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Lu Kala
LU KALA performing in 2024
LU KALA performing in 2024
Background information
Birth nameLusamba Vanessa Kalala
Born (1995-07-21) July 21, 1995 (age 29)
Kinshasa, Zaire
OriginToronto, Canada
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
LabelsAWAL
Websiteigobylu.com

Lusamba Vanessa Kalala (born July 21, 1995), better known by her stage name Lu Kala (stylized as LU KALA), is a Congolese-Canadian singer. She is best known for her guest appearance on American rapper Latto's 2023 single "Lottery", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100.[1]

Career

[edit]

Kala emigrated to Canada at the age of three. She first grew up in the Regent Park neighbourhood and later lived in Ajax, Ontario.[2]

Kala began her career with songwriting, as she is credited as a writer on Jennifer Hudson's track "Dangerous" from her 2014 studio album JHUD.[3][4]

Kala performed at the Canadian Music Week in 2019[5] where she performed her debut single, "DCMO (Don't Count Me Out)".[6] She also won the grand prize at Royal Bank of Canada's Emerging Musician Program,[7] earning $10,000 worth of studio time among other prizes.[8]

In February 2023, Latto released "Lottery" which featured Kala, marking Kala's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100[9] and Billboard Canadian Hot 100.[10] On March 1, Latto and Kala performed the song at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music event.[11] In April, her 2022 single "Pretty Girl Era" entered the Billboard Canadian Hot 100,[12] marking her first solo entry on the chart. On September 24, 2023, Kala received the Emerging Artist Award at the Legacy Awards.[13] On December 10, she performed at TikTok's inaugural In the Mix festival in Mesa, Arizona.[14]

Kala was nominated for two Juno Awards in 2024,[15] and she performed at the opening night of the show.[16] In March, Kala received two No. 1 Song Awards from SOCAN for her singles "Hotter Now" and "Nothing but Love".[17] Following this, "Hotter Now" became her highest peaking song on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.[18] In April, it was revealed that Kala had written a song with Katy Perry.[19] On July 4, Kala won the inaugural Billboard Canada Women in Music Rising Star Award.[20] In the same month, her single "Who's Gonna" the entered Canadian Contemporary hit radio chart.[21] In September 2024, Kala released her single "Criminal" after performing it at the Billboard Canada Women in Music event.[22] In October 2024, Kala joined Cyndi Lauper as an opener for two dates on the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour. On November 21, 2024, Kala appeared as a guest judge on the season premiere of the fifth season of Canada's Drag Race.[23] Two days later, she announced her single "Cry Baby".[24]

Discography

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Extended plays

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Singles

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As lead artist

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List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
CAN
[26] 		CAN AC
[27] 		CAN CHR
[28] 		CAN HAC
[29] 		RUS
[30]
"DCMO (Don't Count Me Out)" 2018 — — — — — Worthy
"Body Knew" 2020 — — — — —
"Want You" — — — — —
"No Smoke" — — — — —
"Love Like" — — — — —
"Pretty Girl Era" 2022 49 6 9 23 — Non-album singles
"Hotter Now" 2023 40 4 7 8 13
"Nothing but Love" 2024 — — — — —
"Who's Gonna" — 49 10 30 —
"Criminal" — — — — —
"Cry Baby" — — — — —
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.
[edit]
List of singles showing year released, chart positions and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
CAN
[31] 		US
[32] 		US
R&B/HH
[33] 		US
Rap
[34] 		NZ
[35]
"Today"
(Polun featuring Lu Kala) 		2021 — — — — — Non-album singles
"Lottery"
(Latto featuring Lu Kala) 		2023 51 83 29 17 —[A]
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.

References

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  1. ^ "Lu Kala: Professional R&B songwriter takes the stage". SOCAN Words and Music. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Canadian Pop Sensation LU KALA to Headline FanFest ahead of 2024 CPL Final". Canadian Premier League. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  3. ^ jayemkayem. "LU Just Released Her Powerful Debut Single "DCMO"". Complex. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  4. ^ JHUD (Media notes). Jennifer Hudson. RCA Records. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Canadian Music, Week (8 August 2019). "LU KALA 'Don't Count Me Out'". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020 – via YouTube, owned by Google.
  6. ^ "LU KALA Is On The Rise, Watch Her Debut "DCMO (Don't Count Me Out)"". D'ARCC. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Canada's Walk of Fame". Canada's Walk of Fame. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  8. ^ Ruta, Mike (1 October 2018). "Ajax singer LU connects with 'Don't Count Me Out'". DurhamRegion.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Hot 100: Week of March 4, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Canadian Hot 100: Week of March 4, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Latto Promises She's 'Kickin' Down the Door' for Female Rappers at 2023 Women In Music". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Canadian Hot 100: Week of April 1, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Jully Black, Lu Kala among recipients of 2023 Legacy Awards celebrating Black excellence". CBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta & Charlie Puth to Perform at TikTok in the Mix Event". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  15. ^ Trapunski, Richard (6 February 2024). "Tate McRae, Daniel Caesar, Charlotte Cardin & More Nominated for 2024 Juno Awards: See the Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Begonia, Lu Kala, Jah'Mila and more to perform at the 2024 Juno Opening Night Awards". CBC. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Music News Digest: LU KALA, Allison Russell and Josh Ross Earn SOCAN No. 1 Song Awards | Billboard Canada". ca.billboard.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  18. ^ tolsen (2 January 2013). "Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  19. ^ Kaufman, Gil (24 April 2024). "Katy Perry Teases Upcoming Single, Which She Predicts Will Be One of Her 'Biggest Songs' Ever". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  20. ^ "LU KALA Wins Billboard Canada Women In Music Rising Star Award | Billboard Canada". ca.billboard.com. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  21. ^ devops (6 March 2013). "Canada CHR/Top 40". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  22. ^ Trapunski, Rosie Long Decter,Richard (8 September 2024). "Best Moments at the Billboard Canada Women in Music 2024 Celebration". Billboard. Retrieved 8 September 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Orville Peck & Shea Couleé to judge Canada's Drag Race S5". www.out.com. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  24. ^ "Lu Kala Says She's Not Pregnant 1 Day After Fake Announcement, Reveals It Was Promo for Her New Song". People.com. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  25. ^ Ju, Shirley. "Lu Kala / Reminding You You're 'Worthy' & The Importance Of Mental Health". Flaunt. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  26. ^ Peaks in Canada:
  27. ^ Peaks in Canada:
  28. ^ Peaks in Canada:
  29. ^ Peaks in Canada:
  30. ^ Peaks in Russia:
  31. ^ "Latto Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  32. ^ "Latto Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  33. ^ "Latto Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  34. ^ "Latto Chart History: Hot Rap Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  35. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  36. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.

Notes

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  1. ^ "Lottery" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 32 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[36]
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