An actor, pianist, and singer whose ability to fully inhabit songs energizes her albums, Kiana Ledé (born in 1997 in Phoenix) has made a name for herself since winning a Kidz Bop-sponsored talent search in 2011. After getting signed and releasing her first single, “Hey Chica,” through the children’s-music giant in 2012, Ledé moved to Hollywood to further pursue her career. She was cast in the second season of MTV’s Scream in 2016; she then signed a deal with Republic Records, which released her EP Selfless in 2018 and her debut full-length, KIKI, in 2020. Ledé’s vision of R&B, as evidenced by her breakthrough single, “Ex,” and her Ella Mai collab “Jealous,” combines forthright lyrics with sumptuous sonics. She released her second album, Grudges, in June 2023.