Rising R&B starlet Kyla Imani draws you in with her smooth vocals and Y2K-influenced style. The 22-year-old singer and songwriter has a strong sense of self that radiates through her music and fashion.
Imani gained Internet fame when she went viral after posting a kid-friendly remake to Beyonce’s 7/11, which was validation for the aspiring singer to continue to pursue a career in music.
“After gaining so much love and support, I realized early that I could really do this,” she said in a candid chat with HelloBeautiful. That taste of fame inspired Imani to put out more music. She eventually joined Tik Tok in 2019 where she amassed over 1.5 million followers. She moved to LA, got a scholarship to Stargate’s music school LAAMP, and signed a publishing deal under Pulse Music Group. “The past 3 years out in LA have been full of growth, learning experiences, grinding hard and networking. I’m ready to put those lessons into my music and keep blossoming with my supporters in the process,” she explained.
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Imani is back with her buzzy single Chosen, merging her love for music and fashion when she had to style herself for the shoot. “I usually prefer working with a stylist because I love collaborating to see what vision someone else has and how it can work with mine. However, my team and I made a last-minute decision to shoot the video in NY (instead of LA) and I needed to get the outfits together ASAP,” she explained. “I spent the whole day putting a rack of clothes together, trying outfits on, choosing bags, shoes, jewelry, etc.”
Imani says her song “Chosen, is all about choosing yourself, feeling powerful, and knowing you’re it! I like to be intentional with the outfits matching the energy of the song, so I only wanted outfits that I felt confident in.”
When it comes to her personal style, Imani admits she is “definitely heavily inspired by 90’s and Y2K fashion. I’m a NYC girl so streetwear is my go-to, but recently I’ve been elevating my style and adding more personal touches to all of my outfits. I love to mix thrift with designer, hard with soft, and feminine with masculine. A few years ago, I promise you, you wouldn’t catch me in a miniskirt and bra top, but here we are! I’m 22, trying different things, having fun, and honestly embracing my sexy side. If I had to pinpoint one inspiration, I’d say TLC- Crazy, Sexy, Cool.”
Keep scrolling for more style moments from Kyla Imani.
“I wore this look to a bar in the desert. I took a weekend trip with friends to Joshua tree and I only brought my cowboy boots and a pair of slides. I honestly didn’t put much thought into the look, but since my boots were brown, I wanted an all-brown outfit that was breathable enough for me to dance around in the 106 degree weather and not get too heated. The top is from Zara, the skirt is from Urban Outfitters, and I bought the boots from a local boot shop in Nashville.”
2. Y2K Trendy
“I wore this look to the 2024 Grammy’s. It was very simple with a couple of y2k touches. I wanted to wear a little black dress, so I found this one from a boutique store on Melrose in LA. I paired it with my Takashi Murakami X Louis Vuitton purse (my favorite designer collaboration) and simple silver heels from Steve Madden.”
3. Festival Fine
“I loved this look. I wore this in Austin during South By Southwest (SXSW). I was in between show days, and making content this day. I love planning my outfits around one color or texture, and, on this day, I was feeling pink and fluffy. I like how I matched the fuzzy hat with the velvet tiny top, it gave the look a plushy kawaii vibe. And it was hot, plus I love me a mini skirt, so I kept it cute and girly. The top and skirt are from Style Delivers on Melrose.”
4. Signature Swag
“Ayee this look was during my “Let Him Hurt” era. This was a performance look! At the time, I was going to NYU and had a show on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. I had just blown up on Tik Tok, and it was right after quarantine, so the world was opening back up. Sparkly bra tops and baggy pants are my favorite thing ever, and my go to performance look item. I thrift most of my denim. I wanted to color block with this outfit, hair, and accessories. I have my favorite Murakami neck piece from Milana B Collection. It was so dope to perform in front of my peers again, especially in this outfit- I just felt so me at the time.”
5. K-Boogie With The Hoodie
“This outfit is a classy everyday Kyla fit. People back home in NY call me K Boogie because I’m literally always wearing a hoodie. I love to be comfortable. As an artist and songwriter, I’m always in the studio, and I’m a tomboy at heart so sweatsuits and oversized clothing take up 90% of my closet. I’m wearing a Balenciaga hoodie, Guess jeans that my homie Amanda painted, and my white Nike Air Forces. I got my Bamboo earrings from the beauty supply store (my favorite place in the world besides the studio).”
