Kenya Grace

Last updated

Kenya Grace
Birth nameKenya Grace Johnson
Born South Africa
Genres Electropop
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2019–present
Labels

Kenya Grace Johnson is a South African-born British singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her 2023 single "Strangers", which reached number-one in the UK Singles Chart. She is signed with Warner Records.

Contents

Life and career

Early life

Kenya Grace Johnson [1] was born in South Africa but grew up in Southampton. She attended Thornden School and [2] used to play hockey for Hampshire. She started writing when she was 10 years old, and started singing in primary school after being gifted a second-hand Yamaha keyboard. [3] She first developed an interest in musical theatre, before growing up and developing an interest in dance music, dubstep first. [4] : 1:09:50  She attended Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, first reading history and English literature, but switching to music after deciding to become a musician, [3] and graduated in September 2019 with a degree in songwriting and creative artistry. [5] She has credited the university with curing her stage fright. [6] In 2019, she released "Obsessed", her first release, and then "Tell Me Why", [3] which she wrote while drunk and having just fought with someone. [7] Later that year, she and Willow Kayne made the Top 21 in ISawItFirst, [8] a nationwide search in collaboration with Capital Xtra intended to find new women musicians, winning a music video for "Tell Me Why". [5] She then released "Talk", [3] which she wrote in her parents' bedroom during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom after getting out of a toxic relationship; [6] she later moved to North London, [9] her move having been delayed by the pandemic. [6] In 2022, she released "Oranges", the 3Strange collaboration "Someone Else", and the Homebodi collaboration "Venus", and in February and May 2023, she released "Afterparty Lover" and "Meteor". [10]

2023–present: "Strangers" and The After Taste

In late July 2023, she started to promote "Strangers", [11] a drum and bass song she had written and produced [12] in her bedroom, with the intention of making a euphoric track, [4] : 1:08:08  on her TikTok account. [11] This clip was viewed over 11,000,000 times, with a subsequent video being viewed over 38,000,000 times; [13] when released on 1 September 2023 on FFRR Records, [14] the song saw further success on the platform, and by 26 September 2023 had seen use in over 570,000 videos. [10] She promoted the song with a further eight videos promoting the track, all of which were viewed more than 1,000,000 times, and which typically depicted her singing the track on her electronic drum pads; [11] the song also went viral on Instagram Reels. [14] A week after release, the song entered the UK Singles Chart, eventually peaking at No. 1; [12] upon entry, the Official Charts Company attributed her success to the commercial renaissance of drum and bass and the dominance of female artists (in its first week on the charts, the top three were Doja Cat, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo). [14] On 15 September 2023, she released a "slower and sadder" remix of the song, [10] and three weeks after that, she released a further single, "Only in My Mind", having teased the track on social media. [15] On 13 October, the song peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, making her the second British female artist to reach No. 1 with a track performed, written and produced entirely solo after Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill". [13]

In December 2023, a day after the release of her single, "Paris", she revealed on Instagram that she is currently working on her debut EP, The After Taste, which released on 22 March 2024. [16]

Artistry and personal life

Johnson has stated that her biggest inspiration is Banks; she also takes inspiration from Flume and Nao, [9] and cites Norah Jones and Katie Melua. [2] She first writes her tracks instrumental first. [4] : 1:08:08  Upon entrance of the UK Singles Chart, the Official Charts Company described her voice as a combination of PinkPantheress, Charli XCX, and Piri. [14]

Discography

Extended plays

TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
US
Dance
[17]
The After Taste7

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions, certifications, and album name
TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
UK
[18] 		AUS
[19] 		AUT
[20] 		GER
[21] 		NLD
[22] 		NZ
[23] 		SWE
[24] 		SWI
[25] 		US
[26] 		WW
[27]
"Obsessed" [3] 2019——————————Non-album singles
"Tell Me Why" [3] ——————————
"Talk" [3] 2020——————————
"Venus"
(with Homebodi) [28] 		2022——————————
"Someone Else"
(with 3Strange) [10] 		——————————
"Oranges" [29] ——————————
"Afterparty Lover" [30] 2023——————————
"Meteor"
(with Solomon) [31] 		——————————
"Strangers"12143282425The After Taste
"Only in My Mind" [15] —————— [upper-alpha 1] ————
"Paris" [40] —————— [upper-alpha 2] ————Non-album single
"It's Not Fair" [42] 2024——————————The After Taste
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Awards and nominations

AwardYearNominated WorkAwardResultRef.
BBC Sound of... 2023HerselfSound of 2024Nominated [43]
Brit Awards 2024 "Strangers" Song of the Year Nominated [44]
EDM.com2024HerselfClass of 2024Included [45]
Electronic Dance Music Awards 2024 "Strangers"Dance Radio Song Of The YearNominated [46]
DnB (Drum and Bass) Song of the YearNominated
HerselfBreakthrough Artist of the YearNominated
Global Awards 2024 "Strangers"Best SongNominated [47]
HerselfRising StarNominated
iHeartRadio Music Awards 2024 "Strangers"Dance Song of the YearWon [48]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Only in My Mind" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 15 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart. [39]
  2. ↑ "Paris" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 27 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart. [41]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Wonderland</span> Australian musician

Alexandra Margo Sholler, known professionally as Alison Wonderland, is an Australian electronic dance music producer, DJ, and singer. Her debut album, Run, was released on 20 March 2015, which peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold by ARIA. Her second album, Awake, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums. She was listed at No. 96 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs in October 2018. She is also the highest billed female DJ in Coachella history. Outside of being well-known for her music, she is outspoken about her support for mental health and frequently shares her experiences with her fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ty Dolla Sign discography</span>

The discography of American singer Ty Dolla Sign consists of three studio albums, two extended plays (EP), seven mixtapes and forty-four singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabrina Carpenter discography</span>

American singer Sabrina Carpenter has released five studio albums, two extended plays, 24 singles, 23 promotional singles and 31 music videos. After gaining recognition on Disney Channel's Girl Meets World and performing its theme song, Carpenter signed a five-album deal with Hollywood Records. In 2014, she released her debut single Can't Blame a Girl for Trying and an EP of the same name. She followed this with her debut album Eyes Wide Open (2015) which debuted at number 43 on the US Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galantis discography</span>

Galantis is a Swedish electronic music production and songwriting duo consisting of Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson from Miike Snow, and Linus Eklöw aka Style of Eye. They are best known for their biggest hit singles "Runaway ", "Peanut Butter Jelly" and "No Money".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshmello discography</span>

The American music producer and DJ Marshmello has released five studio albums, four extended plays, forty-five singles, nine other charted songs, sixteen remixes, forty-three music videos and seven production-credited songs. Marshmello's debut studio album Joytime was released through his Joytime Collective record label on January 8, 2016. Despite failing to debut on the Billboard 200, the album peaked on three Billboard charts: Dance/Electronic Albums, Top Heatseekers and Independent Albums, at number five, fourteen and forty-one, respectively.

The discography of American electronic music producer and DJ Illenium consists of five studio albums, four remix albums, four extended plays, thirty-six singles and eight music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loud Luxury</span> Canadian music producers

Loud Luxury are a Canadian music production and DJ duo consisting of Andrew Fedyk and Joe Depace and currently based in Los Angeles. They gained recognition for their 2017 releases "Body" and a remix of the Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa single "Scared to Be Lonely".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saweetie discography</span>

The discography of Saweetie, an American rapper, consists of three extended plays, eighteen singles, two promotional singles and nineteen music videos. Her debut extended play, High Maintenance was released on March 16, 2018. The EP was preceded by her debut single, "Icy Grl", which was later certified platinum in the United States. Her second EP, Icy was released in March 2019, and spawned the hit single "My Type". The single went on to peak at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum in the United States.

Dominic Matheson, better known by his stage name Dom Dolla, is an Australian house music producer, songwriter and remixer, known for songwriting, production, performances and profile collaborations. Grammy Award nominee in 2024 for the song "New Gold", featuring Gorillaz, Tame Impala, & Bootie Brown. Juno Award nominee in 2024 for the song "Eat Your Man", featuring Nelly Furtado. Has been nominated eight times for the ARIA Award for Best Dance Release; Including: in 2017 for "Be Randy", with Torren Foot and in 2019, for the song "Take It". He won the award at the 2020 ARIA Music Awards for the song "San Frandisco" and in 2023 for the song "Rhyme Dust". Performed in festivals such as Coachella 2022 and Lollapalooza 2023. Dom has sold out such venues as Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado, Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia and Forest Hills Stadium in New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Petras discography</span>

German singer and songwriter Kim Petras has released two studio albums, two mixtapes, one compilation album, one demo album, four extended plays (EPs), 22 singles, and eighteen promotional singles. Petras began releasing several promotional singles from 2008 to 2014. Petras's debut single "I Don't Want It at All" was released in 2017 and reached the top 60 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, as would her 2018 single "Heart to Break". The singer premiered her second extended play Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 on October 1, 2018, charting on the US Independent and Heatseekers Albums charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doja Cat discography</span>

American rapper and singer Doja Cat has released four studio albums, one extended play (EP), 44 singles, 33 music videos, and nine promotional singles. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Doja Cat has sold 34 million certified albums and singles in the United States as a lead artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conan Gray</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1998)

Conan Lee Gray is an American singer-songwriter and former YouTuber. Born in Lemon Grove, California, and raised in Georgetown, Texas, he began uploading vlogs, covers, and original songs to YouTube as a teenager. In 2018, Gray signed a record deal with Republic Records, which released his debut EP, Sunset Season (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Corry</span> English DJ, producer and TV personality (born June 10, 1989)

Joel Corry is an English DJ, producer and television personality. He came to prominence in 2019 with the release of his single "Sorry", featuring vocals from Hayley May, which reached number six in the UK Singles Chart. In 2020, Corry released the singles "Lonely" and "Head & Heart". The latter, which features MNEK on vocals, spent six weeks at number one in the UK Top Singles Chart and also became Corry's first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100. Corry stated that he was influenced by Jive Bunny growing up, and that it played a "huge role in his development as a DJ and a producer".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Like That (Doja Cat song)</span> 2020 single by Doja Cat

"Like That" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat featuring fellow American rapper Gucci Mane. It was written by both artists along with Theron Thomas, Lydia Asrat, David Sprecher, and producers Dr. Luke and Mike Crook. Originally included as a track on Doja Cat's second studio album Hot Pink (2019), it became a single on May 12, 2020, following a viral dance challenge using the song on the app TikTok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby, I'm Jealous</span> 2020 single by Bebe Rexha featuring Doja Cat

"Baby, I'm Jealous" is a song by American singer Bebe Rexha featuring fellow American rapper and singer Doja Cat, released as the lead single from the former's second studio album Better Mistakes on October 9, 2020. A remix featuring Dominican singer Natti Natasha was released on November 27, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Friend (Saweetie song)</span> 2021 single by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat

"Best Friend" is a song by American rapper Saweetie featuring fellow American rapper and singer Doja Cat, released on January 7, 2021 as the third single from the upcoming debut studio album Pretty Bitch Music. The song was written by the two performers along with Asia Smith, Kaine, Theron Thomas, and producers Dr. Luke and Rocco Did It Again!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When I'm Gone (Alesso and Katy Perry song)</span> 2021 single by Alesso and Katy Perry

"When I'm Gone" is a song by Swedish DJ Alesso and American singer Katy Perry. It was released on 29 December 2021 by 10:22 PM Records. It coincides with the first date of Play—Perry's Las Vegas concert residency. The song is a EDM, dance-pop, house and electropop tune, written by Perry, Alesso, Alida Garpestad Peck, Rami Yacoub, Nathan Cunningham, Marc Sibley, and Alma Goodman, and produced by Alesso and the Space Primates.

Jacob Dodge Lawson, known professionally as Jvke, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and social media personality. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he started creating TikTok videos for his songs, one of which, "Upside Down", went viral in 2021 with it being used in over 14 million TikTok videos. His debut album, This Is What ____ Feels Like (2022), peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200, while the song "Golden Hour" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paint the Town Red (Doja Cat song)</span> 2023 single by Doja Cat

"Paint the Town Red" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat from her fourth studio album, Scarlet (2023). It was released on August 4, 2023, through Kemosabe and RCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Doja Cat and produced by Earl on the Beat, Rubin, Jean-Baptiste, and DJ Replay. The track samples Dionne Warwick's song "Walk On By" (1964). In the lyrics, the rapper dismisses her critics and asserts her own identity following arguments with fans on social media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strangers (Kenya Grace song)</span> 2023 single by Kenya Grace

"Strangers" is a song by South African musician Kenya Grace. It was officially released as her major-label debut single on 1 September 2023 through Major Recordings, a dance label owned by Warner Records. It is the follow-up release to her prior viral single, "Meteor". "Strangers" was Grace's breakthrough single, peaking at #1 in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, as well as topping both the Australian and American dance music charts. The track peaked at #2 in Luxembourg, New Zealand, Russia, Slovakia and Switzerland, and was a top-five or top-ten hit in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.

References

  1. ↑ Venus (Radio Edit) by Homebodi & Kenya Grace, 12 May 2022, retrieved 29 September 2023
  2. 1 2 Mukhtar, Damel (17 October 2023). "Meet Kenya Grace, The Breakout Musician Topping Doja, Taylor, And Drake For The UK #1". British Vogue .
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kenya Grace". projext Liquid. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "BBC Radio 1 – Radio 1's Future Artists with Jack Saunders, Kenya Grace". BBC. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  5. 1 2 "ACM Alumni Reach Final of Nationwide Music Competition Hosted by Top Fashion Brand". ACM. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Introducing: Kenya Grace". Wordplay. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "Kenya Grace :: Nxtstyle's The Next 100: 2020 New Music Guide". Nxtstyle. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "First Look – I Saw It First". 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Le'Afrinique #LAChats With Vans Musicians Wanted Finalist Kenya Grace". Le'Afrinique. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Zellner, Xander (26 September 2023). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Kenya Grace Arrives With Viral Hit 'Strangers'". Billboard . Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 "Kenya Grace: No Longer a Stranger | Vulkan Magazine". vulkanmagazine.com. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Strangers". The Official Charts Company . 14 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  13. 1 2 "How Kenya Grace made chart history as self-produced single 'Strangers' reaches No 1". The Independent. 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Who is Kenya Grace? The dance artist who debuted Top 20 with Strangers". Official Charts. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  15. 1 2 "New Releases: Kenya Grace, Joel Corry, Roger Waters and more". Official Charts. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "Out now on all platforms <3". Instagram.
  17. ↑ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums: Week of April 6, 2024". Billboard . Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  18. ↑ "Kenya Grace | Official Charts". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  19. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  20. ↑ "Kenya Grace – Strangers". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "Discographie von Kenya Grace". offiziellecharts.de (in German). Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "Kenya Grace – Strangers". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 41". Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  25. ↑ "Kenya Grace – Strangers". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  26. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of January 13, 2024". Billboard . Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  27. ↑ "Billboard Global 200: Week of October 7, 2023". Billboard . Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "Venus - Single by Homebodi, Kenya Grace". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  29. ↑ "Oranges - Single by Kenya Grace". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  30. ↑ "Afterparty Lover (Sped Up Edit) - Single by Kenya Grace". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  31. ↑ "Meteor (Edit) - Single by Kenya Grace, Solomon". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "British certifications – Kenya Grace". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 January 2024.Type Kenya Grace in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  33. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles for week of 12 February 2024". Australian Recording Industry Association. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  34. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kenya Grace)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  35. ↑ "Austrian certifications – Kenya Grace" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  36. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Kenya Grace)". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  37. ↑ "American certifications – Kenya Grace". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  38. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Kenya Grace – Strangers". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  39. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  40. ↑ "Paris - Single by Kenya Grace". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  41. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  42. ↑ Ackroyd, Stephen (15 March 2024). "Kenya Grace is a talent here to stay with her brilliant new track, 'It's Not Fair'". Dork . Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  43. ↑ Savage, Mark (4 December 2023). "BBC Sound of 2024: Tyla, Last Dinner Party and Kenya Grace tipped for success" . Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  44. ↑ "Brit Awards 2024: The nominations in full". BBC. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  45. ↑ Heffler, Jason (9 February 2024). "EDM.com Class of 2024 Revealed". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  46. ↑ Staff, EDM com (19 February 2024). "Fan Voting for the 2024 Electronic Dance Music Awards is Now Open". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  47. ↑ Tabor-King, Ashley (4 March 2024). "RAYE, Taylor Swift, Calvin Harris, Dave, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, and More Nominated for The Global Awards 2024". Global . Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  48. ↑ Irvin, Jack; Michaud, Sarah (2 April 2024). "iHeartRadio Music Awards 2024: See the Complete List of Winners!". People. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.