Kyla Reid

Kyla Reid – Life, Career, and Memorable Insights

Kyla Reid (née Kyla Smith; born September 22, 1983) is a British singer-songwriter known for her contributions to UK funky, house, and how her 2008 track “Do You Mind” was sampled in Drake’s global smash “One Dance.” Explore her journey, artistry, and legacy.

Introduction

Kyla Reid, better known simply as Kyla, is a British vocalist and songwriter who rose to international attention when Drake sampled her 2008 song “Do You Mind” in his 2016 hit “One Dance”.

Kyla’s path in music reflects both underground UK dance-culture roots and later crossover into global pop landscapes. Her story shows how a single vocal hook in a dance track can travel across time and genres to influence international charts and audiences.

Early Life and Family

Kyla Reid was born on September 22, 1983 in the UK. Her birth name is Kyla Smith; she later adopted Reid (or Reid as part of her married name) in her professional identity.

Details about her early childhood and family are relatively private. What is known: she eventually married Errol Reid, better known in the music world as DJ Paleface, one half of the production team Crazy Cousinz. The two are partners in life and, to some extent, in musical collaboration.

Before her rise in music, Kyla worked as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. She later paused her professional ambitions to focus on family life and raising her son.

Music Beginnings & Genre

Kyla’s musical style is rooted in UK funky, house, and dance music. These genres were especially vibrant in the UK in the late 2000s, characterized by syncopated rhythms, dancefloor energy, and fusion influences from garage, house, and Afrobeat.

Her early career centered on collaborating with producers and local scenes. She wasn’t an overnight pop star—instead, she emerged within underground dance circuits. The track that launched her name was “Do You Mind”.

Career Highlights & Achievements

Do You Mind and UK Funky Breakthrough

In 2008, Kyla recorded “Do You Mind”, which was released (in remix form) in January 2009. The Crazy Cousinz remix version of the song became influential within the UK funky and club scenes.

The track charted at #48 on the UK Singles Chart in 2009. Over time, “Do You Mind” also received renewed attention through sampling and reuse in later songs.

Additionally, “Do You Mind” was sampled later in ArrDee’s “Hello Mate” in 2022, with Kyla credited as a featured artist.

Global Impact via One Dance

A turning point in Kyla’s public visibility came when Drake, with Wizkid, sampled her vocals from “Do You Mind” in his 2016 hit “One Dance”.

“One Dance” became a global chart success: reaching #1 in multiple countries including the UK, US, and Canada. That sample reintroduced Kyla’s voice to a bigger audience and gave her renewed momentum in her career.

This resurgence led to festival appearances and further features.

Collaborations and Later Releases

After 2016, Kyla appeared on tracks such as “Should’ve Been Me” by Naughty Boy (featuring Kyla and Popcaan), released in November 2016. That track charted at #61 on the UK Singles Chart.

She also worked with producer Zac Samuel on “Play It Cool”.

In 2017, Kyla put out her first single as a lead artist called “You Ain’t Mine” (featuring dancehall artist Popcaan).

Over her discography, she has accumulated multiple singles, appearances, and credits both as lead and featured artist, but to date she has not released a widely documented full-length studio album.

Historical & Cultural Context

Kyla’s career must be seen within the evolution of UK dance music in the 2000s and 2010s. UK funky (also called UK Funky House) was a genre blending house, garage, Afrobeat, and broken beat elements. Kyla’s “Do You Mind” was part of that wave.

While many UK dance tracks remain largely national in reach, the sampling of her voice in “One Dance” shows a bridging of underground UK culture with global mainstream pop and Afrobeat. That crossover demonstrates how local sounds and smaller scenes can have ripple effects internationally.

Furthermore, Kyla’s shift from teaching and motherhood back into music highlights challenges many artists (particularly women) face: balancing personal life, stepped-away periods, and reentry into the industry.

Legacy and Influence

Kyla Reid’s legacy is subtle but significant:

• She is sometimes referred to as the voice behind one of the biggest songs of the 2010s—even though her sample was “hidden” in a larger track.

• Her original “Do You Mind” has become a modern classic in UK dance circles and has gained renewed life through sampling, covers, and reuses.

• Kyla represents artists whose contributions may not always be in the spotlight, but whose work underlies substantial hits and trends in global pop.

• Her comeback and continued collaborations serve as inspiration for artists who pause or change paths due to life circumstances.

Personality, Strengths & Artistic Traits

From interviews and press appearances, a few traits emerge:

• Humility and groundedness: Kyla has expressed surprise and gratitude over the renewed fame from “One Dance”, emphasizing how she and her team never expected such reach.

• Artistic identity rooted in collaboration: Her path involves collaboration with producers rather than focusing solely on solo artist projects.

• Resilience and adaptability: After stepping back for family life, she was able to reenter the music scene when opportunities emerged.

• Emotional musicality: Her vocal tone and performance style tend to carry emotional resonance, which made her sample appealing in a global track like “One Dance”.

Memorable Lines & Quotes

While Kyla is not widely known for quotable public philosophizing, some remarks in interviews have become notable:

“It feels lovely to think that something we built as a little unit has done so well.”
— reflecting on the success of “One Dance” and how that came from their earlier work.

“Most people will be familiar with Kyla Reid’s voice by now, but only recently has her face been seen by many thousands.”
— from London Evening Standard commentary on how her identity came into broader view after the Drake sampling.

These lines underscore her modesty, surprise at recognition, and perspective on how her voice had travelled before her image did.

Lessons from Kyla Reid

1. Art can lie dormant until rediscovery.
   “Do You Mind” was created in 2008, yet found new life years later—an example that creative work may have future value beyond its original release.

2. Collaboration and openness can amplify reach.
   Allowing one’s work to be sampled, remixed, or collaborated upon can extend its lifespan and audience in unexpected ways.

3. Balance creative life and personal life.
   Kyla’s experience of stepping back (for teaching and family) and then reemerging shows that paths aren’t always linear, and reinvention is possible.

4. Don’t underestimate small scenes.
   Underground genres and local movements (like UK funky) can shape mainstream global culture in indirect but powerful ways.

5. Voice matters in unexpected contexts.
   Even when not front-and-center, a distinct voice can carry emotional impact that endures across time and production styles.

Conclusion

Kyla Reid’s journey is both a tale of underground artistry and unexpected global resonance. While she may not always be a household name, her voice—first recorded in “Do You Mind”—has danced its way across clubs, charts, and continents. Her story is a reminder that in music, a single thread can tie local roots to international reach.

If you want, I can assemble a timeline of her releases, analyze how her vocal part was used in “One Dance”, or compare her vocal style to other UK funky artists. Would you like me to do that?