Kiana Ledé, a superstar name backed by superstar talent; a name which you should remember.
The multi-talented American singer, songwriter, actress and Pianist is deservingly one of Republic Records’ hot rising stars as she releases her highly anticipated new 7 track EP ‘Selfless’.
In addition to her music, Ledé has found success through acting after she was cast in the second season of MTV’s hit series ‘Scream’ where she plays Zoe Vaughn.
‘Selfless’ is the first solo project released under Republic following her lead single ‘Fairplay’ released last year. On the project the soulful love song, about caring more about a person than they care for you, receives a catchy and interesting twist as ‘A$AP Ferg’ jumps on the track to add a male narrative showing the contrasting elements to the story.
The EP opens with ‘Get In The Way’; gentle chords are partnered with a purity and vulnerability in her voice as Kiana becomes retrospective of a failed relationship where the love isn’t right but keeps reoccurring becoming a problem in her life and with her moving on. The track has a contrast of softness mixed with a striking chorus accompanied by unapologetically honest and self-aware lyrics creating the perfect sharp yet soulful sound for this R&B hit.
Continuing to reminisce on the second track ‘Shame’ (Featuring Blackway), Ledé shows her versatility as she pours her heart out expressing the pain of seeing someone you love move on with someone else with the bitterness of watching an ex show someone all the best parts of them they were able to discover through hurting you.
As we get into the third track there is an element of an old school R&B vibe with a twinkling instrumental, soulful vocals lightened by perfectly placed harmonies. The overall vibe is very sexy, silky and smooth.
Transitioning to track 5 of the EP, ‘Wicked Games’, yet another side of Ledé’s chameleon sound is exposed as she indulges and seemingly takes inspiration from The Weeknd’s soulful synthesized instrumentals as she cuts deep with the honest truth about someone playing her. This track is the harsh reality of many twenty first century dating experiences, becoming a female anthem many can relate to being caught up in love.
The final never heard before track on the EP showcases a stripped back, honest and raw side to the songstress as she opens up about her wrong doings in love. The lyrics are retrospective to her wrongdoings in a relationship as she shows her maturity with self-criticism.
“You never blame me
For all of my ways before I was tame
And you came in the picture, my bad if I hurt ya, hm
I’m easy to love when I’m all good
Know I’m hard to trust when I’m fucked up, yeah
But somehow someway you love me unconditionally, so”
Ledé shows vulnerability as she takes responsibility for being difficult to love sometimes whilst showing humanity, realization and appreciation towards a lover who simply took all the bad and loved her unconditionally. The simplicity of this song perfectly highlights the incredibly soothing tone of her voice which is backed by a relaxed, stripped back acoustic guitar emphasizing her sheer vocal talent.
Within this EP Kiana Ledé has crafted the perfect story portraying the emotional journey of loving someone with showing the highlights of love, accepting responsibility, the pain of seeing them be everything you wanted them to be with someone else and the typical doubtful stage of uncertainty that the end is the right thing to do.
Overall the EP is a perfect debut project with Republic as it shows versatility, her incredible vocal ability and shows off her clever and thoughtful song writing ability. Hopefully her success will continue to grow and there will be an extensive career for the young talent.
Check out her brand new masterpiece along with her other impressive material across all streaming services and be sure to watch the ‘Fairplay’ video below.
Let us know what you think about the rising star over @CelebMix on Twitter.
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