Over the weekend, Kiana Ledé celebrated her 23rd birthday with the release of her debut album KIKI, which features 17 new tracks from the Arizona actress-singer and additional appearances from Lucky Daye, 6LACK, Bia, Moneybagg Yo and more. Added to the new release is a cool new music video for the track “Chocolate,” which features assistance from D.C. songstress Ari Lennox and sees the collaborators expressing their feelings for a special someone:
“I need a, I need a, sweet escape/
Compliments to your mother, know how to treat a good woman/
My holiday, you changed up the weather, makin’ everything better/
My warm embrace, my cup of holy, lovin’ the way you hold me/
It’s safe to say, that I could do this every day…/”
As it’s fairly tough to shoot a music video in the midst of the growing Coronavirus pandemic, Ledé and Lennox — with the help of director Jamar Harding — decided to FaceTime each other from their respective residences to create a simple-yet-effective clip that focuses on their beauty.
KIKI was preceded by a slew of EPs, most importantly 2018’s Selfless and last year’s Myself, the latter of which included her breakout single “Ex” and saw assists from Migos’ Offset and veteran actress Jenifer Lewis. She recently spoke to Refinery 29 about how her big move to Los Angeles led to her eventual success in the music industry:
I got a record deal when I was 15 and moved to L.A. by myself at 16. To support myself, I worked at CVS, then a gymnastics centre, and a jazz club at the W while I was also hustling and doing demo sessions. Eventually, thank God, I booked my first show and I released my EP, Selfless, in 2018.
Press play on both KIKI and the accompanying visual for “Chocolate” below.
KIKI tracklisting:
- “Cancelled.”
- “Movin.”
- “Mad At Me.”
- “Chocolate.” Feat. Ari Lennox
- “Forfeit.” Feat. Lucky Daye
- “Second Chances.” Feat. 6LACK
- “Crazy.”
- “Plenty More.”
- “Skiterlude.”
- “Labels.” Feat. BIA & Moneybagg Yo
- “Honest.”
- “Feel a Way.”
- “Good Girl.” Feat. Col3trane
- “Attention.”
- “Separation.” Feat. Arin Ray
- “Protection.”
- “No Takebacks.”