Kenya

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Kenya
Born Kenya Harlem
(1988-07-09) July 9, 1988 (age 36)
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Occupation Singer · songwriter · actress
Years active 2009–present
Musical career
Genres R&B · hip-hop · pop
Instruments Vocals
Labels
Associated acts

Kenya Harlem, better known by the mononym Kenya, is an American R&B and pop recording artist and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Harlem rose to fame in the 2009 as a member of award-winning hip-hop girl group Tiger Tiger, who released five top ten singles and a multiplatinum album From Rags to Bitches. She subsequently signed a solo contract with Saturdays Records.

In 2010, Kenya released her debut solo single "White Bitches (Pat My Weave)" to critical acclaim and commercial success. Her debut album Harlem Renaissance, which contained dubstep influences, and second single "Vodka Bomb" both charted at number one upon release. Kenya reunited with Tiger Tiger for their second album later that year. In 2012, Kenya joined forces with Loretta Lambert for the side project Birds of Prey, scoring an additional number one single and album.

Kenya released her sophomore solo album, Romanticism, in 2014. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics, praising its minimalist R&B elements, and topped the charts upon it release. Kenya released a string of hit singles to support the album, including the award-nominated "I Been On That" and the number one "Northern Star". Her third studio album Living explored darker subject matter and garnered further success with hit singles including "AHHHHH!" and "Na$$$ty".

In 2021, Kenya released her first studio album in five years, Y4K.

Life and career[edit | edit source]

1988-2010: Early life and Tiger Tiger[edit | edit source]

Kenya Harlem was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Ricardo Harlem and Cheyannah Harlem. Harlem's father is Dominican and her mother is of African-American and Native American descent. She struggled as a student, attending an alternative school when she was expelled from a public high school for fighting. After graduating in 2006, Harlem began working at her mother's hair salon. She soon became manager and took over the business, renaming it Kenya's Cuts. The store's slogan was, "You won't beweave it!"; it was at Kenya's Cuts that she met future bandmates - coworker Nara VeNay, and clients Saffiyah Compton and LaTreasa Morales.

Harlem co-founded Tiger Tiger in late 2008, alongside Compton, Morales, and VeNay. The girl group their song "What It Is" to a number of music blogs in March 2009. The track received an overwhelming response. A mixtape, Brooklyn Etiquette: Volume 1 was made available to download for free on Tiger Tiger's official MySpace in July 2009. It was shortly followed by the release of "What It Is" as their mainstream debut single on July 13 2009, followed by their debut album From Rags to Bitches. Tiger Tiger exceeded expectations when both releases charted within the top five. They won Best Newcomer at Urapopstar Awards 17. They released four more top ten singles, including their biggest single "Gladiator Ready"/"Ike and Tina". From Rags to Bitches eventually sold over 900,000 copies.

Harlem's popularity grew as a member of Tiger Tiger. She became well-known for her stylish fashion choices, appearing on the cover of the United States edition of ELLE magazine. She was linked to iconic Brazilian R&B singer Paulo Araujo, starring in the video for his single "Falso Amor".

2010–2013: Harlem Renaissance, Tiger Tiger reunion and Birds of Prey[edit | edit source]

Harlem Renaissance, 2011.

Kenya announced plans for a solo career in October 2010, signing an exclusive deal with major label Saturdays Records. She released the single "White Bitches (Pat My Weave)", which featured a guest rap from Loretta Lambert. The song was produced by Diplo and charted at number two behind China's "Jezebel". Its first-week sales were higher than any of Tiger Tiger's singles previously. Kenya released her debut album Harlem Renaissance in February 2011. The LP combines elements of dance, dubstep, hip hop, R&B and rock with a more general pop sound. A majority of the album was produced by dance musicians DJ Double Garage and Twisted Disco, as well as personal tracks produced by singer-songwriter Ben Johnston. The album features songs written by Kenya herself as well as Elice Claire and Paulo Araujo. The second single "Vodka Bomb" was written by Twisted Disco and contains notable dubstep influences. "Vodka Bomb" and Harlem Renaissance both entered the charts at number one. Kenya also appeared in Paulo Araujo's film The Hunger and the music video for "Blur". The song "A Rush of Blood (On My Heels)", written specifically for Kenya by Araujo, appears on the film's soundtrack (and her album). She later supported Araujo on his Desperation & Divinity Tour.

In April, Kenya participated in the Tango Challenge, collaborating with Brett Clarkson on the "Better Than Midnight" EP. It charted at number two, Kenya's third consecutive top two hit. It was followed by "Who You Is?" in June. She then supported Saturdays boss and pop superstar Emily Henning on The Dream Tour, a stadium tour of the United Kingdom, before embarking on her own Harlem Renaissance Tour. Kenya reunited with Tiger Tiger in August 2011 for the release of their second studio album, Tiger II which showcased a "classic, heartfelt, timeless" sound. The album received widespread acclaim, but sold poorly due to a lack of promotion. The group only released one single from the album, "James Dean". Later that year, Kenya appeared on URAPS Big Brother. In 2012, Kenya joined forces with Loretta Lambert for the side project Birds of Prey. Their self-titled album topped the charts and spawned three hit singles: "Aww Nah"/"Pride & Joy", "H8 $$$" and "Watch the Throne (Hard)." For reasons unknown, the pair's falling out led to the dissolution of Birds of Prey.

2014–2016: Romanticism and Living[edit | edit source]

Romanticism, 2014.

Kenya released her sophomore solo album Romanticism in fall 2014 via Blacklight Records. With the album, Kenya sought to record a more cohesive recording than her debut album, which she felt was rushed in its development. Expanding on the sonic aesthetic of her debut album, Romanticism features an atmospheric sound that is characterized by low-key musical elements and incorporates R&B, pop, electronica, and post-dubstep styles. Upon its release, Romanticism received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its expansive production, emotional themes, and Kenya's songwriting.

The lead single "I Been On That", a boastful, acid-tongued trap song, was released in August. It became the best–selling single of Kenya's solo career to date. Kenya and Blacklight Records issued three promotional singles ahead of the album, which was released alongside second single "We're Already There" on October 27, 2014. Romanticism topped the albums chart and spawned the number one single "Northern Star", as well as top three hit "Candlelight" and "Sleep Alone Tonight". While embarked on the Romance World Tour, Kenya announced that she had already begun work on her third studio album and released a brand new song, EDM track "Atlantis".

Kenya's third solo album Living was released on December 28, 2015, following the singles "Atlantis" and "AHHHHH!". In contrast with the minimalist "PBR&B" elements of Romanticism, Living features more sonically experimental material, which combines R&B with electronic and alternative music. Its dark, intimate material includes themes of excess, with transparent lyrics expressing emotional extremes, uncertainty, and references to sex and drug use. Its subject matter also explores celebrity and race. Upon release, Living became Kenya's third consecutive number one album, while accompanying single "Na$$$ty" became her third number one single. "Run Deep", described as a "Black Lives Matter anthem", and "Looking Glass", seen as "a celebration of black womanhood", followed as the fourth and fifth singles from Living. Kenya released "Drown" as the final single from the album in August 2016, shortly after appearing on pop icon Shell Ruin's single "Lucid Dreams".

2017–present: Hiatus and Y4K[edit | edit source]

Following the conclusion of the Living era, Kenya retreated from the public eye to focus on her mental health and personal wellbeing after struggling with depression and substance abuse. In 2019, she reunited with her Tiger Tiger bandmates to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their debut album with a one-off concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

In late 2020, Kenya announced the impending release of her fourth studio album entitled Y4K. The lead single "Oooops!!...I'm Still That Bitch" and the promotional track "Mrs. Jackson" both entered the top five on the official singles chart. Kenya promoted the album in the first months of 2021, emphasizing a neo-futurist aesthetic inspired by late 1990s and early 2000s pop culture and highlighting collaborations with Charisma Kane, Jupiter, Riker Allen, Shell Ruin, and Zowie. The album sold over 150,000 copies in its first week of release, marking Kenya's best opening sales figures to date. It spent two weeks at number one, while the single "Catch Me on My Flip" (featuring Kane) spent a number of weeks in the top ten. The Ruin collaboration "Go Deeper" was soon serviced to radio and received several remixes.

Controversies and feuds[edit | edit source]

Early in her career, Kenya had developed a reputation for feuding with other artists and finding herself embroiled in public controversy. In November 2010, Kenya was accused of assault by Deirdre Morales, one of her backing dancers. The charges were later dropped. Kenya famously feuded with label boss Emily Henning as well as URAPS Idol alum Genevere Johnson, although she later opened for Henning on 2011's The Dream Tour. Kenya found an enemy in MIDNIGHT when she was paired with Brett Clarkson for the 2011 Tango Challenge. MIDNIGHT and Clarkson had long been feuding, and Kenya aligned herself with Clarkson for the "Better Than Midnight" EP (named after Clarkson's contribution "Better Than You" and Kenya's "Brooklyn at Midnight").

After scoring a hat trick of hits with Loretta Lambert under the moniker Birds of Prey, Kenya and Lambert ultimately fell out for reasons unknown to the media. As Kenya returned to the industry limelight with her second solo album Romanticism (2014), Kenya and Lambert made disparaging comments regarding one another while both claiming that they wanted media outlets to stop paying attention to the feud. Kenya also feuded with James Moss, the partner of her ex-boyfriend James Frost. The music video for "I Been On That" sparked controversy for portraying Kenya as a firearm-wielding bank robber. The video was criticized by African-American figures like Rev. Al Sharpton as well as the American Family Association for its portrayal of gun violence. Kenya defended the video and felt it important to "show black people in positions of power" in a post–Ferguson context.

Discography[edit | edit source]

Main article: Kenya discography

Studio albums
Collaborative albums

Tours[edit | edit source]

Awards and nominations[edit | edit source]

Studio albums
Harlem Renaissance (2011) · Romanticism (2014) · Living (2015) · Y4K (2021)
Compilation albums
Y4K Remixed (2021)
Tiger Tiger albums
From Rags to Bitches (2009) · Tiger II (2011)
Birds of Prey albums
Singles
Promotional singles
Featured singles
Concert tours
Motion pictures
Related articles


Studio albums
Singles
Featured singles
"Wild"
Concert tours
Related articles
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