Kiana Ledé

Kiana Ledé Brown is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lemoore, California, raised in Phoenix, Arizona,^{[citation needed]} and currently based in Los Angeles, California, she first starred as Zoe Vaughn on the second season of MTV's horror series Scream (2015–2019). She also starred as Veronica Washington on Netflix's original series All About the Washingtons. As a recording artist, Brown first began her musical career in 2012 and signed with Republic Records to release her third extended play (EP), Selfless (2018). It spawned the single "Ex", which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her debut studio album, Kiki (2020) peaked at number 30 on the Billboard 200.

Kiana Ledé
Ledé in June 2023
Background information
Birth name	Kiana Ledé Brown
Born	Lemoore, California, U.S.
Genres	R&B[1][2] pop[2]
Occupations	Singer songwriter actress
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	2011–present
Labels	10 Summers[3]
Formerly of	Republic Records
Website	kianalede.com

Early life and education

Kiana Ledé Brown's father is of African American and Indigenous American descent, while her mother is a white Hispanic of Mexican-American^[4] descent.^[5][6][7] 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 studying the piano. ^[8] 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.^[9] She attended Mountain Pointe High School.^[8]

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.^[8]

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.'"^[10]

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.^[11] 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.^[12] The site praised "Hey Chica" for promoting a "clear message of self-empowerment and encourages young women to feel beautiful in their own skin".^{[citation needed]}

At the age of 16, Ledé moved to Los Angeles. 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 started creating cover songs with production duo Rice N' Peas. The series was dubbed "Soulfood Sessions" and gained millions of views.^[13]

In 2016, Ledé was cast in the series regular role as Zoe Vaughn on the second season of MTV's Scream.^[14] In 2018, she also accepted a lead role alongside Joseph Simmons of Run-DMC in the Netflix original series All About The Washingtons. Despite the actress’ raving reviews,^{[citation needed]} the series was cancelled after only one season.

Following her departure from RCA Records, Ledé signed with Republic Records^[1][15] after her rendition of Drake's "Hotline Bling" helped gain their attention. She would later release her debut EP Selfless in July 2018.^[15] 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.^[16] It has earned platinum status from the RIAA as of June 2020. To promote Selfless, she served as opening act with Ro James on Jessie J's R.O.S.E. Tour. She and Lucky Daye also opened up for the Ella Mai The Debut Tour in 2019.

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.^[15] 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".

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. In 2021, Ledé was featured on the first all-female compilation album, Big Femme Energy Volume 1, with her track "Cut 'Em Off".^[17]

On January 7, 2023, Ledé released a mixtape on SoundCloud titled Unfinished.^[18] Ledé released her second studio album, Grudges, on June 16, 2023.^[19] Ledé also announced a headlining tour, The Grudges Tour, which took place in September and October 2023.^[20]

Personal life

Ledé identifies as queer.^[21] She has bipolar disorder.^[22]

Filmography

Film roles of Kiana Ledé

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Deadlands: The Rising	Evacuee / Zombie
2018	Next Gen	Greenwood (voice)

TV roles of Kiana Ledé

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

List of albums, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [23]
Kiki	Release date: April 3, 2020 Label: The Heavy Group, Republic Formats: CD, vinyl, streaming, digital download	30
Grudges	Release date: June 16, 2023 Label: The Heavy Group, Republic Formats: CD, vinyl, streaming, digital download	30
Cut Ties	Release date: November 1, 2024 Label: 10 Summers, Kiana Ledé Entertainment, Inc., BMG Formats: streaming, digital download	-

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with details

Title	Details
Soulfood Sessions	Released: December 15, 2015 Label: Orange Factory Music Format: Digital download
Christmas by Ledé	Released: December 12, 2016 Label: Orange Factory Music Format: Digital download
Selfless	Released: July 12, 2018 Label: Republic Format: Digital download
Myself	Released: June 7, 2019 Label: The Heavy Group/Republic Format: Digital download

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions				Certifications	Album
		US Bub. [24]	US R&B /HH [25]	US R&B [26]	NZ Hot [27]
"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"	2019	6	44	9	—	RIAA: Platinum[28]	Selfless & Myself
"Can I"		—	—	—	—		Myself
"Bouncin" (featuring Offset)		—	—	—	—
"Title"[29]		—	—	—	—		Non-album singles
"Easy Breezy"[30]		—	—	—	—
"Mad at Me"	2020	—	—	—	18		Kiki
"Forfeit" (featuring Lucky Daye)		—	—	—	—
"Chocolate" (featuring Ari Lennox)		—	—	—	28
"Only Fan" (featuring Jacquees)		—	—	—	—
"Ur Best Friend"[31] (featuring Kehlani)	2021	—	—	—	27		Non-album single
"Irresponsible"	2022	—	—	—	—		Grudges
"Jealous" (featuring Ella Mai)	2023	—	—	—	33
"Deeper"		—	—	—	—
"Natural”	2024	—	—	—	—		Cut Ties
"Space and Pussy"		—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Certifications	Album
		NZ [32]
"Bruised Not Broken"[33] (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
"Not My Neighbour"[34] (Niko Walters featuring Kiana Ledé)	2021	4	RMNZ: 2× Platinum[35]	Non-album singles
"Just Fine" (Kitty Ca$h featuring Kiana Ledé)		—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Promotional singles

List of promotional singles, showing year released and album name

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
"A Little More"[36] (G-Eazy featuring Kiana Ledé)	2021	Non-album single
"Who Do You Think You Are" (with Cautious Clay)	2022	From The Netflix Film The School for Good and Evil

Other charted songs

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		NZ Hot [37]
"All to You" (Russ featuring Kiana Ledé)	2020	38	Shake the Snow Globe

Other appearances

List of promotional singles, showing year released and album name

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

1. Zellner, Xander (March 20, 2019). "R&B Singers Nicole Bus, The Bonfyre & Kiana Ledé Debut on Emerging Artists Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
2. "Kiana Ledé on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
3. "Kiana Ledé Signs with 10 Summers Management: 'So Grateful'". Billboard.
4. "How I Stopped Hiding Behind Makeup & Found the Real Me".
5. "I'm watching Kiana Ledé at Ones to Watch!".
6. "Kiana Ledé Opens up About 'Life-Changing' Album and Her Mixed Race Identity".
7. "NEXT: Intent on Impact, Kiana Lede is Ready to Leave Her Mark". December 14, 2018.
8. Burnsilver, Glenn (August 9, 2012). "Kiana Brown Wants to Be a "Normal" Star Archived April 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine" Phoenix New Times.
9. "Kiana Ledé Sings Ex And Talks About Her Acting Career And Upbringing With Mina SayWhat". YouTube. November 6, 2018.
10. Masley, Ed (October 22, 2011). "Phoenix teen Kiana Brown wins 'KIDZ Bop' talent search" The Arizona Republic.
11. Roemhild, Travis (June 10, 2012). "MP student works hard to make a name in the music industry" Ahwatukee Foothills News.
12. Miss Moxie (November 22, 2012). "Kiana Brown Announced as Next Miss Moxie Cover Girl Archived December 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine" Miss Moxie.
13. Zaynab (December 17, 2018). "Kiana Ledé Reveals How She Bounced Back After Being Dropped From Her Label". HotNewHipHop.
14. Goldberg, Lesley (March 10, 2016). "MTV's 'Scream' Sets New Cast, Season 2 Premiere Date". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
15. Ginsberg, Gab (March 22, 2019). "Emerging Artists Spotlight: Kiana Ledé". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
16. "Emerging Hip-Hop: NLE Choppa, Kiana Lede & Luh Kel Make Noise With Latest Chart Moves". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
17. Ahlgrim, Callie (July 23, 2021). "Kiana Ledé knows she's toxic, but she's working on it". INSIDER. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
18. Cho, Regina (January 10, 2023). "Kiana Ledé releases intimate 'Unfinished' mixtape". Yahoo.
19. Okon, Wongo (June 13, 2023). "Kiana Ledé's New Album 'Grudges': Everything We Know So Far". Uproxx.
20. Trapp, Malcolm (June 21, 2023). "Kiana Ledé Announces "Grudges. The Tour"". Rap-Up.
21. The Moment I knew I Was Queer feat. Kiana Ledé | Lovers and Friends Ep. 60, February 10, 2023, retrieved June 21, 2023
22. R&B singer Kiana Ledé talks 'underrated' label, coping with bipolar disorder (YouTube video). Associated Press. November 28, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
23. "Kiana Lede Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
24. "Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100: May 4, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
25. "Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: May 4, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
26. "Billboard R&B Songs Chart – April 27, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
27. 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.
    • "Jealous": "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
28. "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
29. "Title by Kiana Ledé". Apple Music. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
30. "Easy Breezy – Single by Kiana Ledé". Apple Music. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
31. @KianaLede (July 22, 2021). "Hey guys🤍 my new single, 'Ur Best..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
32. "Discography Niko Walters". Recorded Music NZ. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
33. Ju, Shirley (June 14, 2019). "Matoma enlists MNEK and Kiana Lede for 'Bruised Not Broken'". EDM.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
34. Thomson, Zangba (April 23, 2021). "Niko Walters releases his "Not My Neighbour" remix single featuring Kiana Ledé". Bong Mines Entertainment. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
35. "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
36. @G_Eazy (February 11, 2021). "Never finished. Dropping "A Little More" with @KianaLede tonight just in time for V day" (Tweet). Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Twitter.
37. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 10, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Kiana Ledé at IMDb
• "Do The Mermaid" on YouTube