Erica-Cody
Birth nameErica-Cody Kennedy-Smith
Born (1996-07-27) 27 July 1996
Dublin, Ireland
OriginIreland
Genres
Years active2014 (2014)–present
WebsiteErica-Cody on Facebook

Erica-Cody Kennedy Smith (born 27 July 1996) is an Irish R&B singer and songwriter.

Early life

Erica-Cody was born Erica-Cody Kennedy-Smith in Rotunda Hospital, Dublin and grew up in Baldoyle. Her mother is Irish, while her father is an African-American from South Carolina.[1] As a teenager, Cody had hoped to become a professional basketball player, until an anterior cruciate ligament injury at age 18 ruled that out. She attended the Billie Barry Stage School and then BIMM Dublin, studying vocals.[2][3][4]

Career

During her time at Billie Barry Stage School, she had her first live gig at age 15 as the support act for WizKid.[2] She released Addicted in 2017.[5] Erica-Cody played at Longitude, Electric Picnic, as well as supporting Jessie J[1] and En Vogue in 2018.[6] She released her EP Leoness in April 2019. Her style has been described as close to that of TLC and Aaliyah. Cody's experiences of racism in Ireland led to her launching a campaign called Don't Touch My Hair (DTMH).[7][8][9] She was one of the artists featured in Hot Press's Lockdown Sessions in April 2020.[10]

In 2020, Cody took part in the Black Lives Matter protests in Dublin and spoke publicly about racism she and others have experienced in Ireland.[11][12][13][14] She also spoke about how her father's family in America have been affected by racism and prejudice. She was named one of Irish Country Magazine's Women to Watch in 2020.[15]

In 2020, Cody was part of an Irish collective of female singers and musicians called Irish Women in Harmony, that recorded a version of the Cranberries song "Dreams" in aid of the charity SafeIreland, which deals with domestic abuse which had reportedly risen significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown.[16] Portraits of her, taken during lockdown in spring 2020, appeared in the book Twilight Together: Portraits of Ireland at Home by photographer Ruth Medjber.

Cody made a cameo in an episode of the 2021 Netflix series Fate: The Winx Saga.[17]

In 2022, Cody appeared on the fifth series of the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars.[18] She reached the final of the competition with her professional partner, Denys Samson finishing as runners-up to eventual winners, Nina Carberry and Pasquale La Rocca.[19]

She was selected to compete in the Irish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Love Me Like I Do".[20]

Discography

Extended plays

List of EPs, with selected details
Title Details
Leoness
  • Released: April 2019
  • Label: ECM
Love & Light
  • Released: October 2021
  • Label: ECM

References

  1. 1 2 Lindsay, Erin. "R&B star-in-the-making Erica Cody tells us where she's really from". IMAGE.ie. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 Bruton, Louise. "Erica Cody: Our New VBF". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Murphy, Lauren (16 February 2020). "Erica Cody is jumping through hoops". The Times. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Gordon, Elle (12 June 2019). "Don't Touch My Hair: Introducing Erica Cody, The Next Big Thing In Irish Music". Stellar. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "'I'm only as good as my last show' - Erica Cody on her insane drive (plus her solid advice for new artists)". Her.ie. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Molloy, Abby (29 January 2019). "Hot for 2019 Irish Acts: Erica Cody". Hotpress. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Walsh, Kayla (23 June 2019). "Singer Erica Cody opens up on growing up mixed race in Ireland". RSVP. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Van Nguyen, Dean (17 April 2019). "Erica-Cody's Retro R&B Probes Modern Irish Identity". Dublin Inquirer. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Marcantonio, Julia (22 March 2019). "Erica Cody Releases New Song 'Where U Really From'". Hotpress. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "Erica Cody – Digital Concert". The Journal of Music. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  11. ↑ Bryant, Aoibhin (2 June 2020). "'It's tough being a person of colour in Ireland' — Erica Cody speaks out against racism". Extra.ie.
  12. ↑ "Erica Cody: 'It's easy to excuse casually racist behaviour'". www.irishexaminer.com. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  13. ↑ Miner, Adele (2 June 2020). ""I promise you this is not ending here" Erica Cody speaks out about the Black Lives Matter movement". VIP Magazine. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  14. ↑ O'Neill, Kevin; Black, Rebecca (2 June 2020). "Thousands stage peaceful protest in Dublin over Floyd death". www.irishexaminer.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "Singer Erica Cody gave a powerful interview on racism in Ireland". IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  16. ↑ Bol, Rosita. "Irish Women in Harmony record Cranberries song in aid of Safe Ireland". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  17. ↑ Moran, Fionnuala (22 January 2021). "Did you spot these Irish stars in Netflix's new drama Fate: The Winx Saga". Evoke.ie. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Nicolas Roche, Erica Cody and Missy Keating announced as Dancing with the Stars contestants". www.leinsterleader.ie.
  19. ↑ "The Dancing with the Stars Final - as it happened". 27 March 2022. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. ↑ "Erica Cody revealed as Ireland's first Eurosong hopeful". RTÉ. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
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