Kiana Ledé was signed at the age of 14 after winning Kidz Bop’s 2011 KIDZ Star USA talent contest. Her career was set to hit the main stage with the help of RCA but the company ultimately released the artist from their contract and dropped her from their roster. Since then, Kiana has managed to find much success in music as well as television.
Her reemergence was supported by her friendship with the Grammy-winning production duo Rice N’ Peas, who encouraged her to film cover songs. Her rendition of Drake's "Hotline Bling" earned the attention of Republic Record’s Chairman and CEO Monte Lipman who flew out the young artist and signed her to his label.
“I got a second chance, which a lot of people don't get,” she revealed during an interview with Vibe. “So I'm really happy that that all happened. I wouldn't be here right now in this room if that didn't happen.”
The 21-year-old now faces a different set of victories and challenges as a recording artist.
“As an artist, it's really nerve-wracking for someone who writes about such personal things all the time,” she says. “Just the fact that it is my story… It's good to know that other people know that there's somebody on their side, and they're not the only ones going through it. A lot of people obviously feel this way, and have been through this same thing that I've been through. So I think that's cool.”
Read the full interview here.