Kalenna Harper is someone who has taken on a number of roles in the entertainment industries. For instance, she is both a singer and a songwriter, as shown by her own releases as well as her team-ups with a number of famous names. Moreover, Harper is a TV personality of some note as well. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Kalenna Harper:
1. Tends to Go By a Mononym
Harper’s full name is Kalenna Lashante Harper-Vick. However, she tends to go by a mononym most of the time, which would be Kalenna. This is a practice with a long, proud history behind it. After all, creative figures from the western cultural sphere have been using mononyms to distinguish themselves since the 17th century, with excellent examples ranging from the French philosopher François-Marie Arouet who wrote under the name Voltaire to the British short story writer Hector Hugh Munro who wrote under the name Saki.
2. Born in Philadelphia, PA
For starters, Harper was born in Philadelphia, PA, which is one of the most famous cities in the United States for not one but a number of reasons. For example, it has been prominent since before the American Revolution, meaning that it has played an important part in American history. Likewise, it is an economic hub as well as an educational center, not least because of the schools that call it home. With that said, Harper didn’t grow up in Philadelphia because her family moved when she was still at the age of three.
3. Her Mother Is a Gospel Singer
Harper’s mother is Donna Harper, who happens to be a gospel singer. Due to this, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that Harper has a strong musical background. In fact, it is worth mentioning that she started receiving vocal training when she was still at the age of nine.
4. Her Father Is an Emcee
Meanwhile, Harper’s father is Randy Howard. Technically, Howard is Harper’s stepfather, but she sees him as her biological father. In any case, Harper’s father has had a strong influence on her music as well, which makes sense because he is an emcee in addition to being a serviceman. As such, it is no exaggeration to say that Harper’s musical background comes from both her mother and her father.
5. Wide Range of Musical Interests
By the time that Harper was a teenager, it was clear that she had managed to pick up a wide range of musical interests. For example, she had become a cello player. Likewise, she was singing in a choir, which was in addition to her singing in not one but two girl groups. On the whole, it seems safe to say that these experiences helped prepare Harper for her current career in the entertainment industries.
6. Got a Track Scholarship
Besides her musical interests, Harper took up physical pursuits as well. In fact, she managed to get a full scholarship to FAMU, which presumably refers to Florida A&M University, because of her track performance. However, Harper was like a lot of people with athletic promise who went on to focus on something else in that she suffered a serious injury to the ligament of her right knee. Due to this, Harper made the choice to focus on music, thus leading to her career in the present time.
7. Has Worked with a Number of Famous Names
As a singer-songwriter, Harper has worked with a number of very well-known names. For example, she was one of the songwriters who contributed to “Put You Up On Game,” which was a duet performed by Aretha Franklin and Fantasia. Likewise, other names range from Ciara to Christina Aguilera.
8. Has Worked with Charlotte Church
Speaking of which, it is amusing to note that Harper has worked with Charlotte Church as well. For those who are unfamiliar with that name, Church started out as a classical singer who sang in English as well as four other languages, who proved to be so successful that she managed to become the youngest person to get a number one album on the British classical crossover charts. Later on, as Church got older, she made a successful transition to singing pop. Nowadays, Church is a TV presenter as well as a political activist, having become very outspoken about her political opinions following the News International phone hacking scandal that included her as one of the victims. Considering that Church is concerned about the environment as well as remaining in the European Union, it suffice to say that she has had a lot of things to be politically active about in recent times.
9. Worked with Lady Gaga in 2008
On a related note, Harper collaborated with Lady Gaga on songwriting in 2008. In total, their team-up is known to have produced four songs, which aren’t meant for any particular individual. Out of the four songs, one of them has managed to make it into one of Trina’s albums. Meanwhile, the other three have remained unreleased, though it is interesting to note that one of them called “Kaboom” featuring both Harper and Lady Gaga on vocals was leaked out.
10. Very Involved in TV
On top of her musical career, Harper is very involved in TV as well. This can be seen in how she was a member of the supporting cast for Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, though that has since come to a conclusion. Moreover, Harper has been involved in writing for a surprising number of shows as well as a surprising range of shows. Her involvement in many of these shows seems to have been uncredited, but her involvement in others have received mention. Examples range from scripted shows such as Lethal Weapon and Superstore to the talk shows of individuals such as James Corden, Ellen DeGeneres, and Stephen Colbert.
Follow Us
