Album Review: Kiana Ledé -KIKI

From her acting debut in 2015’s Scream TV series, Kiana Ledé showed she was more than just another pretty face. After her short run on the show ended, she quickly made a name for herself as a musician as well, posting reimagined covers of Drake and Post Malone songs on YouTube, the most notable being her mashup of Controlla and Too Good. Since then, she’s found success with stylistically different singles Fairplay, EX (which was boosted by a remix with Lil Baby), and Easy Breezy, but Ledé truly finds her groove with KIKI. The Arizona native celebrated the release in conjunction with her 23rd birthday on Friday and shows fans and critics that this album is just the beginning.

Kiana takes us back to classic R&B, which mainstream music has been without for so long, but adds modern trap elements here and there. Opener Cancelled. gives us an indication of what’s to come, using that throwback sound and making it current with inspired lyrics. Lead single Mad At Me. samples and interpolates OutKast’s So Fresh, So Clean and is the first of many iconic snippets dotted throughout this album. She marries old school and new school by tapping talents like Lucky Daye, Ari Lennox, 6LACK and Col3trane to assist her, to name a few. Album highlight Honest. pulls lines from Brandy’s Have You Ever and magnifies both tracks’ themes of vulnerability, as Kiana says that although her debut is jam-packed with guest stars, she doesn’t need them to create magic. More downtempo cuts such as Plenty More., Crazy. and No Takebacks. tell her fans she actually is an open book, all they need to do is listen closely. By now, Kiana is an expert on how to bring new meaning to classic R&B and make introspective and relevant commentary on today’s situation-based dating habits. 

KIKI shows that all of Kiana’s previous projects have just been appetisers, acting as breadcrumbs leading fans to her debut full length. The quickly rising R&B musician knows when to speed up and when to slow down. She lets the dust settle and takes notes from her peers to create a sound that is uniquely her own. It’s clear to see Ledé has found her niche, and her now recognisable sound is fresh and current which gives fans just a taste and makes sure they keep coming back for more. 

Reviewed by: Grayson Harris-Paul