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Alexandra Reid

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Alexandra Reid
Reid photographed at BP Rania's mini fan meeting event held in front of the SBS Prism Tower in January 2017.
Born
Alexandra Reid Varley

(1989-03-05) March 5, 1989 (age 35)
Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • model
  • actress
Years active2004–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument
Years active2011–present
Labels

Alexandra Reid Varley (born March 5, 1989), professionally known as Alex Reid, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and model. 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

Alexandra Reid was born on March 5, 1989 in Kansas City, Kansas.[2] Relocating to Plano, Texas as a child, she began working as a highly in demand print model in the Dallas fashion scene. Reid has Swedish, African American and Hungarian heritage.[3]

Career

2011–14: Letters to My Ex

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, New York 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.[4][5][6][7] Reid ultimately released her debut single, "Body to Body," on November 7, 2011 with an accompanying lyric video.[8] The lyrics of the song were penned by herself, while the instrumental was produced by Dru Castro and Phil Margaziotis.[8][9] 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.[10]

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.[11] Letters to My Ex produced two singles prior to its initial release—the first advanced single, "Soldier", was released on August 3, 2012.[12] The song featured Traphik, who also contributed in the penmanship of the song.[12] The second advanced single, "My Ex", was released on August 10, 2012.[13] In the midst of 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 initiated and deemed it a "'take it or leave it' type record; young, fresh, and bold—music that doesn't take itself too seriously."[14] The extended play was planned to be released in March 2013,[14] although it remained unreleased since. Following a hiatus spanning a year, Reid released a stand-alone single, "Want Me Some U", on February 14, 2014.[15]

2015–17: BP Rania

Main article: BP 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 unveiled as the third and final—following Seulji and Hyemi's unveil on November 3, 2015—newest addition to the line-up on November 4, 2015. The unveil received approval from Korean netizens, with many complimenting her appearance;[16] 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."[5] Their third extended play, Demonstrate, was released on November 4, 2015, although the accompanying 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 mainly visa issues as the problem behind her absence in the video.[17] The music video was re-released on November 11, 2015, featuring numerous shots of Reid filtered in grayscale.[18] 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 in order 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.[19] However, the fundraiser was terminated by Makestar following numerous failed attempts of communication between the two parties.[20] The termination followed the departure of the three remaining original members of Rania—Di, T-ae, and Xia—forcing the release date of their then-upcoming extended play to be pushed.[21] Reid then revealed her promotion as the leader of the group.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24] "Make Me Ah" served as the second promotional single from the extended play.[25] DR Music announced Reid's absence from the remaining scheduled performances for the single on February 21, 2017, citing an acting opportunity from an unspecified production team behind it.[26] Following a series of events including a feud with BP Rania's choreographer,[27] DR Music announced her departure from the group on August 19, 2017.[28]

2017–present: Standalone singles and upcoming memoir

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.[29] The single was ultimately released on March 19, 2018.[30] "Gretchen Wieners" was released as a follow-up single on June 24, 2018.[31]

She is currently writing a memoir revolving around her experiences in the South Korean music industry.[32]

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Reid's favorite genre is Celtic.[33] She is fond of listening to the rapper Eminem, musician Alanis Morissette, girl group Spice Girls and singer Britney Spears.[34]

Filmography

Television

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

Music videos

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

Discography

See also: Rania discography

Extended plays

List of extended plays
Title EP details
Letters to My Ex
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

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

  1. ^ "BP RaNia's Alex Reid reveals her struggles as an African-American K-pop star". SBS PopAsia. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  2. ^ Varley, Alan. "Alan Varley, Fort Pierce, FL Florida currently in Dallas, TX USA", danmccarty70, September 12, 2011. Retrieved on January 12, 2017.
  3. ^ Why Did Alex REALLY Leave Rania? The First Non-Asian KPOP Idol on YouTube
  4. ^ kwikimart. "Hay Omona! Come and get to know Alexandra Reid, RaNia's new member", LiveJournal, November 4, 2015. Retrieved on October 22, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Brutus, Wilkine. "ALEXANDRA REID TALKS AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN K-POP, HIP-HOP AND THE WORK ETHIC OF RANIA" Archived October 22, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, OogeeWoogee, November 27, 2015. Retrieved on October 22, 2016.
  6. ^ A1stCentral. "170209 BP Rania - BP 라니아 EBS FM Morning Special", YouTube, February 11, 2017. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  7. ^ StudzLife101. "Studology 101 Interviews Alex Reid! PLUS Bonus Footage!", YouTube, December 12, 2011. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Reid, Alex. "Body To Body (Lyrics)", YouTube, November 7, 2015. Retrieved on October 22, 2016.
  9. ^ Reid, Alex. "Alex Reid- "Body To Body" (In The Studio)", YouTube, August 10, 2012. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  10. ^ RaNia Nation. "RaNia Alex (알렉스) - Do It Like A Dude & Body To Body [Live] Pre Debut (2011)", YouTube, December 22, 2016. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  11. ^ Reid, Alex. "NEW MUSIC: @THEALEXREID - LETTERS TO MY EX EP", Bam VS Media, 2012. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Reid, Alex. "Soldier" Alex Reid ft. Traphik (prod. by J.R Rotem)", YouTube, August 3, 2012. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  13. ^ Reid, Alex. "My Ex -Alex Reid (Lyrics VIdeo).mov", YouTube, August 10, 2012. Retrieved on February 11, 2017.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ REID, ALEX. "Want Me Some U", SoundCloud, 2014. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  16. ^ Netizen Buzz. "Rania declares comeback with their first black member", Netizen Buzz, November 3, 2015. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  17. ^ XSportsNews.com. "라니아, 美 흑인 래퍼 알렉산드라 합류 '화려한 이력'", XSportsNews.com, November 4, 2015. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  18. ^ alim17. "RaNia unveil 'Demonstrate' MV including new member Alex", Allkpop, November 11, 2015. Retrieved on October 20, 2017.
  19. ^ IATFB. "RaNia are trying to crowdfund their album … like THIS album", Asian Junkie, November 5, 2015. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Reid, Alexandra. "Alexandra Reid on Twitter: "안녕하세요 저는 라니아 리더입니다", Twitter, August 14, 2016. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  23. ^ DR MUSIC RANIA. "2016.11.20 W Concert 라니아 알렉스", YouTube, November 21, 2016. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  24. ^ elliefilet. "RaNia 'Start a Fire' in upcoming MV teaser as BP RaNia!", Allkpop, December 27, 2016. Retrieved on February 12, 2017.
  25. ^ elliefillet. "Watch VAV, Melody Day, and more on February 18th 'Show! Music Core'!", Allkpop, February 15, 2017. Retrieved on May 17, 2017.
  26. ^ Park, David. "BP RANIA’s Alexandra To Take Temporary Hiatus From Promotions To Pursue Acting", Soompi, February 21, 2017. Retrieved on May 17, 2017.
  27. ^ Koreaboo. "The Full Story Behind Alex’s Departure From BP Rania and DR Music", Koreaboo, August 23, 2017. Retrieved on October 20, 2017.
  28. ^ DR Music. "Alexandra Reid to be no longer a member of BP Rania", Facebook, August 19, 2017. Retrieved on September 17, 2017.
  29. ^ Reid, Alexandra. "Alexandra Reid on Twitter: "I’m putting out East West...", Twitter, December 9, 2017. Retrieved on January 26, 2018.
  30. ^ Reid, Alexandra. "Alexandra Reid on Twitter: "East West out now!...", Twitter, March 19, 2018. Retrieved on March 21, 2018.
  31. ^ Gretchen Wieners, retrieved September 8, 2019
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ Lechuza, Frösty (September 3, 2016). "frösty lechuza on Twitter "I CAN'T BELIEVE I GUESSED @thealexreid FAVORITE GENERE OF MUSIC!!! CELTIC"". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  34. ^ Reid, Alex. "Alex Reid - About". Facebook. Facebook. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
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