Leven Kali
Leven Kali Simon-Seay | |
---|---|
Born | Netherlands | October 7, 1994
Genres | Neo soul[1] |
Occupation(s) |
|
Labels | Interscope Records (2019–2021) |
Leven Kali is a Dutch-born American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work on Beyoncé's Renaissance and Drake's More Life.[2]
Born into a family of musicians, Simon-Seay was conceived in the Netherlands while his father, bass guitarist Jerry "Wyzard" Seay, was on a European tour with his band Mother's Finest.[3] His family subsequently relocated to Santa Monica, California at the age of eight, where he would eventually join the music program at Crossroads High School, building a close-knit network of musicians and visual artists.[3] Upon graduation, Simon-Seay attended University of California, Riverside on a NCAA Division I golf scholarship before moving into music creation.[4][5] Simon-Seay, alongside Daniel Memmi and Solomon "Sol Was" Cole, friends he made through his Crossroads High School music program, joined forces as a production/songwriting team, subsequently co-creating Renaissance standout "Virgo's Groove".[6]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
- Low Tide (2019) (Interscope Records) [7]
- HIGHTIDE (2020) (Interscope Records) [8][9]
- Let It Rain EP (2022) [10]
Songwriting and production credits
[edit]Credits are courtesy of Discogs, Tidal, Apple Music, and AllMusic.
Title | Year | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Another World" | 2016 | NCT 127 | NCT 127 |
"They Never Know" | Exo | Ex'Act | |
"The 7th Sense" | NCT U | NCT 2018 Empathy | |
"Twenty Four" | Exo | For Life (EP) | |
"Starlight" (featuring Dean) | Taeyeon | Why | |
"Drip Drop | Taemin | Press It | |
"All I Have (Intro)" | 2017 | Snoh Aalegra | Feels |
"Time" | |||
"Do Not Disturb"[11] | Drake | More Life | |
"Rookie" | Red Velvet | Rookie | |
"Let My Baby Stay (Cover)" [12] | Amandla Stenberg | Everything, Everything Film Soundtrack | |
"Heart Stop" (featuring Seulgi) | Taemin | Move | |
"Tempo" | 2018 | Exo | Don't Mess Up My Tempo[13] |
"Countess" | Shinee | The Story of Light | |
"HMU For A Good Time"[14] | 2021 | Tinashe | 333 (Deluxe) |
"Tragic" [15] | Jazmine Sullivan | Heaux Tales, Mo Tales: The Deluxe | |
"Alien Superstar" | 2022 | Beyoncé | Renaissance |
"Plastic Off the Sofa" | |||
"Virgo's Groove" | |||
"Summer Renaissance"[16] | |||
"Shiesty" | Kyle | It's Not So Bad | |
"Hazel Theme" | 2023 | Skrillex | Quest for Fire |
"Still Here (With the Ones That I Came With)" (With Porter Robinson and Bibi Bourelly) | |||
"Bodyguard" | 2024 | Beyoncé | Cowboy Carter |
Guest appearances
[edit]Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Flex" [17] | 2017 | Playboi Carti | Playboi Carti |
"Wait On You" [18] | 2021 | Jay Worthy, Na-Kel Smith | Two4Two |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Year | Ceremony | Award | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 65th Annual Grammy Awards | Album of the Year (Renaissance) | Nominated | [19] |
Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album (Renaissance) A | Won |
Notes
[edit]- A. A Winning producers in this category with less than a 50% album contribution are awarded with a Winner's Certificate.
References
[edit]- ^ "Neo-Soul 2020: 23 Contemporary Artists Pushing the Sound Forward - Okayplayer". www.okayplayer.com. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ "Leven Kali is Making Soul Music for a New Generation of Listeners". June 15, 2022. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ a b "Leven Kali's Guide to Life". Office Magazine. October 31, 2017. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "Leven Kali on His Colorful Career & 'Hi Tide' His Upcoming Project [Premiere + Interview]". Okayplayer. January 23, 2020. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Leven Kali Went from Master Golfer to Musician". April 30, 2020. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Garcia, Thania (August 17, 2022). "Fine-Tuning Beyoncé's "Virgo's Groove": How Three High-School Friends Ended Up Producing a Song on 'Renaissance'". Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Leven Kali Delivers Dynamite Soul in Droves on His Debut Album 'Low Tide' | Album Review". Albumism. May 29, 2019. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "Leven Kali / An Absorption Of The Moon". www.flaunt.com.
- ^ "Leven Kali Went From Master Golfer to Musician". Teen Vogue. April 30, 2020. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Samuels, Keithan (October 28, 2022). "Leven Kali on New EP 'Let It Rain': Interview". Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "Here Are The Full Credits For More Life". The FADER. March 18, 2017. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Amandla Stenberg Makes Their Music Video Debut". May 11, 2017. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ "EXO's 'Love Shot' Album: The Producers & Songwriters Break Down Every Song". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ Folk, Antwane (March 3, 2022). "Tinashe Releases '333 (Deluxe)' Album". Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "JAZMINE SULLIVAN RELEASES BRAND NEW SONG "TRAGIC" – Sony Music Canada". Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ Lynch, Joe (July 29, 2022). "Beyonce's 'Renaissance' Songwriting Credits: Here's Who Wrote Each Song". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Meet Leven Kali, the Singer Featured on Playboi Carti's Debut Mixtape - XXL". April 19, 2017. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ "Wait On You by Jay Worthy". Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See the Complete Nominees List". Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2022.