Everything we know about K’yanna Barber, a.k.a. Kiki from Drake’s “In My Feelings”
When Drake released “In My Feelings” in June, the internet went ballistic over the track’s opening line: “Kiki, do you love me?" Ever since, conspiracy theorists have been abuzz trying to identify Drizzy’s possible paramour. Kesha Chanté, the Canadian singer who was apparently his first girlfriend, was a suspect. Kim Kardashian was also in the running (but Kanye was pretty quick to dispel those rumours).
A few months later, we’ve finally solved the biggest musical mystery since “Who Bit Beyoncé?" K’yanna Barber, a 24-year-old Oakland-based dancer, spilled the tea about being Kiki during an interview with Power 106 radio last week.
Here’s everything we know about who she is, how she knows Drake and, yes, whether she loves him.
They met (and maybe dated) a while back In the Power 106 interview, Barber revealed that she met Drake a few years back while working as a backup dancer for Oakland rapper Kamaiyah. She was pretty tight-lipped about the exact nature of their relationship, but according to various web sleuths, the two definitely spent some time together over the summer. At one point, Drake apparently even unfollowed and then re-followed her on Instagram, which is basically the same as flirting, right?
She didn’t know about the song in advance Barber was at home with her four-year-old son, her mom and other family members when she first heard the track. “We were just listening to the album like everybody else,” she explained. “You know, it’s Drake. He drops new music, you listen to it. And then eventually we got to ‘In My Feelings’ and my son was like, ‘Mama, did he just say your name?’” At first, she wasn’t sure (“Kiki” could be subject to interpretation, after all). But when she heard the line that references her initials, she figured it wasn’t a coincidence.
She’s dropping her own album Growing up in the Oakland hip hop scene, music was always a pretty big part of Barber’s life. Riding the high of her newfound celebrity status, she’s decided to give songwriting a go. She’s in the middle of recording new music and it’s still unclear who she’s working with, but it doesn’t appear to be OVO (uh-oh). She also runs a streetwear line for women, inspired by the lack of female-friendly selection from brands like Supreme.
Boo or no boo, she’s got his back When a Twitter user threw shade at Drake about his son, Barber (whose Twitter bio is “da only Kiki”) was not having it.
Drake met her mom And they all had a grand time.
Does she love Drake? Short answer: Yes. “I care about, love and respect him,” she says about the artist also known as Champagne Papi. Not exactly a declaration of undying devotion, but clearly they are still pretty close.
