KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl

KeiyaA is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has very recently amassed a very large following. Born and brought up in Chicago, KeiyaA’s music is a fusion of R&B and electronic styles, supplemented with personal and playful lyrical melodies.

KeiyaA recently released Forever, Ya Girl in 2020, a debut that has forced the spotlight onto her. Now New York-based, in her debut album she merges a variety of genres to emerge with her own style and aesthetic, taking from RnB, Jazz, Grime, and funk.

Her music features guitars and synths over airy harmonies and smooth beats. Over this atmosphere, KeiyaA presents her soulful vocals, which often reflect loneliness but with a self-empowered approach that reminds the listener of her independence in the face of a world that tries to away her power.  

And she reminds us of this for nothing. KeiyaA’s debut album Forever, Ya Girl, was completely self-produced under her own label named Forever Recordings. Today the 29-year old continues writing and performing, making her way through the music industry as an independent artist and producer.

KeiyaA was born and raised in Chicago’s south side by the name Chakeiya Richmond. Her musical explorations began at an early age, with a children’s choir. At around the age of 13, she started learning to play the alto sax. In an interview with Fact Magazine, she named a diverse array of musical inspirations that guided her, such as R&B vocal trio SWV, Miles Davis, Chaka Khan, Nirvanna, and even Goth and punk music.

While she did attend both Columbia College and U of I at Chicago to study jazz music, the program’s hierarchical structure alienated her severely and forced her to leave. It was only shortly after that KeiyaA started her professional music career.

During this period she also decided to shift her musical focus from Jazz to R&B and vocals. In 2015, she released an EP by the name of WORK, which provided an initial exploration into her new funky, jazzy R&B style. Soon after this, she moved to New York.

In a video-based interview with SoS and Lifeline, KeiyaA spoke of how she sees no difference between music and healing. For her the processes of creating, producing, and performing music all bring healing to those who are involved as well as those who listen. In this light, her emotional and empowered lyrics take the guise of healing against social oppression, especially that against black women.

In her interview, she spoke about how black women like her are told by society how they need to be strong in the face of any sort of subjugation and abuse. Her music aims to express the reality of this oppressive suffering, like that of the women in her own family, who she says have had to suffer in silence for far too long.

In this light, Forever, Ya Girl reflects the artist’s struggle to find and express her own voice in an oppressive society. Given her quick rise to fame over the past year, including her recent home-based Tiny-Desk Concert produced by NPR, it looks like KeiyaA’s future as an independent artist and producer is looking bright.