Kenya Grace Johnson is a South African-born British singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for her 2023 single “Strangers,” which topped the UK Singles Chart. She is signed with Warner Records.
Life and Career
Early Life
Kenya Grace Johnson was born in South Africa but grew up in Southampton, UK. She attended Thornden School and played hockey for Hampshire. Johnson began writing songs at age 10 and started singing in primary school after receiving a second-hand Yamaha keyboard. Initially interested in musical theatre, she later developed a passion for dance music, starting with dubstep. She studied at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, switching from history and English literature to music, and graduated in September 2019 with a degree in songwriting and creative artistry. Johnson credits the university with helping her overcome stage fright.
Early Career
In 2019, Johnson released her first singles, “Obsessed” and “Tell Me Why,” the latter written while she was drunk and had just fought with someone. That year, she and Willow Kayne were among the Top 21 in ISawItFirst, a nationwide search in collaboration with Capital Xtra to find new women musicians, winning a music video for “Tell Me Why.” She then released “Talk,” written during the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2022, she released “Oranges,” “Someone Else” with 3Strange, and “Venus” with Homebodi. In 2023, she released “Afterparty Lover” and “Meteor.”
2023–present: “Strangers” and The After Taste
In late July 2023, Johnson began promoting “Strangers,” a drum and bass song she wrote and produced in her bedroom, on TikTok. The song went viral, with clips viewed over 49 million times. Released on 1 September 2023 by FFRR Records, the song entered the UK Singles Chart a week after release and eventually peaked at No. 1. Johnson became the second British female artist to reach No. 1 with a self-written and produced solo track, following Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” She released a slower remix of “Strangers” on 15 September 2023 and “Only in My Mind” three weeks later. In December 2023, she announced her debut EP, The After Taste, which released on 22 March 2024.
Artistry
Johnson cites Banks, Flume, Nao, Norah Jones, and Katie Melua as her inspirations. She writes her tracks instrumentally first. The Official Charts Company compared her voice to PinkPantheress, Charli XCX, and Piri upon her chart debut.
Discography
Extended Plays
- The After Taste (2024) – Peaked at No. 7 on the US Dance Chart
Singles
- “Obsessed” (2019)
- “Tell Me Why” (2019)
- “Talk” (2020)
- “Venus” (with Homebodi) (2022)
- “Someone Else” (with 3Strange) (2022)
- “Oranges” (2022)
- “Afterparty Lover” (2023)
- “Meteor” (with Solomon) (2023)
- “Strangers” (2023) – No. 1 UK, No. 2 AUS, No. 1 AUT, No. 4 GER, No. 3 NLD, No. 2 NZ, No. 8 SWE, No. 2 SWI, No. 42 US, No. 5 WW
- “Only in My Mind” (2023)
- “Paris” (2023)
- “It’s Not Fair” (2024)
Awards and Nominations
- BBC Sound of…
- 2023: Sound of 2024 – Nominated
- Brit Awards
- 2024: Song of the Year (“Strangers”) – Nominated
- EDM.com
- 2024: Class of 2024 – Included
- Electronic Dance Music Awards
- 2024: Dance Radio Song Of The Year (“Strangers”) – Nominated
- 2024: DnB Song of the Year (“Strangers”) – Nominated
- 2024: Breakthrough Artist of the Year – Nominated
- Global Awards
- 2024: Best Song (“Strangers”) – Nominated
- 2024: Rising Star – Nominated
- iHeartRadio Music Awards
- 2024: Dance Song of the Year (“Strangers”) – Won
