Kandi Burruss facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kandi Burruss
Kandi Burruss in 2023
Born	(1976-05-17) May 17, 1976 (age 49) College Park, Georgia, U.S.
Other names	Kandi • Kandi Burruss-Tucker
Occupation	Singer songwriter actress television personality
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Todd Tucker ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	3
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop hip hop soul
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Sony UpFront BME Asylum

Kandi Burruss (born May 17, 1976), known professionally as Kandi, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. She first became famous in 1992 as a member of the popular R&B girl group Xscape. As a songwriter, she helped write hit songs like "Bills, Bills, Bills" for Destiny's Child, "There You Go" for Pink, and "Shape of You" for Ed Sheeran. In 2000, she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for her work on the TLC hit song "No Scrubs".

Kandi's own song "Don't Think I'm Not" and her appearances on other songs reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She also starred on the Bravo reality TV show The Real Housewives of Atlanta for many seasons. This made her one of the longest-serving cast members in The Real Housewives series. Kandi has appeared in several Real Housewives spin-off shows, including The Kandi Factory (2012) and Kandi's Wedding (2014).

Kandi Burruss also had a role as Roselyn Perry in the TV drama series The Chi. She won the third season of the competition show The Masked Singer, becoming the first female winner. She also placed fifth on the second season of Celebrity Big Brother. In 2023, her work as a producer for the Broadway play The Piano Lesson earned her a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Early Life and Beginnings

Kandi Burruss was born on May 17, 1976, in College Park, Georgia. Her parents are Reverend Titus Burruss Jr. and Joyce Jones. She had an older brother, Patrick Riley, who passed away in 1991. Kandi went to Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia, and graduated in 1994. She first appeared on the BET TV show Teen Summit when she was 15 years old.

Music Career

Xscape: The Group's Journey

Before joining Xscape, LaTocha Scott was singing in a group called Precise. While attending Tri-Cities performing arts high school, LaTocha's sister Tamika met Kandi Burruss. The three started singing together and soon added Tamera Coggins, though she was with the group for a short time. Later, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle joined, and Xscape was officially formed.

After their first big performance on BET's Teen Summit in 1992, the group met record executive Ian Burke, who became their manager. Xscape then caught the attention of Jermaine Dupri, who signed them to his record label, So So Def Recordings.

On October 12, 1993, Xscape released their first album, Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha. The album was very successful, reaching number seventeen on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. It sold over a million copies and had two top ten hit songs. After this success, Xscape released their second album, Off the Hook, in 1995, which also sold over a million copies.

Their third and final album, Traces of My Lipstick, was released in 1998. It sold more than a million copies in the U.S. After this album, the group took a break. In 2017, the group reunited for a four-episode TV show called Xscape: Still Kickin' It, which aired on BravoTV.

Kandi's Solo Music and Songwriting

After Xscape took a break, Kandi Burruss focused on writing and producing music. In 1999, Kandi, along with Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, co-wrote three major hit songs. These included "No Scrubs" for TLC, "Bills, Bills, Bills" for Destiny's Child, and "There You Go", which was Pink's first single. "No Scrubs" was also co-written by Kandi's former groupmate Tameka "Tiny" Cottle.

In 2000, Kandi released her first solo album, Hey Kandi.... The song "Don't Think I'm Not" from this album reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2000, Kandi won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers's Songwriter of the Year award in the Rhythm & Soul category. She was the first African-American woman to win this award.

Kandi also helped write and produce the 2009 song "Tardy for the Party" for her Real Housewives of Atlanta co-star Kim Zolciak. After a break from music, Kandi released her first EP, Fly Above EP, in 2009. Her second album, Kandi Koated, was released in December 2010. Kandi also formed a music duo called Peach Candy with rapper Rasheeda.

In 2017, the song "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran became a huge hit. Because its rhythm sounded similar to "No Scrubs," Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle, and Kevin Briggs were given co-writing credits for "Shape of You."

Television Appearances

Starring on Reality TV

Kandi Burruss joined The Real Housewives of Atlanta in its second season, which started in July 2009. She appeared in every season of the show until 2023, making her the longest-serving cast member of the series. She is tied with other cast members from the Real Housewives franchise for having the most full-time seasons.

When Kandi first joined the show, she was engaged to A.J. Jewell and wanted to restart her music career. She became friends with Kim Zolciak and helped her record her song "Tardy for the Party". Kandi later became friends with castmates Phaedra Parks and Porsha Williams. In February 2024, Kandi announced that she had left the series.

Kandi also had her own spin-off shows from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. The first was The Kandi Factory in 2012, where she helped new artists launch their music careers. Then, Kandi and her husband, Todd Tucker, had a spin-off series called Kandi's Wedding in 2014, which showed them getting married. This show had very high ratings. Her third spin-off, Kandi's Ski Trip, aired in 2015.

Other TV Roles and Competitions

Kandi Burruss was a contestant on the second season of Celebrity Big Brother. She finished in fifth place and was a favorite among fans. She also appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race in 2019.

In 2020, Kandi competed on the third season of The Masked Singer as "Night Angel." She had been asked to join the first season but couldn't. After seeing other performers, she decided to compete. Kandi won her season, becoming the show's first female winner. In 2022, Kandi began starring in Bravo's Kandi & The Gang.

Other Projects

Kandi Burruss has made guest appearances on TV shows like Single Ladies and Let's Stay Together. Kandi also owns a company called Bedroom Kandi. She and four friends started Kandi Koated Nights, a web series about relationships, which later became a TV show in 2018. In 2023, Kandi starred in the holiday film, Whatever It Takes.

In 2025, Kandi and her husband Todd Tucker became part of the production team for the Broadway play Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal. This play became the top-grossing play in Broadway history.

Personal Life

Kandi Burruss has a daughter born in 2002 with her ex-boyfriend, Russell "Block" Spencer. In late 2008, Kandi started a relationship with Ashley "A.J." Jewell, and they got engaged in January 2009. They ended their engagement in August of that year but remained friends.

On January 15, 2013, Kandi announced that she was engaged to Todd Tucker. Todd was a producer for The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and they had been dating since 2011. Kandi and Todd were married on April 4, 2014. In July 2015, Kandi announced she was expecting a baby. She and Todd welcomed a son in 2016. They had a second child, a daughter, through a surrogate in 2019. The family lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Discography

Studio albums

• Hey Kandi... (2000)
• Can't Rain Forever (2006) (Not released)
• Kandi Koated (2010)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Recognitions