Kiana Ledé Brown (born April 3, 1997)
is an American singer and actress. She first starred as
Zoe Vaughn on the second season of
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's horror series ''
Scream'' (2015–2019). She also starred as Veronica Washington on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's original series ''
All About the Washingtons''. As a recording artist, Brown first began her musical career in 2012 and signed with
Republic Records
Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
to release her third extended play (EP), ''Selfless'' (2018). It spawned the single "
Ex", which received
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
certification by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). Her debut studio album, ''
Kiki'' (2020), peaked at number 30 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Early life and education
Kiana Ledé Brown's father is of African American and Indigenous American descent, while her mother is a white Hispanic of Mexican-American descent. As an infant, she began to sing the alphabet immediately after learning it and began performing at the age of three upon receiving her first karaoke machine. As a child, she began to regularly perform in school plays and beauty pageants while studying the piano.
[Burnsilver, Glenn (August 9, 2012).]
Kiana Brown Wants to Be a "Normal" Star
" ''Phoenix New Times
''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''Phoenix'' ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, arts, cannabis, as well as longform narrative journalism. A ...
''. She would regularly get kicked out of class for singing, prompting her mother to enroll her in a performing arts school so she could put her talent to good use. She attended
Mountain Pointe High School.
Career
In 2011, Ledé's mother discovered
Kidz Bop, a website for kids to upload and share videos of themselves performing. She uploaded a video of Ledé performing an original number on the piano which was selected as a finalist. After performing
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
's "
Someone Like You" to earn her a place in the Top 4, Ledé won the 2011 KIDZ Star USA Grand Prize out of 45,000 submissions, the largest national talent competition for kids ages 15 and under.
At a school assembly, Ledé was told that she won the national talent search by ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' winner
Kris Allen. The prize included a
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
recording contract and a starring role in the ''
Kidz Bop 21'' music video and commercial. Allen said after seeing her live, "she went from 'She's good' to 'She is no doubt gonna win this thing.'"
[Masley, Ed (October 22, 2011).]
Phoenix teen Kiana Brown wins 'KIDZ Bop' talent search
" ''The Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain.
History
Early years
The newspap ...
''.
Ledé said she had the opportunity to listen to and select from her top three song choices. After considering and listening to the songs, she said she chose her first single "Hey Chica" because of the upbeat tempo. The song was released June 19, 2012.
[Roemhild, Travis (June 10, 2012).]
MP student works hard to make a name in the music industry
''Ahwatukee Foothills News''. Brown has performed the song on ''
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...
'' and at the 86th annual
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...
. She also performed "Do The Mermaid" from ''
Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2''.
In 2012, Ledé was named cover girl for Miss Moxie's Holiday 2012 issue.
[Miss Moxie (November 22, 2012).]
Kiana Brown Announced as Next Miss Moxie Cover Girl
" ''Miss Moxie''. The site praised "Hey Chica" for promoting a "clear message of self-empowerment and encourages young women to feel beautiful in their own skin".
At the age of 16, Ledé moved to Los Angeles. As artists do, she wanted more creative control of her music, so she showed the label what she was working on. They did not see potential in her work, and dropped her a month later. She started creating cover songs with production duo Rice N' Peas. The series was dubbed "Soulfood Sessions" and gained millions of views.
In 2016, Ledé was cast in the series regular role as Zoe Vaughn on the second season of
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's ''
Scream''. In 2018, she also accepted a lead role alongside
Joseph Simmons
Joseph Ward Simmons (born November 14, 1964), better known by the stage name Run, Rev. Run or DJ Run, is an American rapper, producer, DJ, and television personality. Simmons is one of the founding members of the influential Hip-hop, hip hop g ...
of
Run-DMC
Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the mos ...
in the Netflix original series ''All About The Washingtons''. Despite the actress' raving reviews, the series was cancelled after only one season.
Following her departure from RCA Records, Ledé signed with
Republic Records
Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
after her rendition of Drake's "Hotline Bling" helped gain their attention. She would later release her debut
EP ''Selfless'' in July 2018.
The EP includes her breakout single "
Ex", which became her first entry to the
Billboard charts
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ' ...
, peaking at number 9 on the US
R&B Songs
Hot R&B Songs is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular R&B songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations, digital download sales and streaming data. It was establis ...
charts. It has earned platinum status from the RIAA as of June 2020. To promote ''Selfless'', she served as opening act with
Ro James on Jessie J's
R.O.S.E. Tour. She and Lucky Daye also opened up for the Ella Mai The Debut Tour in 2019.
Ledé's second studio EP, ''Myself'', was released in June 2019, and included the single "Bouncin" featuring rapper
Offset, which peaked within the top 30 of ''Billboards rhythmic airplay chart. She would also embark on her first headlining tour that same year.
Standalone singles "Title" and "Easy Breezy" would build momentum for her debut album, which Ledé had been working on for some time. Her highly anticipated 17-track debut album, titled ''
KIKI'' was released on April 3, 2020, which debuted at number 30 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
The album features guest appearances from R&B stars
Ari Lennox,
6LACK and more. The lead single "Mad at Me" interpolates
Outkast
Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...
's 2000 hit song "
So Fresh, So Clean".
Ledé would later make a few guest appearances on tracks with
Usher,
Queen Naija and others. She released the deluxe edition of ''KIKI'' on October 23, including seven bonus tracks. In 2021, she was featured on the first all-female compilation album, ''Big Femme Energy Volume 1'', with her track "Cut 'Em Off".
On January 7, 2023, Ledé released a mixtape on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
titled ''Unfinished''. She released her second studio album, ''Grudges'', on June 16, 2023. She also announced a headlining tour, The Grudges Tour, which took place in September and October 2023.
She released her third studio album, ''Cut Ties'', on November 1st, 2024 after departing Republic Records.
Personal life
Ledé identifies as
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
. She has
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...
.
Filmography
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Promotional singles
Other charted songs
Other appearances
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lede, Kiana
1997 births
21st-century African-American actresses
21st-century American actresses
21st-century African-American women singers
21st-century American LGBTQ people
21st-century American women singers
Actresses from Los Angeles
Actresses from Phoenix, Arizona
African-American LGBTQ people
American actors with disabilities
American actresses of Mexican descent
American film actresses
American LGBTQ singers
American musicians of Mexican descent
American musicians with disabilities
American queer actresses
American television actresses
LGBTQ actors with disabilities
LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people
LGBTQ musicians with disabilities
LGBTQ people from California
Living people
People from Lemoore, California
People with bipolar disorder
Republic Records artists
Singers with disabilities
LGBTQ women singers