Kadhja Bonet ( ; born January 31, 1988) is an American musician.

Early life

Bonet grew up in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, as the middle child of seven siblings and studied classical music from an early age, playing the violin. Her father, Allen Bonet, was an

opera singer Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

and her mother also a musician. She taught herself guitar and other instruments. The actress

Lisa Bonet Lilakoi Moon (born Lisa Michelle Bonet ; November 16, 1967) is an American actress. She portrayed Denise Huxtable on the sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' (1984–1992), for which she earned widespread acclaim and a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Aw ...

is her half-sister.

Career

Bonet's debut, the single "Tears for Lamont" was produced by Itai Shapira and released in 2014. Later that year, while participating in the

Red Bull Music Academy The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festiv ...

program in Tokyo, she collaborated on and released "Late Night Munchies." The

mini album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A mini- ...

''The Visitor EP'' was first self-released in September 2015, then re-released with new bonus tracks under the name
The Visitor
' in October 2016, as a partnership between two

independent record labels An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

Fat Possum Records Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Water Valley and Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknown Mississippi blues artists (typically from Oxford or Holly Sprin ...

and Fresh Selects, receiving critical praise and extensive radio air play. Her second album, ''Childqueen'', written while touring abroad, was released on June 8, 2018. She has also appeared on albums from other musicians, including Anderson .Paak,

SiR ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Bonobo The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee (less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee), is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus ''Pan (genus), Pan'' (the other bei ...

Khruangbin Khruangbin ( ; , , ) is a musical trio from Houston, Texas, Houston, Texas. The band consists of Laura Lee (bassist), Laura Lee Ochoa (bass guitar and vocals), Mark Speer (guitar and vocals), and Donald "DJ" Johnson (drums, keyboards, and vocals ...

Free Nationals Free Nationals are an American R&B band formed in Los Angeles, California. The group consists of José Ríos (lead guitar, backing vocals), Ron "T.Nava" Avant (keyboard, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Kelsey Gonzales (bass guitar, bass synth) ...

, and more.

Critical reaction

Bonet's music has been described as

psychedelic soul Psychedelic soul (originally called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a form of soul music which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s. The style saw African-American soul musicians embrace elements of psychedelic rock, ...

while, for other critics, it "amalgamates

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

," or evokes "

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

, and 1940s

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

" in a "genre-defying" way. ''Clash'' magazine wrote that her second album "places Kadhja Bonet in a league of her own." The single "Delphine" from the album was described as "spellbinding" and the album itself as "proof of her idiosyncratic genius."

Discography

;Studio albums * ''The Visitor'' (2016) * '' Childqueen'' (2018) ;Extended plays * ''Childqueen Outtakes'' (2018) * ''California Holiday'' (2022) ;Singles * "Remember the Rain" (2015) * "Delphine" (2018) * "Mother Maybe" (2018) * "Delphine" (2018) * "Another Time Lover" (2018) * "For You" (2021) * "One Of A Kind Love Affair" (2023) ;Collaborations * "On Sight", with

JID Destin Choice Route (born October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name JID (also stylized J.I.D), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Atlanta, he signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscop ...

and MIKNNA (from the album ''

'' (2019)). * "New Sky",

(from the album ''

Chasing Summer ''Chasing Summer'' is the third studio album by American singer SiR. It was released on August 30, 2019 by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and RCA Records. The album includes guest features from Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Jill Scott, Smino, Kadhja ...

'' (2019)). * "Plans We Make",

Son Lux Son Lux is an American experimental band. Originally the solo project and moniker of founding member Ryan Lott, the band's first three albums, '' At War with Walls & Mazes'', '' We Are Rising'' and '' Lanterns'', shaped the band's unique soun ...

(from the album ''Tomorrows III'' (2021)). * "We Forgot Love",

Nicolas Godin Nicolas Godin (born 25 December 1969) is a French musician best known for being one half of the music duo Air. Early life Godin was born in Paris, Île-de-France, France, and studied architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Architectu ...

(from the album '' Concrete and Glass'' (2021)). * "NOTHING TO ME", Darius (2021). * "Day by Day",

(from the album ''Fragments'' (2022)). * "Psilocybae",

Childish Gambino Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...

(from the album ''

Atavista ''Atavista'' is the reissue of American rapper Childish Gambino's fourth studio album, '' 3.15.20'', described by Gambino as a "finished version". The album was released on May 13, 2024, five days after ''3.15.20'' was removed from streaming pla ...

'' (2024))

References

External links

Interview
by

Mary Anne Hobbs Mary Anne Hobbs (born 16 May 1964) is an English DJ and music journalist from Lancashire, England. She currently hosts on BBC Radio 6 Music. She is also a performer and curator of live events. In 2024 she created a ground-breaking collaboration ...

(2018) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonet, Kadhja 21st-century American musicians Living people 1988 births Place of birth missing (living people)