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Kiana Lede is the queen of compliments. The Phoenix, Arizona native began his interview Wednesday afternoon with kind words about my features. “That’s skin for me,” Rede says on a Zoom call, donning a braided updo in a decorative cream-colored living area.
Lede pauses for a moment when the Caliph Chicken Café’s Out West Salad arrives. “Contains corn, red pepper, avocado and black beans. [and] chipotle dressing. It’s so good,” she savors.
Ledé isn’t just a comfort food staple for me and Los Angeles. She also credits songwriter Chelsea Lena, who co-wrote her 2018 blockbuster “Ex” and new single “Jealous” featuring Ella Mai.
She did sessions with all the girls and they wrote songs with me in mind. She knows me well,” Lede said of the song’s production. “She seemed to know what to say then and she sent it. She fell in love with the song.”
As with her biggest hits, Ledé was not involved in writing “Jealous,” which was produced by Veronica “VRon” Vera. And at least Lede doesn’t mind. “I didn’t even care if I wrote it. I just heard it and was like, ‘I feel this. You know I feel this. Thank you.’ I added it to my life, to my album,” she says.
Hiring Mai as a duet partner for “Jealous” was a no-brainer for Ledé. “I wanted a strong R&B girl moment like I did with Kehlani and Ali.” [Lennox]I’m a big fan of them and collect R&B artists. When I heard it once, I was like, ‘I know she fucks with this’ — and she did,” Ledé explains.
“Jealous” is Ledé’s first song release of the year. It will be on her untitled sophomore album, due out in June on Republic Records. “This album is her two-and-a-half year work in progress,” she says of her follow-up to 2020’s Ledé. Kiki (more on this later).
Her new album is set to include previously shared songs with Kehlani, “Ur Best Friend” and “Irresponsible.”
After that, Rede plans to tour for her second album. There are no additional details regarding upcoming tours at this time.
In an interview with Rated R&B’s Kiana Ledé, the platinum-selling singer and songwriter discusses her new single with Ella Mai, “Jealous,” why she’s a fan of the collaboration, why she’s honoring Whitney Houston, and more. I’m here.
I recently had a birthday. What do you want to achieve in this new year?
that’s a good question. I feel like I’ve learned what I’ve been working on since before my birthday as I get older. [which] What I started doing a few months ago is trusting my intuition about whether people deserve a spot in my life and seeing them as if they deserve a spot in my life. It’s really hard to put yourself in that position as you have the power to control. [to me]trust your intuition [and] Make faster decisions.
“Jealous” is an honest track. This is a sentiment most people don’t necessarily want to agree with, but we embrace it here. What do you want listeners to take away from this song?
The biggest thing I want listeners to take away from this song is that it’s okay to be vulnerable to yourself and tell it if you want to. It’s okay to have moments of anxiety. There’s nothing wrong with that, but how you act when anxiety arises. So when I have those moments, I like to protect myself because I don’t want to seem like I’m losing my confidence. is. But don’t get carried away.
When will the official music video for “Jealous” be released?
See if there’s a video. As you can see, Ella Mai is very busy. She doesn’t know what she’s like now, but she’s not in LA[laughs]. For now you get a visualizer. We’ll see if anything changes.
I’ve seen him collaborate with various artists in a short span of time, including Usher, Ali Lennox, Gary Clark Jr., and Ella Mai. What do you appreciate most about the art of collaboration?
I love that as artists we get the same message, but we can offer our own perspectives and stories. I think it just makes the song better because there are two different perspectives that people can relate to. So I think it helps listeners to give them all the details of the song. That’s why I’m in music. I think a lot of people I’ve collaborated with make music to make people uncomfortable from our own experiences.
You have contributed to multiple soundtracks. Do you have plans to do more?
Yeah the soundtrack is great. I love good thesis statements, like topics for building my own story. It’s kind of like a collaboration. Yes, indeed the soundtrack, and the acting too. I’m really trying to get back into acting and be able to tell stories like that.
What is your dream role?
i want [to star in ] action movie. I want to be stupid I love that satisfaction. I do my own stunts, thank you.
your debut album Kiki I turned 3 years old this month. You said on social media that the nickname-inspired title was designed to help you discover more about yourself, and so did your audience. What have people learned the most about you from then to now?
I think people have learned more deeply that I’m pretty crazy and Aries can be aggressive and at the same time vulnerable and open. I have a lot to say. I really love and care about people. There is something to be said for artists writing their own music and opening up to the world. It takes a certain amount of strength, so I’m proud that I was able to do it. I’ve shown people the duality and love I have for being strong and vulnerable at the same time.And they can definitely exist in the same space.
Speaking of albums, what is the story of your sophomore album?
I hate to say it, but in my life, in the space I’ve been in for the past three years, I’ve gone through a lot of changes and done a lot of therapy. Obviously more stories to tell. Life is dramatic. I’ve been through a lot of drama and trauma, but I see it all from a more mature and balanced perspective. And you can definitely hear what you’ve been through in the last couple of years.
after your success Selfless The EP, the song “Wicked Games”, is back. How do you think that song resonates with people right now?
That song will always be one of my favorite songs, not only for me to write, but for me to perform. When it comes to R&B itself, there’s something very familiar about it. It’s just an R&B song. Give it a belt. give vulnerability. It gives cadence. It’s all about big moments that you don’t see very often in R&B these days. Of course, you get some, but not much. That’s one of the reasons people brought it back. And the other is that it’s based on The Weeknd (and his song “True Colors”), so it feels a little familiar. This is what I’ve been doing my entire career at this point. Make the familiar your own. This time I was able to own it and tell my story. It’s more inspired by the song because it’s a memory, not a reaction kind of thing.
Building your own familiar is a great transition. Earlier this year, you honored Whitney Houston by performing “The Greatest Love of All” during Grammy Week. Describe what that moment meant to you.
It was definitely nerve-wracking. But I was honored to sing that song and help honor Whitney, her legacy, and her family.What was cool to me was that I was the first to move to her L.A. Sometimes we played in the same space.i worked at [Jazz Night at the W Hollywood] When I was 16, it was in the same space. I used to work there every weekend and it was such a cool way to get into a performance space. Also, my mom was there and it was her favorite song so I chose that song. She’s a terrible singer, but she used to sing to me (laughs). It was really special to have her there as well.
Before that, you put out an EP at the end of last year. unfinishedWhat is unfinished in your life and career?
growth. There is always something we have to learn, but at the same time there is always something we have to learn. It takes a lot of effort to forget something while trying to learn something else. If you’re doing these two things at the same time, they’re both incomplete, and you have to do one thing after another. It’s growth. It’s always unfinished until it’s all done.
Listen to Kiana Lede’s new song “Jealous” featuring Ella Mai below.
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