Princess Nokia facts for kids

Destiny Nicole Frasqueri (born June 14, 1992), who is known by her stage name Princess Nokia, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first became known for her debut album, Metallic Butterfly, in 2014.

Princess Nokia gained more fame with her 2017 album 1992 Deluxe. She has released several other projects, including a mixtape called A Girl Cried Red in 2018. In 2020, she released two albums at the same time, Everything Sucks and Everything Is Beautiful.

Early Life

Frasqueri is of Afro-Indigenous and Puerto Rican heritage. She grew up in New York City. When she was two years old, her mother passed away from a serious illness.

From age nine to sixteen, she was in foster care, which was a difficult time for her. After leaving foster care, she moved in with her grandmother. This was when she began to write her own rhymes and create music. She lived in neighborhoods like East Harlem and the Lower East Side.

Music Career

How It All Started (2010–2018)

In 2010, Frasqueri began her music career by releasing her first song, "Destiny," on SoundCloud. At the time, she used the stage name Wavy Spice. She released a few more songs, including "YAYA," which was about her Taíno family history.

Later, she changed her stage name to Princess Nokia. She said this name was an alter ego, or a different side of her personality. The name was inspired by the Nokia phone she received through a government program for low-income families.

In 2014, she released her first full album, Metallic Butterfly. In 2017, her album 1992 Deluxe became very popular. It even made it to number 25 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. The magazine NME named it one of the best albums of 2017.

In 2018, Princess Nokia started her own radio show on Apple's Beats 1 Radio. In the same year, she also released a remastered version of Metallic Butterfly with new bonus songs.

Recent Work (2019–Present)

In 2019, Princess Nokia tried acting for the first time in the movie Angelfish. She also released the song "Sugar Honey Iced Tea (...)".

In February 2020, she released two albums on the same day: Everything Sucks and Everything Is Beautiful. Music critics at Pitchfork said that Everything Sucks was full of energy and angst, while Everything Is Beautiful was warmer and more thoughtful.

In 2021, she released the single "It's Not My Fault" with a major record label, Arista Records. In 2022, she did voice acting for the character LaBrea in the animated show The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

Musical Style and Influences

Princess Nokia's music is known for being experimental. She mixes different genres like rap, soul, rock, and house.

She has said that her musical influences include rappers like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah, the girl group TLC, and the singer Shakira. She is also inspired by nu metal bands like Korn and Slipknot. The punk and rave music scenes in New York City have also influenced her performances.

Personal Life

Frasqueri is a supporter of feminism, which is the belief in equality for all people. She started a podcast called the Smart Girl Club to talk about feminism and healthy living.

She is also a spiritual person and practices Santería, a religion with roots in Africa and the Caribbean. She has said that her spiritual beliefs often inspire her music. Frasqueri is comfortable being referred to with both "she/her" and "they/them" pronouns.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Mixtapes

• Honeysuckle (2015, as Destiny)
• 1992 (2016)
• A Girl Cried Red (2018)

Singles

As lead artist

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Princess Nokia para niños

• LGBT culture in New York City
• List of LGBT people from New York City
• NYC Pride March
• Nuyorican
• Puerto Ricans in New York City