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Lu Kala sitting in front of a chair with a warm background

Credit: Unknown photographer - Image Credit Form

Genre: Pop, R&B, Dance

Period: 2018-present

Region: Toronto, Ontario

Lu Kala

Taking the pop genre by storm, Lu Kala is a force as vibrant as her signature orange hair. At the age of three, she immigrated to Canada from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Ajax (a suburb of Toronto) via Regent Park, Toronto. Never conforming to the “Black Girl R&B” archetype, she holsters body positivity and freedom of expression as her tools to empower audiences. She now has millions of streams on Spotify, is massively viewed/listened to on TikTok, and has already garnered critical acclaim at the budding of her career.

Kala’s debut track “DCMO” (Don’t Count Me Out) debuted in 2018, however the artist had been hard at work for years before, perfecting her sound. Her debut album Worthy, was released in 2020 and addresses her own personal struggles intermixed with life lessons, tales of love and identity. Her ability to meld together dance, pop, R&B, and rock genres have allowed her to create catchy tunes that also hold depth and are instrospective. While shaping her craft, her team tasked her with writing a song everyday for a year, making her an expert storyteller. The year 2023 brought latest album Pretty Girl Pack, housing breakout track “Pretty Girl Era” which is now a self-empowerment anthem and has gone viral on TikTok. She was also featured on Latto’s “Lottery”, which held a spot on Billboards Hot 100 and has been streamed more than 40 million times on Spotify.

Her vivacious presence has led her to performing at iHeartRadio FanFest, Manifesto, and RBC Bluesfest. She has graced the stage at Girl Talk 2019, Canada’s Walk of Fame 20th Anniversary Gala, the Kali and Jorja Tour pre-show, and the Basement Series: BET Weekend Kickoff. In 2024 she was awarded with the SOCAN Her Music Awards Grand Prize, alongside legendary Canadian vocalist, Shakura S’Aida, and is currently nominated for the 2024 Juno Awards for Single of the Year and Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

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