Kenya Grace | |
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Birth name | Kenya Grace Johnson |
Born | South Africa |
Genres | Electropop |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 2019–present |
Labels |
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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.
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]
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]
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]
Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
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US Dance [17] | ||
The After Taste |
| 7 |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 42 | 5 | The 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. |
Award | Year | Nominated Work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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BBC Sound of... | 2023 | Herself | Sound of 2024 | Nominated | [43] |
Brit Awards | 2024 | "Strangers" | Song of the Year | Nominated | [44] |
EDM.com | 2024 | Herself | Class of 2024 | Included | [45] |
Electronic Dance Music Awards | 2024 | "Strangers" | Dance Radio Song Of The Year | Nominated | [46] |
DnB (Drum and Bass) Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
Herself | Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Nominated | |||
Global Awards | 2024 | "Strangers" | Best Song | Nominated | [47] |
Herself | Rising Star | Nominated | |||
iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2024 | "Strangers" | Dance Song of the Year | Won | [48] |
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