Kedrah Niyoki White (born November 15, 1973, as Kedrah Niyoki White), who goes by Niyoki Chapman and the stage name Niyoki , is an American

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

ian. Her first album, ''My Everything'', was released by

Executive Music Group Executive Music Group (EMG) is an independent record label located in Dallas, Texas. The label was started in 2004 by Jacob Capricciuolo. EMG represents a wide variety of artists, making them unique among other independent labels. EMG is distribute ...

alongside Dedicated 2 God Records in 2006. This album was a ''Billboard'' magazine breakthrough release upon the Gospel Albums chart. The subsequent album, ''Rest'', was released in 2008 by those same two labels, and it charted on the aforementioned chart. She was a part of the girl group, Milenia, that got the chance to tour with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

on the Hit n Run Tour in 2000 and 2001 before releasing their only album in 2006.

Early life

Niyoki was born on November 15, 1973, as Kedrah Niyoki White, in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

. She is the third child of Pastor Clifford and Carolyn White, coming after an older brother and sister Kenny and Mikki respectively. Her two younger sisters are Malikah and Tia.

Music career

Her music recording career commenced in 2006, with the album, ''My Everything'', and it was released by

alongside Direct 2 God Records on August 29, 2006. This album was her breakthrough release upon the ''Billboard'' magazine Gospel Albums at No. 32. The subsequent album, ''Rest'', was released on August 19, 2008, by the aforementioned record labels. Her album charted on the Gospel Albums chart at No. 50.

Personal life

Niyoki was married to Clarence Nero, who is the CEO of Dedicated 2 God Records, and they had a son together, Kedron Nero, who was born on November 3, 2007. She would remarry on June 15, 2013, to Jay Chapman who she became a step-mother to his five-year-old daughter, at the time. She resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she works at the

Unity Performing Arts Foundation Unity Performing Arts Foundation (abbreviated UPAF; also stylized as UNITY) is an American performing arts non-profit organization based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company focuses on diverse types of fine arts, including theatre arts, choral musi ...

as Operations Manager.

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niyoki 1973 births Living people African-American songwriters African-American Christians Musicians from Fort Wayne, Indiana Songwriters from Indiana 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people