Background
Kandi Burruss’s father was a Reverend, and she had an older brother, Patrick Riley, who sadly passed away in a car accident when Burruss was only 15 years old. Burruss went to Tri-Cities High School and graduated in 1994. Her first appearance on television was on the B.E.T. series “Teen Summit” when she was 15.
Burruss is multi-talented. She hit it big when she joined the successful girl group Xscape. The group released their first album “Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha” in 1993, which peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B Albums chart. It was a huge success, launching Burruss and her group into the limelight. The album was certified platinum and had two top 10 singles. The group soared to new heights when they released their second album “Off The Hook” in 1995 which, to no one’s surprise, also hit platinum within the year. Their final album “Traces of My Lipstick” was a huge success, and hit number 28 on the Billboard 200 and number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop album chart. The album was widely popular and sold over a million copies in the U.S. They regrouped and made song appearances on “Momma’s House” and “Hardball,” and eventually parted ways in 2005.
Burruss released her own debut album in 2000, called “Hey Kandi,” which included the popular songs ‘Don’t Think I’m Not,’ and ‘Cheatin’ on Me.’ The singles reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album reached number 72 on the Billboard 200. Burruss started to create a name for herself outside the group, not only from her own albums but as a songwriter. She wrote and co-wrote many popular songs, including ‘No Scrubs’ for which she won a Grammy Award. She would go on to win the “American Society of Composers” and “Authors and Publishers Songwriter of the Year” Awards in 2000 as well.
Burruss entered the world of reality television and joined the second season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” which aired in July 2009. She continued with the show in every season, making her the longest-serving member. Fans loved her so much that she did a spinoff from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” called “The Kandi Factory.” This was such a success that, although the show was originally going to be a one-time television special, it ran for a full season. She and her husband ventured into another spin-off called “Kandi’s Wedding,” which aired in 2014, and then another series called “Kandi’s Ski Trip,” which aired in 2015. The reality star didn’t stop there. She went on to be a contestant in “Celebrity Big Brother” and came in fifth. She has also guest starred in “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” In 2020, she participated in the competition show “The Masked Singer” and was the first female winner. There is no limit to what Burruss can do, and we are all waiting with bated breath for her next venture.
