Kiana Ledé is a natural storyteller. With each new album release, Ledé guides listeners through her personal experiences in a way that feels both intimate and cinematic. She continues to do this with her third studio album, Cut Ties, which dropped on Nov. 1. “We have me being in love and being happy and feeling positive, and then you have the part of me that’s questioning, ‘Is this not real? I thought it was this one thing, but now it feels like this negative, weird thing. But I also still kind of want to be in this situation, so what do I do?’” she exclusively tells Her Campus. “And then you get to see it go downhill.”
With her past albums, Ledé’s reflected on the complexities of relationships and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Ledé’s debut album, Kiki, released in 2020, portrayed her journey of self-discovery. She followed that up in 2023 with her second studio album, Grudges, which examined the fragility of her identity and coming to terms with trauma.
On Cut Ties, Ledé mainly focuses on relationships — not just romantic ones, but various connections she’s had in life. “It presents more as romantic because that’s the most important thing to us as people,” Ledé says. “You get to see this more empowered version of me being able to cut ties quicker, and the more complicated process of cutting ties.”
The timing of her new project couldn’t be better. The album’s imagery ties in with spooky season, which wasn’t coincidental. “[Cut Ties] has more intricacies, especially with the horror theme being brought into it,” Ledé explains. “It’s something that I’m obsessed with.” The theme spills over into music videos like the one for “Natural,” which offers a unique perspective on betrayal and revenge through dark artistry. “To be able to [release the album] around this season, around this time, which is my favorite time of the year — besides my birthday — it’s perfect.”
Like Ledé’s previous albums, which have been beautiful encapsulations of self-reflection, Cut Ties continues taking the “different sh*t” she’s gone through over the years and turning it into lyrics. “I learned that the trauma is real. I think it’s easy after so many failed relationships, romantic or not, to feel like the bad guy,” she says. “These are things that I not only survived, but I thrived. I’m working on just committing to that thought and telling myself that I’m doing a great job. I’m a good person that has boundaries, and is sticking to them more now as I get older. That’s really empowering.”
It’s time for a new era for Ledé, and she’s ready for it. “I’m just kind of feeling myself,” she says. It’s part of why “No Stress” is her current fave off the new album. “I’m just like, no stress [to] all the f*ck sh*t that happened in the past, all the bullsh*t that I’ve dealt with in the industry. It’s fine. I’m living my best life today, tomorrow, and the next.”
With Cut Ties now out, Ledé hopes it empowers and inspires listeners to find their own strengths — especially when it comes to relationships. “I honestly hope this album makes some of my fangirls be like, ‘Wait, this relationship is kind of trash. I’m done. No stress.’ I hope to — in a healthy way — inspire some breakups this season.”
So what’s next for Ledé? As she gears up to rejoin Jhené Aiko on the third leg of The Magic Hour Tour later this year, the “EX” singer’s main focus is to continue embracing her growth. “Being in control of my sh*t, professionally or non-professionally, is something new for me in so many ways,” she says. “To just sit in that control and feel comfortable with it, I’m going to manifest that.”