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Alexandra Reid

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Alexandra Reid
Reid in January 2017
Born
Alexandra Reid Varley

Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • model
  • actress
Years active2004–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument
  • Vocals
Years active2011–present
Labels
Formerly of

Alexandra Reid Varley professionally known as Alex Reid, is an American singer and rapper. She is a former member of the South Korean girl group BP Rania, becoming the first African-American idol in the South Korean music industry.[1]

Early life

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Alexandra Reid Varley was born in Kansas City, Kansas.[citation needed] Relocating to Plano, Texas, as a child, she began working as a model in the Dallas fashion scene. Reid has Swedish, African American and Hungarian heritage.[2]

Career

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2011–14: Letters to My Ex

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Reid was introduced as one of the sixteen cast members of the third season of Discovery Kids' reality television children's program Endurance in 2004. She was partnered with Bjorn Leum and competed together as the Green Team, ultimately placing seventh overall in the competition. Shortly after, Reid's Myspace profile was discovered by L.A. Reid's assistant, thus prompting her to move to New York City and initiated preparation for her debut—ultimately signing a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings and a publishing contract with Sony Music. She then moved to Los Angeles, California, and was managed by Scooter Braun.[3][4][5][6] Reid released her debut single, "Body to Body," on November 7, 2011, with an accompanying lyric video.[7] The lyrics of the song were penned by herself, while the instrumental was produced by Dru Castro and Phil Margaziotis.[7][8] The song was performed live for the first time in conjunction with a rendition of "Do It Like a Dude" by Jessie J at the Kwanzaa Fest 2011 event held in Dallas, Texas.[9]

Reid released her debut extended play, Letters to My Ex, on August 31, 2012. Despite failing to chart, the extended play received positive reviews from online music blogs and forums.[10] Letters to My Ex produced two singles prior to its initial release—the first single, "Soldier", was released on August 3, 2012.[11] The song featured Traphik, who also contributed in the penmanship of the song.[11] The second single, "My Ex", was released on August 10, 2012.[12] During an interview with Chan Lo, reporting for the Chicks N Kicks online magazine, she revealed that production for her then-upcoming second extended play, Chik Muzik, has begun and deemed it a "'take it or leave it' type record; young, fresh, and bold—music that doesn't take itself too seriously."[13] The extended play was planned to be released in March 2013,[13] however it has remained unreleased since. Following a year-long hiatus, Reid released a stand-alone single, "Want Me Some U", on February 14, 2014.[14]

2015–17: Rania

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Main article: Rania

DR Music announced a comeback for Rania with six composing members following numerous line-up changes prior to the announcement on October 29, 2015. Reid was subsequently revealed as the third and final newest addition to the group on November 4, 2015. Her membership received approval from Korean netizens, with many complimenting her appearance;[15] on the other hand, the unveil resulted in a "heated debate between hardcore and casual fans of K-pop and hip-hop, points of contention between cultural appropriation, creative licenses, and proper representation."[4] Rania's third extended play, Demonstrate, was released on November 4, 2015, however its title track's music video did not feature Reid and instead displayed numerous shots of the other members throughout her verses. The situation was addressed by South Korean media, citing visa issues.[16] The music video was re-released on November 11, 2015, featuring numerous shots of Reid filtered in grayscale.[17] The song was performed live for the first time with the complete line-up on the November 14, 2015, broadcast of MBC's music television program Show! Music Core.

In 2016, DR Music launched a fundraiser to fund the debut of the sub-unit Hex—composed of Reid and the youngest member Hyeme—as well as Rania's then-upcoming fourth extended play, which was planned for an August 2016 release.[18] However, the fundraiser was terminated by Makestar following numerous failed attempts of communication between the two parties.[19] The termination followed the departure of the three remaining original members of Rania—Di, T-ae, and Xia—which resulted in the postponement of their then-upcoming extended play.[20] Reid was subsequently promoted to leader of the group.[21] Following a brief stint in the United States to finalize the production of Rania's next album, she performed at the W Concert event held in Seoul, South Korea on November 20, 2016.[22] DR Music announced that the group would be renamed BP Rania and ultimately released their fourth extended play, Start a Fire, on December 29, 2016.[23] "Make Me Ah" served as the second promotional single from the extended play.[24] DR Music announced Reid's absence from the remaining scheduled performances for the single on February 21, 2017, as a result of an acting opportunity.[25] She portrayed Britt in TV One's biographical film Bobbi Kristina, which premiered on October 8, 2017. Following a series of events which included a feud with BP Rania's choreographer,[26] DR Music announced Reid's departure from the group on August 19, 2017.[27]

2017–present: Standalone singles and upcoming memoir

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On December 9, 2017, Reid announced the upcoming release of "East West", which was initially intended for the Hex sub-unit, although a time frame was not provided.[28] The single was ultimately released on March 19, 2018.[29] "Gretchen Wieners" was released as a follow-up single on June 24, 2018.[30]

She is currently writing a memoir revolving around her experiences in the South Korean music industry.[31]

Filmography

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Television

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Title Year Role Notes
Endurance: Hawaii 2004 Contestant 7th place
Bobbi Kristina 2017 Britt Television film

Music videos

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Title Year Artist Director
"You Changed Me" 2015 Jamie Foxx ft. Chris Brown Director X

Discography

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See also: Rania discography

Extended plays

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List of extended plays
Title EP details
Letters to My Ex
  • Released: September 12, 2012
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: Digital download, online streaming
Track listing
  1. "My Ex"
  2. "Soldier" (featuring Traphik)
  3. "Hallelujah" (featuring Ben J of New Boyz)
  4. "Do It Like Me"
  5. "Good Girl"
  6. "Want Me Bad"

Singles

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List of singles as lead artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Body to Body" 2011 Non-album single
"Soldier"
(featuring Traphik) 		2012 Letters to My Ex
"My Ex"
"Want Me Some U" 2014 Non-album single
"Good Girl" Letters to My Ex
"Good Shh!" 2016 Non-album single
"East West" 2018
"Gretchen Wieners"

References

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  1. ^ "BP RaNia's Alex Reid reveals her struggles as an African-American K-pop star". SBS PopAsia. February 2, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Why Did Alex REALLY Leave Rania? The First Non-Asian KPOP Idol on YouTube
  3. ^ kwikimart. "Hay Omona! Come and get to know Alexandra Reid, RaNia's new member", LiveJournal, November 4, 2015. Retrieved on October 22, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Brutus, Wilkine. "ALEXANDRA REID TALKS AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN K-POP, HIP-HOP AND THE WORK ETHIC OF RANIA"[usurped], OogeeWoogee, November 27, 2015. Retrieved on October 22, 2016.
  5. ^ A1stCentral. "170209 BP Rania – BP 라니아 EBS FM Morning Special", YouTube, February 11, 2017. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  6. ^ StudzLife101. "Studology 101 Interviews Alex Reid! PLUS Bonus Footage!", YouTube, December 12, 2011. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Reid, Alex. "Body To Body (Lyrics)", YouTube, November 7, 2015. Retrieved on October 22, 2016.
  8. ^ Reid, Alex. "Alex Reid- "Body To Body" (In The Studio)", YouTube, August 10, 2012. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  9. ^ RaNia Nation. "RaNia Alex (알렉스) – Do It Like A Dude & Body To Body Pre Debut (2011)", YouTube, December 22, 2016. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  10. ^ Reid, Alex. "NEW MUSIC: @THEALEXREID – LETTERS TO MY EX EP", Bam VS Media, 2012. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Reid, Alex. "Soldier" Alex Reid ft. Traphik (prod. by J.R Rotem)", YouTube, August 3, 2012. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  12. ^ Reid, Alex. "My Ex -Alex Reid (Lyrics VIdeo).mov", YouTube, August 10, 2012. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Lo, Chan. "Alex Reid – Jordan SC-1" Archived August 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Chicks N Kicks, 2013. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  14. ^ REID, ALEX. "Want Me Some U", SoundCloud, 2014. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  15. ^ Netizen Buzz. "Rania declares comeback with their first black member", Netizen Buzz, November 3, 2015. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  16. ^ XSportsNews.com. "라니아, 美 흑인 래퍼 알렉산드라 합류 '화려한 이력'", XSportsNews.com, November 4, 2015. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  17. ^ alim17. "RaNia unveil "Demonstrate" MV including new member Alex", Allkpop, November 11, 2015. Retrieved on October 20, 2017.
  18. ^ IATFB. "RaNia are trying to crowdfund their album ... like THIS album", Asian Junkie, November 5, 2015. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  19. ^ IATFB. "Makestar is refunding the backers of RaNia's project, so they are literally cancelled", Asian Junkie, July 13, 2016. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  20. ^ IATFB. "Xia, Di, Ta-e leave Rania & DR Music, set to debut with new group Ela8te", Asian Junkie, May 27, 2016. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  21. ^ Reid, Alexandra. "Alexandra Reid on Twitter: "안녕하세요 저는 라니아 리더입니다", Twitter, August 14, 2016. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  22. ^ DR MUSIC RANIA. "2016.11.20 W Concert 라니아 알렉스", YouTube, November 21, 2016. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  23. ^ elliefilet. "RaNia "Start a Fire" in upcoming MV teaser as BP RaNia!", Allkpop, December 27, 2016. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  24. ^ elliefillet. "Watch VAV, Melody Day, and more on February 18th 'Show! Music Core'!", Allkpop, February 15, 2017. Retrieved on May 17, 2017.
  25. ^ Park, David. "BP RANIA's Alexandra To Take Temporary Hiatus From Promotions To Pursue Acting", Soompi, February 21, 2017. Retrieved on May 17, 2017.
  26. ^ Koreaboo. "The Full Story Behind Alex's Departure From BP Rania and DR Music", Koreaboo, August 23, 2017. Retrieved on October 20, 2017.
  27. ^ DR Music. "Alexandra Reid to be no longer a member of BP Rania", Facebook, August 19, 2017. Retrieved on September 17, 2017.
  28. ^ Reid, Alexandra. "Alexandra Reid on Twitter: "I'm putting out East West...", Twitter, December 9, 2017. Retrieved on January 26, 2018.
  29. ^ Reid, Alexandra. "Alexandra Reid on Twitter: "East West out now!...", Twitter, March 19, 2018. Retrieved on March 21, 2018.
  30. ^ Gretchen Wieners, retrieved September 8, 2019
  31. ^ 장동우 (July 7, 2020). "(Yonhap Interview) First Black K-pop singer Reid writing "against-all-odds" memoir on idol life". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
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