Erica-Cody (born 27 July 1996) is an Irish R&B singer and songwriter.

Early life

Erica-Cody was born Erica-Cody Kennedy-Smith in

Rotunda Hospital The Rotunda Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal an Rotunda; legally the Hospital for the Relief of Poor Lying-in Women, Dublin) is a maternity hospital on Parnell Street in Dublin, Ireland, now managed by RCSI Hospitals. The eponymous Rotunda in Parnell Squ ...

, Dublin and grew up in

Baldoyle Baldoyle () is a coastal suburb of Dublin's Northside (Dublin), northside. It is located in the southeastern part of the jurisdiction of Fingal, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, developed from a former fishing village. Baldoyle is also a Civil pa ...

. Her mother is Irish, while her father is an African-American from South Carolina. As a teenager, Cody had hoped to become a professional basketball player, until an anterior cruciate ligament injury at age 18 ruled that out. She was in the Bayside Cub and Scout troop for several years and She attended the

Billie Barry Lillian "Billie" Barry (27 January 1921 - 30 September 2014) was an Irish singer, dancer and choreographer who founded the Billie Barry Stage School in 1964. Background Billie Barry was born in Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland, one of 15 children. He ...

Stage School and then BIMM Dublin, studying vocals.

Career

During her time at Billie Barry Stage School, she had her first live gig at age 15 as the support act for

WizKid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...

. She released ''Addicted'' in 2017. Erica-Cody played at Longitude, Electric Picnic, as well as supporting Jessie J and En Vogue in 2018. She released her EP ''Leoness'' in April 2019. Her style has been described as close to that of TLC and Aaliyah. Cody's experiences of racism in Ireland led to her launching a campaign called Don't Touch My Hair (DTMH). She was one of the artists featured in

Hot Press ''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. History ''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...

's Lockdown Sessions in April 2020. In 2020, Cody took part in the Black Lives Matter protests in Dublin and spoke publicly about racism she and others have experienced in Ireland. She also spoke about how her father's family in America have been affected by racism and prejudice. She was named one of Irish Country Magazine's ''Women to Watch in 2020''. In 2020, Cody was part of an Irish collective of female singers and musicians called

Irish Women in Harmony "Dreams" is the debut single of Irish rock band the Cranberries. It was originally released in September 1992 and later appeared on the band's debut album, ''Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?'' (1993). The song reached the top 50 of th ...

, that recorded a version of the Cranberries song "

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...

" in aid of the charity SafeIreland, which deals with

domestic abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

which had reportedly risen significantly during the

COVID-19 lockdown Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...

. Portraits of her, taken during lockdown in spring 2020, appeared in the book ''Twilight Together: Portraits of Ireland at Home'' by photographer Ruth Medjber. Cody made a cameo in an episode of the 2021

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series '' Fate: The Winx Saga''. In 2022, Cody appeared on the fifth series of the Irish version of ''Dancing with the Stars''. She reached the final of the competition with her professional partner,

Denys Samson Denys Samson (; born 21 August 1989) is a Ukrainian ballroom and Latin dancer and choreographer. Career Samson is a former two-time Ukrainian Ten Dance Champion and a two-time World Ten Dance Champion. ''Dancing with the Stars'' Ukraine ...

finishing as runners-up to eventual winners,

Nina Carberry Nina Carberry (born 19 July 1984) is a retired Irish female National Hunt jockey. She hails from a racing family and is the daughter of jockey Tommy Carberry. Career Carberry got her first Cheltenham Festival win in 2005 on Dabiroun in the Fred W ...

and

Pasquale La Rocca Pasquale La Rocca (; born 24 June 1989) is an Italian dancer and choreographer. Best known as former Italian Ballroom and Latin Champion, La Rocca joined the second series of the Belgian version of ''Dancing with the Stars''. Early life La Roc ...

Discography

* ''Addicted'' (2017) * ''Leoness'' EP (2019)

References

External links

Erica Cody on Spotify
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cody, Erica Living people Black Irish people Irish hip hop musicians Irish people of African-American descent Musicians from County Dublin People from Fingal People from Northside, Dublin Singers from Dublin (city) 1996 births