Kwn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Khyra Leah Wilson April 5, 2000 |
| Origin | Walthamstow, London |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2022–present |
| Labels | |
Partner | Kehlani (2024–present) |
Khyra Leah Wilson, known professionally as kwn (pronounced kay-wuhn) and formerly k1, is a British singer, songwriter, rapper, and producer.[1] She is best known for her singles "Worst Behaviour", whose remix featured Kehlani, and "do what i say".
She was nominated for Best New International Act at the 2025 BET Awards,[2] was named Billboard's R&B Rookie of the Month,[3] and was included on the NME 100 list of "essential emerging artists".[4]
Early life
[edit]Kwn was born and grew up in Walthamstow, East London.[5] She has two older sisters.[6] Her father is Nigerian and her mother is Irish.[7]
She started playing piano and drums in her childhood.[6] She realized by the time she was 11 years old that she wanted to become a musician,[5] after which she started making music and releasing it on SoundCloud.[1] She was inspired in part by her father, who was at one time a DJ,[7][1] and who exposed kwn to a wide variety of Western musical genres, including R&B, pop, garage, house, as well as various genres of African music.[6] When she was 16, she began attending the arts college East London Arts & Music,[8][5] which pushed her to work harder at her music.[9] After college, she worked as a chef,[5] and before deciding to pursue music, she was interested in playing football professionally.[10]
Career
[edit]Initially known as k1, she changed her stage name to kwn – incorporating the first and last letters of her last name – to avoid being mistaken for a drill rapper.[10][11]
She began releasing music with Black Butter Records in 2022, debuting with the single, “wn way or another".[1] Her debut EP episode wn was released later in 2022.[3] She was dropped by the label shortly before the release of her single "Worst Behaviour".[12]
Kwn opened for Kehlani for some of the latter's Crash European tour dates.[3]
She was nominated for Best New International Act at the 2025 BET Awards.[2] In March 2025, she was named Billboard's R&B Rookie of the Month.[3] Billboard called her music "a moody amalgam of trap, soulful vocal stacks and splashes of dark electronic music that both captures and reimagines the post-Bryson Tiller R&B landscape."[3] When asked about her own genre placement, kwn said, "I don’t really think I could pinpoint a sound; I just do whatever feels good," though she noted R&B as a consistent influence in her music.[3] She also received a place on NME's 2025 list[13] of one hundred "essential emerging artists".[4]
Her music videos often feature one-shot filming.[10][3]
Personal life
[edit]Kwn has described herself as "literally . . . gay since [she] came out of the womb". Of her sexuality, she has said, "I’m just a girl who likes girls. I don’t like putting labels on things."[5] She is an introvert.[14] Her favorite tattoo reads "lord i've tried" in Spanish ("dios he tratado"), after her song of the same title.[10]
In October 2025, she confirmed that she was in a relationship with Kehlani, after months of speculation.[15][16]
Discography
[edit]Extended plays
[edit]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Episode Wn |
|
| With All Due Respect |
|
Singles
[edit]| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | "Wn Way or Another" | Episode Wn |
| "Nobody" | ||
| 2023 | "No Cinderella" | Non-album singles |
| "Five More" | ||
| "Wn Up" | ||
| 2024 | "Lord I've Tried" | |
| "Eyes Wide Open" | ||
| "Worst Behaviour" | ||
| 2025 | "Worst Behaviour" remix (featuring Kehlani) | With All Due Respect |
| "Do What I Say" |
Features
[edit]- "Clothes Off" (Kehlani, While We Wait 2, 2024)
- "Too Many Women" (Jordan Adetunji, A Jaguar's Dream, 2025)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Dazed (2022-07-05). "kwn, the rising artist writing relatable tracks about toxic exes". Dazed. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ a b "KWN Gets Real On: Kehlani Collab, The EP, New Fame + Crushing on KeKe | New York's Power 105.1 FM". Angie Martinez. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g Denis, Kyle (2025-03-13). "How a Bedroom Instagram Live Session Yielded KWN's Breakthrough Hit 'Worst Behaviour'". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ a b NME (2025-02-12). "THE NME 100: ESSENTIAL EMERGING ARTISTS FOR 2025". NME. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
- ^ a b c d e Dazed (2025-06-13). "Rising R&B star Kwn on her new EP and that viral kiss with Kehlani". Dazed. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ a b c King, Tyrese (2024-09-19). "Get To Know: KWN". newwavemagazine. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ a b "Who is Kwn? Age, ethnicity & girlfriend and more". Capital XTRA. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ Denis, Kyle (2025-03-13). "How a Bedroom Instagram Live Session Yielded KWN's Breakthrough Hit 'Worst Behaviour'". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ "Kwn - COEVAL Magazine". COEVAL. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ a b c d EDITOR (2025-03-14). "Everything you need to know about rising star Kwn". diva-magazine.com. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ "Kwn - COEVAL Magazine". COEVAL. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "KWN Reflects on Losing Her Deal, Kissing Kehlani & More - The Angie Martinez Show". iHeart. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ Williams, Kyann-Sian. "R&B's sultry new star Kwn just wants to feel good". WTYE / WTAY. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
- ^ "KWN Gets Real On: Kehlani Collab, The EP, New Fame + Crushing on KeKe | New York's Power 105.1 FM". Angie Martinez. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
- ^ EDITOR (2025-10-30). "Kwn responds to backlash after hard-launching relationship with Kehlani". Retrieved 2025-10-30.
- ^ "Kwn addresses backlash after confirming Kehlani relationship". Capital XTRA. Retrieved 2025-10-30.