Queen Naija facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Queen Naija
Queen Naija in 2023
Background information
Birth name	Queen Naija Bulls
Born	(1995-10-17) October 17, 1995 (age 29) Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer media personality
Years active	2014–present
Labels	Capitol
Children	2

Queen Naija Bulls (born October 17, 1995) is an American singer and a popular internet personality. She grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Queen Naija first became known for making videos on YouTube as a vlogger (which is like a video blogger). She even tried out for the TV show American Idol in its thirteenth season.

Her song "Medicine," released in 2017, became a huge hit. It reached the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This success helped her sign a record deal with Capitol Records the next year. "Medicine," along with her 2018 songs "Karma" and "Butterflies," sold so many copies that they were certified double platinum! This means they sold over two million copies each. These hits came before her first extended play (EP), called Queen Naija (2018). An EP is like a mini-album with fewer songs than a full album. Her EP did very well, reaching number 26 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Her first full album, Missunderstood (2020), was also a success, hitting number nine on the same chart.

About Queen Naija

Her Early Life

Queen Naija was born on October 17, 1995, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She has shared that her family has roots from different places, including Arab, African, and European backgrounds. She also mentioned having some Indian family history, and her father is from Yemen.

Her mom gave her the special name Queen Naija. The name "Queen" was a way to honor her grandmother, who was also named Queen. The name "Naija" was chosen to show respect for her father.

Her Career Journey

Starting with American Idol and YouTube

Queen Naija first gained attention when she appeared on the singing show American Idol. She had tried out for the show two years before but didn't get very far. The second time, she made it to the Hollywood round, which is a big achievement! However, she didn't make it into the top 30 contestants.

After American Idol, Queen Naija worked as a security guard for a while. But she kept working on her YouTube channel. She made videos and slowly built up a large audience of fans.

Music Career Takes Off

In December 2017, Queen Naija released her song "Medicine." It quickly became very popular. Her second song, "Karma," came out in June 2018.

She even did an interview about "Medicine" with the website Genius in January 2018. She explained what the song meant to her. On her YouTube channel, Queen Naija shared her journey, including meetings with different record companies. By March 2018, the first version of "Medicine" she posted online had over 10 million views! When the official music video came out later that month, it got 4.5 million views on its very first day. Today, that video has been watched over 248 million times!

In July 2018, Queen Naija started a new YouTube channel called "Royal Family" with her then-boyfriend, Clarence White. This channel also became very popular, gaining millions of subscribers.

A huge moment happened on April 25, 2018, when Queen Naija signed a contract with Capitol Records. This is a very big record label. Soon after, on June 28, she released "Karma." She had written and recorded this song back in January 2018. "Karma" was an instant hit, reaching the number one spot on the iTunes charts on the day it was released. The audio version of "Karma" has been viewed over 116 million times.

On July 27, 2018, Queen Naija released her first extended play (EP), also called Queen Naija. Her EP had five songs: "Medicine," "Karma," "Mama's Hand," "Butterflies," and "Bad Boy." She worked with several music producers on this project.

Queen Naija said the EP was like an emotional journey. Each song told a story about her experiences and feelings.

• "Medicine" is about dealing with heartbreak from a past relationship.
• "Karma" is about moving on from that heartbreak and feeling stronger.
• "Mama's Hand" is a special song for her son. It promises to always be there for him and encourages him to dream big.
• "Butterflies" talks about the excitement of falling in love again.
• "Bad Boy" explores a new relationship and the hope that her positive influence might help her partner.

The EP was a big success. It landed at number 26 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It also hit number one on the Apple Music R&B charts.

Her First Full Album, Missunderstood

Queen Naija looking stylish in 2022

Queen Naija continued to make new music. On July 24, 2020, she released "Pack Lite." This was the first song from her upcoming first full album. The music video for "Pack Lite" came out on July 31.

Then, on October 2, she released another song called "Lie to Me." This song featured the rapper Lil Durk. A music video for this song followed on October 5. "Lie to Me" used a part from an older song, "A Dream" by DeBarge.

Finally, on October 30, 2020, Queen Naija released her first studio album, Missunderstood. This album had 18 songs. It featured collaborations with many other artists. These included Jacquees, Toosii, Mulatto, Pretty Vee, Russ, Lucky Daye, and Kiana Ledé. Three songs from Missunderstood sold so well that they were Certified Gold by the RIAA. This organization tracks music sales.

Later, on April 16, 2021, she released a special version of the album called Missunderstood...Still. This version included new songs and featured artists like J.I the Prince of N.Y and Ari Lennox.

Her hard work paid off! On October 28, 2021, Missunderstood was nominated for an award at the 2021 American Music Awards.

To celebrate her 26th birthday on October 17, 2021, Queen Naija started her second tour. It was called the Butterfly Tour. She performed in 19 cities across the U.S., with fellow artist Tink as a special guest.

Music Releases

Studio Albums

Mixtapes

Extended Plays

Singles

As Featured Artist

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Queen Naija para niños