Kiandra Richardson was born and raised in Warner Robins, Georgia. As a child she studied the artistic styles of Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Aaliyah. By high school, she made waves in musicals such as Cats, Pippin, Beauty and the Beast, All Shook Up, Once On This Island, and more, winning local and state awards in the process.
After obtaining her Bachelors degree in Fine Arts at SCAD: Savannah College of Art and Design, she started recording and cutting her teeth in the studio. A call from Bebe Winans changed everything though. As if bringing the story full circle, he asked Kiki to take on the role of Whitney Houston in Born For This: The BeBe Winans Story on stage. For the next two years, the show enchanted audiences in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Santa Monica. She stuck around in Los Angeles, relocating as of late 2017.
Over the next year, Kiki accompanied Tyler, The Creator during a seminal NPR "Tiny Desk" segment and sang backup at Beyoncé's historic Coachella 2018 headlining set and joined the Queen on tour with JAY-Z for the next six months. 2019 saw her become a regular collaborator at Kanye West's "Sunday Service" around the country. She also landed the role of Yana on Empire and contributed the standout "Heaven" to Empire (Season 6, What Is Love) [Music from the TV Series].
Additionally, she kicked off a creative partnership with GRAMMY® Award-nominated producer and songwriter Kosine [Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Big Sean]. Together, they uncovered a soulful style amplified by her dynamic range with a subtle intimacy.
"When we let go of our expectations and what society tells us we should do or be, there's an ease to flowing with life," she affirms. "Once you learn everything happens exactly how it's supposed to, life flows so much more beautifully."
