Kiana Ledé brings just the right amount of magic to Jhene Aiko's "The Magic Hour Tour"

Award-winning artist Jhene Aiko brought her “The Magic Hour Tour” to Baltimore this past Thursday night and she didn’t come alone. Joined by performers who seemingly shared Aiko’s own multifaceted approach to creativity and artistry, "The Magic Hour Tour" was four hours of heartbreak, affirmations, confidence, insecurity, meditation, brashness, empowerment, toxicity, and love.  

One performer who joined Aiko during the Baltimore stop of the tour was relative newcomer Kiana Ledé. The Phoenix, Arizona native (born Kiana Ledé Brown) opened the night performing music from her ever-expanding discography. For a little more than twenty minutes, the young songstress moved through songs such as “Bitter B*tch,” “Wicked Games,” “Chocolate,” “Natural” (off her newest album Cut Ties), and her smash hit “Ex” with an intentional ferocity that filled the arena. Kiana Ledé owned her moment.

Her connection with the crowd was authentic – she sang to them and they sang right back! Her voice was strong and sure. Her confidence was palpable even though it sometimes masked a naiveté and vulnerability that the young singer was determined to push through. Her energy was fun, flirty, and sexy. The crowd loved her! She is a gifted storyteller with much promise.  

One of the most beautiful things about hearing/seeing an artist perform who is not as widely lauded as their contemporaries is that there are no expectations about who they should be or how they should sound. As listeners, our only responsibility is to listen. Comparisons are futile though they often occur, but hearing a new artist is an opportunity to hear music for what it should be at its very core: no airs or pretense, just pure love. From the start of her set to the very end, when Kiana Ledé took the stage last Thursday, pure love is what she shared, and it was a beautiful experience. With more lived experiences to sharpen her proverbial sword, more opportunities to share her gift on stages around the world, and the right team to continue promoting her work (she’s settling in with a new publicist and record label), it’s not a stretch to imagine Kiana Ledé as one of the more celebrated voices and biggest names in R & B music in the not-so-distant future. In the words of Kiana Ledé’s tour-mate DJ Starrza, “We love you, Kiana Ledé.”

The Magic Hour Tour will close this Saturday, December 14, 2024. If you’re in Memphis, Tennessee this weekend, check it out!

Kiana Ledé’s newest album Cut Ties is out now!