Chakeiya Camille Richmond (born 28 July 1992), known professionally as Keiyaa (stylized as KeiyaA), is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and a record producer. She independently released her debut album ''Forever, Ya Girl'' in 2020.

Early life and education

Chakeiya Camille Richmond was born and raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on the city's south side. During childhood she sang in the Chicago Children's Choir until switching to the

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

in seventh grade. She cited soul artists including

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

, Patrice Rushen, jazz musicians like John Coltrane and

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

and R&B groups such as

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

as early musical influences. She also finds inspiration in goth and post-punk/alternative rock artists like

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

and

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

. Richmond attended

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

and Columbia College to study jazz and play alto sax before leaving due to disillusionment with the program's hierarchical nature, as well difficulty balancing school with working full-time. Shortly after she decided to pursue music professionally.

Career

While still playing and performing on alto sax, she collaborated with Chicago musicians including Noname and

Vic Mensa Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense) ...

. She decided to switch her focus to solo work producing and singing R&B and electronic music. Performing under the name Keiya, she released her debut EP, ''WORK'', in July 2015. It was described as "emotional, sleepy, and yet strikingly optimistic" by ''These Days'' magazine. Shortly after its release she moved to New York. She added an additional "A" to her name (KeiyaA) in order to differentiate herself from other performers on streaming sites. KeiyaA's debut album ''Forever, Ya Girl'' was released in March 2020 and self-produced under her personal label Forever Recordings. It was reviewed by Olivia Ovendon for KEXP as featuring "powerful mantra-esque lyrics, and woozy, heady, immersive beats in captivating fashion." ''Esquire'' described the sound as "downcast grime and smooth R&B." '' Pitchfork'' writer Clare Lobenfeld rated the album an 8.2/10 and praised its "resolute realness that can only happen outside the major label gaze." ''Forever, Ya Girl'' was named to ''Pitchfork'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'''s "Best Albums of 2020" lists. She performed an NPR

Tiny Desk Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first Tiny Desk Concert came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music editor Stephen Thom ...

concert at her home on February 11, 2021.

Personal life

Keiyaa resides in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Keiyaa
on Instagram
Keiyaa
on Discogs 1992 births Living people African-American women singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers American rhythm and blues singers American electronic musicians American jazz saxophonists 21st-century African-American women singers American record producers Singers from Chicago 21st-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Illinois