| Kina | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kina Cosper |
| Born | January 25, 1969 |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, Rock |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Labels | MJJ Music (when with Brownstone), Dreamworks Records (2000-2002) |
Kina (born Kina Cosper January 25, 1969, Detroit, Michigan) is an American musician, best known for her work with Grammy Award-nominated group Brownstone, and her 2000 solo single "Girl from the Gutter." She is currently working on new music.
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Kina grew up listening to Lenny Kravitz, Smokey Robinson, Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin.
Her first taste of stardom came when she was picked as a replacement member for the Grammy-nominated band Brownstone in 1995. In 1997, as the group failed to match its previous successes, Kina decided to leave the band to pursue a solo career.
She then met producer London Jones who helped her begin writing material for her solo release. She soon had a record deal with DreamWorks Records. After a performance at the Mint Club in Los Angeles Benny Medina came on board as her manager.
Kina has also done some acting. In 1993 she appeared in Poetic Justice in a minor role. In 2002 she portrayed Sweet in one episode of the TV show Robbery Homicide Division. Later that year she starred alongside DJ Qualls and Eliza Dushku in the film The New Guy.
Kina soon found success with her single "Girl from the Gutter," which received strong airplay and peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. She then released her self-titled debut album on July 18, 2000. Kina peaked at #14 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.[1]
"Girl from the Gutter" was followed by the single "Me," which peaked at #3 on the same chart.[2] "Have a Cry" was released to radio but never charted.
To date this is Kina's only released album. Kina parted ways with Dreamworks Records shortly after the final single release.
A few years after their release, Kina's songs began popping up in various TV shows. In fall 2005 "Give & Take" and "I Love You" both appeared in an episode of the UPN sitcom Girlfriends. Kina's song "Sincerely" was also featured in the major motion picture Beauty Shop.