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Alexandra Reid facts for kids

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Alexandra Reid
Alex Reid at a fanmeeting in January 2017.jpg
Reid in January 2017
Born
Alexandra Reid Varley

Occupation
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • model
  • actress
Years active 2004–present
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
Years active 2011–present
Labels

Alexandra Reid Varley, known as Alex Reid, is an American singer and rapper. She used to be part of the South Korean girl group BP Rania. She was the first African-American idol in the K-pop world.

Early Life

Alex Reid was born in Kansas City, Kansas. When she was a child, her family moved to Plano, Texas. There, she started working as a model. Alex has a mix of Swedish, African American, and Hungarian family background.

Career

Starting Out: Letters to My Ex (2011–2014)

In 2004, Alex was on a TV show for kids called Endurance on Discovery Kids. She was one of 16 contestants. Alex and her partner, Bjorn Leum, were the Green Team. They finished in seventh place.

Later, a helper for music executive L.A. Reid found Alex's online profile. This led her to move to New York City. She signed a music deal with Def Jam Recordings. She also signed a publishing deal with Sony Music.

Alex then moved to Los Angeles, California. She released her first song, "Body to Body," on November 7, 2011. She also put out a lyric video for the song. Alex wrote the words for "Body to Body" herself. She performed it live for the first time at Kwanzaa Fest 2011 in Dallas, Texas.

Alex released her first collection of songs, called an extended play (EP), Letters to My Ex, on August 31, 2012. Even though it didn't appear on music charts, many online music blogs liked it. Two songs from the EP came out before the full release. "Soldier" was released on August 3, 2012. It featured another artist named Traphik. "My Ex" was released on August 10, 2012.

Alex planned to release another EP called Chik Muzik in March 2013. She described it as "young, fresh, and bold" music. However, this EP was never released. After a break, Alex released a single song, "Want Me Some U," on February 14, 2014.

Joining Rania (2015–2017)

In 2015, the music company DR Music announced that the K-pop group Rania would return. Alex was revealed as a new member on November 4, 2015. This made her the first African-American idol in a K-pop group. Many Korean fans liked her joining the group.

Rania's EP, Demonstrate, came out on November 4, 2015. But the music video for the main song didn't show Alex. This was because of problems with her visa. The music video was re-released a week later, showing Alex in black and white. The group performed the song live with Alex for the first time on November 14, 2015.

In 2016, DR Music tried to raise money for a new sub-unit called Hex. This group would have Alex and Hyeme. They also planned a new Rania EP. But the fundraising was stopped. This happened after three original members left Rania. Alex then became the leader of the group.

Rania was renamed BP Rania. They released their EP, Start a Fire, on December 29, 2016. "Make Me Ah" was another song promoted from the EP. Alex was not able to perform for this song later on. This was because she got a chance to act. She played Britt in the TV movie Bobbi Kristina, which came out on October 8, 2017.

On August 19, 2017, DR Music announced that Alex was leaving BP Rania.

New Music and a Book (2017–Present)

On December 9, 2017, Alex announced a new song called "East West." This song was first planned for the Hex sub-unit. It was released on March 19, 2018. Another song, "Gretchen Wieners," followed on June 24, 2018.

Alex is now writing a book about her experiences in the South Korean music industry.

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

Extended Plays

List of extended plays
Title EP details
Letters to My Ex
  • Released: September 12, 2012
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: Digital download, online streaming

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"

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