KeiyaA

Born Chakeiya Camille Richmond and raised in Chicago’s South Side, KeiyaA first trained in singing and later in alto saxophone, with a background in jazz before moving toward a more personal songwriting approach. Initially active on the Chicago scene as a musician alongside artists such as Noname and Vic Mensa, she went on to develop a solo project at the crossroads of neo-soul, alternative R&B and often misty electronic textures, blending melodic sensibility, understated spoken word and very intimate production. A first EP, Work, was released in 2015 under the name Keiya, before she relocated to New York and adopted the name KeiyaA. Her debut album, Forever, Ya Girl, released in 2020, established the contours of her world: fragmented songs, soul harmonies, supple rhythms and an introspective approach nourished as much by jazz as by post-punk and alternative references. In 2021 KeiyaA performed a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert that helped broaden her audience. She later released Hooke’s Law in 2025, continuing this work between singing, composing and producing, in a format that remains connected to the experimental, independent R&B scenes between Chicago and Brooklyn.