanted to title the album something that was very close to my heart and "Kiki" is what everyone calls me. When you really know me, you call me "Kiki".
From your “Myself” EP last year to now releasing your debut album “Kiki” what were some experiences or things that helped you kind of carve out this more re-defined image of who you are?
There are two things. The first I will mention is the really intimidating Powerpoint presentation of myself. Basically, it was pinpointing the 5 different versions of myself that I've been over the last year. That overview really made me ask myself, "who are you trying to be right now?" because it's not 5 different versions. I'm 23 years old, so I know that in our youthfulness comes that constant soul searching. Being in your early 20s is meant to reconnect with yourself and redefine what makes you, you. Watching that Powerpoint presentation really freaked me out. I realized that I've been searching and searching, instead of just knowing who I am. Most of all, I needed to stop running away. I needed to stop running away from the fact that I grew up differently than my peers would assume that I grew up. I wanted to start accepting parts of myself that made me dissimilar. I also have been having these conversations with people about not being black enough, and that really freaked me out at first. Here I was with this outlook of "that's your narrative, that's you putting that shit on me". One of my favorite quotes comes from Issa Rae's commentary regarding the concept of "not being black enough for black people and not being white enough for white people". That whole ideology is weird to me. I'm learning that it doesn't matter what narrative people want to place on me. I grew up the way I grew up. I'm different and that's what makes me beautiful. It sounds corny to say but, it's so true. I know that there are many more kids just like me, who grew up in similar neighborhoods if not the same, who feel the same things I do. I figure if I just continue to share myself with the world, my story will apply to those who can relate. I want those people that relate to think to themselves, "she's just like me, I've never seen a representation like this, I've been looking for this moment to connect."
Your music is reflective of your experience, as your emotions and true feelings are evoked and apparent through your lyrics. You were definitely talking that shit on this album. What space were you in spiritually when you created “Kiki”? What were some of your best memories during the time of completing the album?
The whole experience was so fun. One of the greatest memories I had was the writing process. After completing the songs, I realized that I am an incredible writer. When I went to the camp, it was so much fun. You know when you're doing something that you love and the time passes by so fast? That's exactly how it was. The work part of it didn't feel like "work" at all. We truly made some great memories. We laughed, played Mario Kart, ate great food, screamed at each other sometimes but essentially, it was the most stress-relieving time to get work done.
As I’ve also read, you’re incredibly upfront about your experiences with depression & anxiety. What are some things that you do or practice to help yourself along those paths aside from creating music?
That's a good question. Some of the things I've realized that best serve me during those times are working out just to get my endorphins jump-started. Being active gives me less time to be in my head thinking about things I get depressed about. I'm also reading this really great book called "Untethered Soul". I talk about this book in every interview because it really helps people like me who struggle with anxiety and depression. It's really for those who mule over their own thoughts over & over again with that little voice in their head, or are extremely hard on themselves. I feel this book really helps with all of that. It's been a really incredible read, especially during this time in quarantine. Most of the time, I have such a busy brain. I could be resting and my brain just still wants to keep going, which adds to my anxiety. I just try not to focus too heavily on all the bad shit that's going on. I also meditate.
What are some personal goals that you have set for yourself outside of music? Is there anything you are learning right now, anything you’re interested in or that has your attention at the moment?
Right now, it's to get better at Call Of Duty. I've been deep into puzzles. I want to finish reading "Untethered Soul". My personal goals though on an inward level is really just to focus on bettering myself as a person. I have major ADHD so I really have to focus on one thing at a time, which can be challenging. I want to get better at not take shit so personally. I want to get better at taking my ego out of things. It's really easy to get caught up when you're stuck in the same place all day so it's important to me that I remind myself constantly.
Stream Kiana Ledé's album KIKI below: