Kirby Lauryen Dockery, also known by the stage names Kirby (stylized as KIRBY) and Kirby Lauryen, is an American singer and songwriter. She has written pop songs such as "
FourFiveSeconds
"FourFiveSeconds" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, American rapper Kanye West, and English musician Paul McCartney. It was written and produced by McCartney, West, Mike Dean, Dave Longstreth and Noah Goldstein with additional ...
" performed by
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
,
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
, and
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
. She is an independent artist and released her first album, ''Sis'', in 2020.
Life and career
Dockery was born October 24 in
Memphis, Tennessee and raised in
Southaven
Southaven is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is a principal city in Greater Memphis. The 2020 census reported a population of 54,648, making it the 3rd most populous city in Mississippi and the largest suburb of Memp ...
, Mississippi.
She studied music at
Stax Music Academy,
and enrolled at
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...
after high school but left in 2012 to pursue music full-time. She was influenced by
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
's ''
The College Dropout
''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to its release, West had received praise for his p ...
''.
She began a
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
challenge where she posted videos of herself singing a new original song for 275 days.
She was contacted by Joy Brown of
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...
on day 302 of the challenge and signed to the label.
She has worked with artists such as
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
,
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
,
Brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
, and
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...
.
Kirby co-wrote the track "
FourFiveSeconds
"FourFiveSeconds" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, American rapper Kanye West, and English musician Paul McCartney. It was written and produced by McCartney, West, Mike Dean, Dave Longstreth and Noah Goldstein with additional ...
", which went through several rounds of edits as directed by Kanye West.
She also wrote the song "
Die with You" performed by
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
and "
Break Your Heart Right Back" by
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
.
She released her first album, ''Sis'', in February 2020.
Robyn Mowatt of
Okayplayer
Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists".
The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...
referred to it as "a mashup of refreshing deep cuts."
Two singles from the album were featured on the soundtrack for the fourth season of ''
Insecure
Insecure may refer to:
* Lack of security, in an objective sense:
** Risk
** Data security
** Computer security
* Food insecurity
* Insecurity (emotion), lack of confidence or self esteem
Media
* ''Insecure'' (TV series), a television series on ...
''.
In June 2020, Kirby posted a viral
TikTok
TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
video about the racist origins of the pancake brand
Aunt Jemima
Aunt Jemima was an American breakfast brand for pancake mix, table syrup, and other breakfast food products. The original version of the pancake mix was developed in 1888–1889 by the Pearl Milling Company and was advertised as the first " ...
, and amid other online critiques taking place, the brand announced that they would retire the racist imagery.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Sis. He Wasn't the One'' (2021)
Extended plays
* ''Sis.'' (2020)
*''I Told You I Would'' (2022)
Soundtrack albums
* ''
Swarm'' (2023)
Singles
Songwriting credits
indicates a credited vocal/featured artist contribution
References
External links
Official profileon Roc Nation
Kirby Lauryen profileon Allmusic
Kirby Lauryen profileon Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauryen, Kirby
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
21st-century American singer-songwriters
Singer-songwriters from Mississippi
People from Southaven, Mississippi
African-American women singer-songwriters
American women singer-songwriters
American soul singers
American rhythm and blues singers
21st-century African-American women
Songs written by Kirby Lauryen