Erica Cody

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, Dublin and grew up in Baldoyle. 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 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. 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'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, that recorded a version of the Cranberries song " Dreams" in aid of the charity SafeIreland, which deals with domestic abuse which had reportedly risen significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown. 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 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 finishing as runners-up to eventual winners, Nina Carberry and Pasquale La Rocca.

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