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North West (born June 15, 2013) is an American singer and rapper. She is a daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, and is a member of the Kardashian family. West appeared in the music video for her father's 2014 single "Only One", and made several appearances on Keeping Up with the Kardashians along with her mother. As a child actress, she made her film debut as the voice of Mini in PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie in 2023.[1]
North West | |
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| Born | June 15, 2013 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
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In 2024, she performed "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" at the Hollywood Bowl's The Lion King 30th Anniversary – A Live-to-Film Concert Event. In February of that year, she made her recording debut on ¥$'s single "Talking / Once Again",[2] which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. She also appeared alongside her sister Chicago on the duo's 2024 song "Bomb".
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Family and background
North West was born on June 15, 2013, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California to Kanye West, a rapper, and Kim Kardashian,[3] a television personality and a daughter of Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner. North's maternal aunts and uncle are Kourtney Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Rob Kardashian, and her maternal aunts are Kendall and Kylie Jenner.[4] West's parents became engaged in October 2013, married in May 2014,[5] separated in February 2021 following Kanye West's unsuccessful 2020 presidential run, and divorced in 2022,[6] by which time North had two younger brothers and a younger sister.[7]
West's due date was July 12, 2013, which would have been the 64th birthday of Kanye's mother Donda West, and her early delivery meant she spent time in an incubator. She was christened North on the grounds that it meant "highest point", though Kim preferred the name Kaidence;[8] an early article from Media Take Out reported that her name was Kaidence Donda West.[9] North's actual name was leaked by TMZ, who published her birth certificate.[10] In October 2014, Kim told GQ that she and Kanye picked the name North after it was recommended by Pharrell Williams and Anna Wintour;[11] however, in January 2020, she used a video uploaded to Kylie's YouTube account to state that the name North grew on her after Jay Leno jokingly suggested it while she was appearing on his talk show.[12]
Early media appearances
In October 2014, CBS News described her as one of the two most famous babies in the world, alongside Prince George of Wales.[11] West was baptised at the Armenian Apostolic Church at the Cathedral of Saint James in Jerusalem in April 2015 during a tour of the Middle East,[13] and attended Sierra Canyon School, which had previously been attended by Kendall and Kylie.[14] Growing up, she was involved in a number of her parents' ventures; she appeared in the music video for Kanye's "Only One" in January 2015,[15] while in April 2016, Kardashian used an episode of her sister's chat show Kocktails with Khloé to note that North had flushed an iPhone containing an early draft of Kanye's album The Life of Pablo down the toilet, leading Kanye to have to re-record it from scratch.[16] She also made appearances on her family's program Keeping Up with the Kardashians.[17]
Aged five, she appeared on the cover of Women's Wear Daily's annual Beauty Inc. issue.[18] In March 2023, Kim applied for several trademarks in North's name,[19] and in September 2023,[20] North, Saint, and Kim voiced Mini, Meteor Max, and Delores in PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.[21] The following month, by which time she had accompanied her mother to multiple events in Los Angeles and abroad, she gave a solo interview to i-D, in which she expressed several of her hopes and dreams.[22]
"Talking / Once Again" and The Lion King
In February 2024, Kanye West released a video for "Talking / Once Again", a track by ¥$, a supergroup comprising himself and Ty Dolla Sign, which included a guest verse from North;[23] upon release later that month as part of the group's album Vultures 1, North's contribution was noted by NME as a rare highlight from an otherwise relentlessly misogynistic album.[24] Later that month, the song peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100,[25] and she performed it at Accor Arena.[26] She announced her debut album, Elementary School Dropout, at a March 10 performance in Arizona plugging ¥$'s second album Vultures 2;[26] the title referenced Kanye's 2004 album The College Dropout.[27] She then gave an interview to the then-thirteen-year-old Jazlyn of Jazzy's World TV at Rolling Loud,[26] and then in April 2024, ¥$ uploaded a second music video for the track, which had been co-directed and written by North, and featured scenes of her with Kanye and with a group of people her own age.[28]
In May 2024, it was announced that she would perform at the Hollywood Bowl's The Lion King 30th Anniversary – A Live-to-Film Concert Event later that month. Deadline Hollywood drew parallels with the then-recent announcement that Blue Ivy Carter, a daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, had been hired for a role in Mufasa: The Lion King.[29] For her performance of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King",[30] West was outfitted by ERL Clothing, who put her in a yellow furry hooded sweatshirt with matching shorts, socks and furry slippers.[31] Her performance was praised by Jason Weaver,[32] who provided the singing voice for that film's Young Simba;[33] however, some social media commentators felt that West had only been hired due to her parents' fame.[34] In August 2024, she and her sister Chicago were featured on the track "Bomb" from ¥$'s album Vultures 2, in which North rapped in Japanese.[35]
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