Kiana Ledé‘s Grudges tour is off and running as of this Tuesday (September 5), and curious fans now have some insight into the songs the Phoenix-born, LA-based singer will perform as the tour unrolls over the next month or so. The setlist for The Grudges: The Tour can be found below, courtesy of fans on Twitter who took the time to mark it down.
While the setlist certainly includes every song from the namesake album (which itself includes 18 tracks), a few songs come from prior projects such as Ledé’s 2020 album Keke. You can check out the setlist and the remaining tour dates below.
09/08 — Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theater
09/09 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/10 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox
09/12 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades
09/15 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
09/19 — Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater
09/21 — Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
09/23 — Dallas, TX @ The Studio at The Factory
09/25 — Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live – The Ballroom
09/27 — Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
09/29 — Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall
10/01 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
10/02 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
10/03 — New York
10/04 — New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
10/06 — Richmond, VA @ The National
10/07 — Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
10/08 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club – Music Hall
10/10 — Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
10/11 — Madison, TN @ Eastside Bowl
10/12 — Chicago, IL @ Park West
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Inconsistency, inconsideration, and indecisiveness. Kiana Ledé names those as her “biggest pet peeves” during an interview with Uproxx ahead of her second album Grudges. Throughout the album’s 17 songs, Ledé journeys through past relationships that left her to deal with those bad qualities. However, it doesn’t stop there. Ledé also lists the grudges she has against men overall and herself as well. “I’m naming my grudges and calling them out so that I can move forward with my life,” she says.
Grudges is Ledé’s first album since her 2020 debut Kiki. That project presented a young adult who sought a fairy tale love story and believed that it could exist for her. Even the album’s low moments amounted to nothing but a brief bump in the road as it concludes with “Separation” and “No Takebacks,” which proved that Lede’s hopes and dreams were reasonable and not the result of youthful naivety. Three years later, things are much different for her. The novelty behind romance has lost its shine a bit and the frustration that she can’t have this thing that so many other people can indulge in is more present than ever.
“As a mature young woman, if I seem to be in a relationship with someone, I’m agreeing to meet in the middle, not compromise, but meet in the middle,” Ledé says. “So when you’re not helping me help us or help you, I can’t have that and I don’t like things that are out of my control. So yes, it frustrates me when I don’t know what someone’s thinking.”
These frustrations make for the foundation of “Irresponsible” and “Gemini Slander” on the album. The former blends anger and disappointment for a message penned directly to an unnamed lover who failed to live up to the adult task of being transparent, mature, and honest in love. “Gemini Slander” places Ledé in the driver’s seat as she walks away from a man who lacks the consistency and decisiveness required for love. Through a listen of Grudges, it’s clear that Ledé’s pains in love weren’t a brief or occasional occurrence. She has enough stories to tell because she’s been through it.
“I went through a breakup actually, during COVID I went through two breakups, so I don’t know if I got the world record for modern relationships you can have in quarantine,” Ledé recalls with a laugh. “Was in both of them, and clearly they did not go so great, but it’s okay. It left me with great music.” Though it wasn’t immediately that Ledé knew these songs would become what we now know as Grudges.
“Maybe [after] a year, a year and a half of making the album we were just like, these are grudges,” she says. “It wasn’t just about me having a grudge about my [exes], it really just created this perfect headline of the grudges I hold against the world and everything that it encompasses.”
Kiana Ledé’s growth from her early days helped her reach this point of vulnerable and sheer honesty about herself and others. Even throughout Grudges, there isn’t a point where she is spiteful toward those who contributed to qualms in love. It comes from a level of accountability that exists in these situations, especially ones that the singer herself had a hand in creating.
“I think as I’ve gotten older, no matter how big my role was, in those relationships, and this way, I can acknowledge and accept the part that I played,” she notes. “Too Far” is a perfect example of this as she acknowledges the effects of crossing the friendship barrier to explore the once-forbidden fruit of intimacy.
Though spite and retaliation were absent, a loss of faith in love, people, and trust took its place for some time as she details on the album’s title track. “I went through so much and was put through so much pain by the people that I thought loved me the most,” she remembers. “When that sort of betrayal happens, it’s really hard to think – like if these people were supposed to love me, how will this person that I met on Tuesday that I think is a good person and could be a good friend, how are they not gonna screw me over?” In naming and eventually freeing her grudges, Kiana also found it necessary to do the same to overcome doubts.
“I realized that you can build a good community by just trying,” she says. “I had to accept that with love of any kind, is going to come pain, and we can’t escape loss. That’s just a part of life.” Here, Ledé speaks of having hope, hope that tomorrow will be better, hope that you’ll receive what you prayed would be eventually, and hope that it’ll all be okay. “My friends and my mom are like you just are hopeful,” she says. “I just hope that people are who they say they are. There’s gonna be that one in a million that really is, so there is some hope and love somewhere.”
Despite all that she goes through on Grudges, this hope comes alive to conclude the album with “Magic.” It plays a role similar to that of “No Takebacks” on Kiki, a record that pours out the hopes for a forever romance, and while “Magic” looks to do the same for Grudges, it does so with a new sense of reality.
I label Ledé as a bit of a hopeless romantic, a title she fully accepts and credits for her ability to hold a grudge so well. However, when Grudges comes to a close, we’re left with the feeling that Ledé wants to be more of a hopeful romantic – optimistic about love’s potential while being a bit more practical about its arrival. Look no further than “Where You Go” with Khalid for evidence of this transition Ledé wants to make in the future. Though that record is certainly romantic on the surface, underneath that is the reminder of an unhealthy codependence that Ledé used to have in a previous relationship.
“I do hold a grudge against my younger self that was codependent with people that I was in a relationship with,” she admits. “It feels so good to be able to rely on someone right? But once it gets a little too codependent, like ‘I go where you go,’ it can be a lot.” Simply put, recognizing your faults is the first step in eventually correcting them.
At the end of the day, Grudges is Ledé’s moment of self-reflection and self-work and the pressures of getting it all done to overcome the past and reach what is destined for you. We see this through the intricate and well-thought-out artwork for Grudges. “The mirrors are a representation of a self-reflection, looking at yourself, and also who you are presently in that moment,” Ledé says. “The cameras are a representation of there being a lot of pressure while you’re looking at yourself, everyone else is looking at you, while you’re just trying to figure it out.” Overall, it’s a “clusterf*ck of sh*t around you” that hones in on the overwhelming feeling of working on yourself as the world watches and expects you to show up and simultaneously meet their own expectations.
In these moments, as Kiana Ledé has proven, the best thing you can do with flaws (and grudges) is to name them, acknowledge them, and set them free. But whatever you do, try your best to not hold on to them.
Grudges is out now via The Heavy Group/Republic Records. Find out more information here.
The women of R&B aren’t coming to play this summer – especially not Kiana Lede. On Friday (June 16), the songstress shared her highly anticipated sophomore album, Grudges, which marks her first full-length effort since 2020’s KIKI. Her debut LP became an immediate fan favourite, thanks to titles like “Mad At Me,” “Forfeit” featuring Lucky Daye, “Chocolate” with Ari Lennox,” and “Second Chances” alongside 6LACK.
For today’s drop, Lede has brought on an equally impressive roster of collaborators. She and Ella Mai connected on the previously released “Jealous” single, which was also accompanied by solo efforts like “Irresponsible” and more recently, “Deeper.” Bryson Tiller makes an appearance on “Gone,” and near the end of the 18-track effort, Khalid lends his talents to “Where You Go.” As noted on the opening song, “Bitter B**ch – INTROlude,” we hear several toxic viewpoints throughout the lyrics, proving that it may just be an “Act Bad” summer after all.
During an interview with Vibe, Lede spoke candidly about the creative process behind her sophomore release. “Grudges actually has multiple meanings in this album. Obviously, there’s the [literal one]. I’m a bitter b**ch [who] definitely [has] grudges. I hold them very well. I’m working on it. I’m in therapy,” the 26-year-old shared. “I want fans to be able to acknowledge that it’s okay to be f**ked up, but you also have to call it, name it and work on it. For a lot of people like me, especially an Aries, it’s hard not to hold a grudge,” the singer added when asked what she hopes listeners take away from her work.
“It’s always about learning and growth and I would love for people to be able to create a safe space, or twerk in their room. I embrace a lot of emotions in this album, so I really just want people to call [out] your weaknesses and traumas but also enjoy working through those things, and accept it and grow from it. Tour will be coming at the end of the year,” she also confirmed. Stream Kiana Lede’s new Grudges album on Spotify above, or find it on Apple Music here. After you’ve listened, let us know what your top three favourite titles from the tracklist are in the comments. For more HNHH release recommendations, make sure to check back later this weekend.
It’s been more than three years since Kiana Ledé gifted the world with a full-length project. That last body of work was her 2020 debut Kiki which was certainly one of the better R&B albums of that year. Since then, Ledé has taken on the ups and downs of life, love, and everything in between and it’s led to the upcoming release of her sophomore album Grudges. The project is just days away from becoming available to fans who have waited years for it, so with that being said, let’s get you up to speed with everything you need to know about it.
Release Date
Grudges is locked in for a release on June 16. It comes three years after Ledé released her debut album Kiki.
Tracklist
Ledé announced the tracklist for Grudges just days before its release. The tracklist goes as follows:
Kiana Ledé’s Grudges comes with features from Bryson Tiller (“Gone”), Ella Mai (“Jealous“), and Khalid (“Where You Go”). The album’s self-titled track is listed with a feature from “Kiki & Friends” and based on the tagged names on an Instagram post that Ledé used to announce the tracklist, the “Friends” could be Joyce Wrice, Sinead Harnett, Kyle Dion, and Destin Conrad.
Singles
Ledé has released three singles ahead of Grudges. They are “Irresponsible,” “Jealous” with Ella Mai, and “Deeper.”
Tour
A tour in support of Grudges has yet to be announced, but if we had to guess, you can bet that Ledé will hit the road for Grudges.
More Details
In a cover story interview with Fault Magazine, Ledé shed some light on some aspects of Grudges.
In response to the most “emotionally challenging song” to write on the album:
I would say the most challenging to write was “Deserve.” I had to go back to the time I got raped and process all of the complexities of the situation. I had to choose to forgive myself for some of the choices I made following my rape. Including keeping in contact with the person who did it to seek some sort of closure since I know I wasn’t in a space to seek justice. I realized that putting the blame on myself was more about having control to protect myself. I had to release the grudge I held against myself and really put the blame on him. This song is the closest to revenge I’m gonna get and I am comfortable with that.
In response to the “biggest change” Ledé has felt on this album compared to other projects:
I think this album is just more grown. I have lived more life and processed my experiences from a more mature perspective. (Even though some shit still be toxic – ha.)
Grudges is out 6/16 via Republic Records. Find out more information here.
It’s been a little over three years since Kiana Ledé gave us her stellar debut album KIKI. Since then, the singer has been relatively active through collaborations with the likes of THEY. (“Count Me In [Remix]“), Kehlani (“Ur Best Friend“), Destin Conrad (“Unpredictable”), and more. It wasn’t until the fall of 2022 that the journey towards her long-awaited sophomore album began, and kicked off with the release of “Irresponsible.” Eight months later, Kiana Ledé finally announced her sophomore album: Grudges.
Ledé shared the news by unveiling the project’s cover art and release date in an Instagram post. For the cover art of the album, which arrives on June 16, Ledé is pictured on her knees surrounded by numerous cameras in different styles, from portable video cameras to full-on surveillance cameras. The Instagram post was shared with a brief message that read, “Sometimes you gotta face yourself.”
In addition to sharing the cover art and release date, Ledé also unveiled its tracklist through its Apple Music pre-save page. Grudges will arrive with 17 songs and a lone feature from Ella Mai who appears on the album’s second single, “Jealous.”
You can view the artwork for Grudges above and scroll down to see the album’s full tracklist.
