{"id":7084,"date":"2023-12-03T09:36:50","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T14:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=7084"},"modified":"2023-12-03T09:36:50","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T14:36:50","slug":"album-review-kiana-lede-drops-debut-album-kiki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=7084","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Kiana Led\u00e9 drops debut album \u2018KIKI\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

First recognized as a member of the children\u2019s music group Kidz Bop, <\/em>Kiana Led\u00e9 surprised many with her bold personality and incredible vocal skills. She later went on to release her 2018 EP Selfless,<\/em> with its beautiful blend of acoustic R&B and effortlessly attentive melodies, but she aimed for a more commercialized vision with the release of her debut album KIKI<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kiana opens \u201cCancelled,\u201d the first track of her album, by sampling a quote made by famous content creator Jasmine Orlando, otherwise known as \u2018Shawty Bae\u2019. \u201cI am a single queen, you know the f*cking vibes. F*ck men these days, f*ck them all. They will hurt everyone\u2019s feelings and f*ck them all,\u201d Orlando says. On the surface, it\u2019s an aggressive statement, one that would throw off many. But the intensity of such a statement sets the stage for a very powerful album progression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIKI<\/em>\u2019s theme relies on the insufferable pain and newly found self-confidence that comes after heartbreak. On \u201cLabels,\u201d Kiana teams up with Moneybagg Yo and BIA for a hip-hop\/R&B track that explicitly states, \u201cI ain\u2019t wasting no more time on these labels \/ I done gave your a** my heart, and you played with it,\u201d insinuating the lack of commitment and reciprocation from her partner. This track uses a loop of a synthesizer riff and a simple drum machine beat to create a catchy melody. \u201cAttention\u201d stands out among the other tracks because of its acoustic consistency. Along with the rawness of Kiana\u2019s voice, she uses a piano melody and its dynamics to dramatize the pain and aggression she felt while writing the track. \u201cNo there ain\u2019t no way, I can\u2019t let you win \/ there could be no reason, ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 that you did,\u201d the lyrics express as the instrumental reaches a forte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, \u201cNo Takebacks\u201d uses a soft and redundant guitar tone to reduce the track\u2019s intensity. It\u2019s not until Kiana says, \u201cWhat you say, you can\u2019t take back, no takebacks,\u201d that the instrumental picks up with a bass guitar and piano chords to support the acute feeling she experienced having to plead with her partner. The album\u2019s lead single, \u201cMad At Me,\u201d a sample of OutKast\u2019s \u201cSo Fresh, So Clean,\u201d details Kiana\u2019s dealing with hatred for her success post-breakup. \u201cI been on my hot sh*t lately, can\u2019t be mad at me \/ you been on some f*ck sh*t lately, can\u2019t be mad at me,\u201d she sings in the chorus.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIKI<\/em> hosts some of the most honest lyrics I\u2019ve ever heard. Although there is quite a bit of profanity, I believe it heavily contributes to the album\u2019s emotional intensity. This album is much different from Kiana\u2019s typical acoustic R&B, a feeling that is often compared to other artists like SZA or Summer Walker. This is because she chose to conform to modern R&B and use layered percussion styles and 90s\/00s samples. I have taken a strong interest in Kiana\u2019s vocal performance. I can’t wait to watch her evolve as an artist and produce tracks much like the ones heard on her debut album KIKI<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First recognized as a member of the children\u2019s music group Kidz Bop, Kiana Led\u00e9 surprised many with her bold personality and incredible vocal skills. She later went on to release her 2018 EP Selfless, with its beautiful blend of acoustic … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[141],"tags":[400],"class_list":["post-7084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","tag-music"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3odG9-1Qg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":808,"url":"https:\/\/eagleeyemedia.org\/?p=808","url_meta":{"origin":7084,"position":0},"title":"Tyga’s New Release","author":"Publisher","date":"May 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"One of Young Money\u2019s rap artist by the name of Tyga, released his third album \u201cHotel California\u201d on April 9, 2013. 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