Queens of R&B

Featuring musical icons Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, R&B legends Mary J Blige, Aaliyah and Ashanti, and current icons SZA and H.E.R., Queens of R&B is an electrifying must-read for R&B enthusiasts.

This joyful book explores the genre’s journey – from 1940s rhythm and blues, through funk, soul and hip-hip – and its explosion in the 1990s – to the R&B we know and love today. Featuring complementary playlists alongside detailed profiles of ten female trailblazers, this bold book is fully illustrated throughout.

Queens of… series
Packed with iconic images, cultural history and playlists, The Queens of… series is a celebration of influential music genres and the female pioneers that defined them.

Author Biography

Kiana is a journalist, podcaster, and on-air commentator. Additionally, she’s a cultural critic, a champion of Black culture and moonlights as a personal essayist and DJ.

Kiana has written viral cover stories for Paper Magazine (Megan Thee Stallion) and New York Magazine’s The Cut (Chika). Her work has been printed in Rolling Stone, Texas Monthly, No Bells Magazine, Stranger’s Guide, Houstonia Magazine, and Bitch Magazine. She has also produced highly circulated pieces for Complex, NPR, Vibe Magazine, Billboard, The A.V. Club, Mic, Vox, NYLON Magazine, The FADER, Brooklyn Magazine, Okayplayer, REVOLT, Saint Heron, Uproxx and more.

Kiana’s debut book, Ode to Hip-Hop: 50 Albums That Define 50 Years of Trailblazing Music, was published in the US by Running Press. On top of her writing, Kiana is a mental health advocate on TikTok, where she has built a community of 20,000+ supporters.