ᴘᴏᴘ ᴘᴏᴘ ᴘᴏᴘ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴘᴇᴘsɪ ᴄᴏᴋᴇ

the history •• born in virginia, at twenty-five kamali fuentes has had the unique opportunity of living a life of privilege and still learning the meaning of struggle. though currently hot names in their respective industries, kamali's parents started from humble beginnings. her mother, tambara, found her way into modeling at the age of fourteen. and after pageants, magazine ads and a fateful meeting with an agency, threw herself full tilt into becoming a Name. even after being told she didn't fit the mold. her father, gael, started his career by hustling. first peddling drugs then peddling latin-influenced music. theirs was an empire put into construction years before kamali was a thought and merged not long before she was born. inspired by that, kamali has never been one to rely on their success to get where wants to be.

•• kamali's mother is a half nigerian model who has hung up her stilettos for charity work. she primarily works to help women and children. her father is black & cuban. his career in music was something that helped cultivate kamali's own interest in instruments, dance and singing. for a short time the household was one of mixed schedules and turbulence. tambara and gael met at an industry event. she was eighteen, he was twenty-two. their courtship lasted all of six months before they were engaged and committed. for convenience's sake the two called virginia home but their hearts were in their careers. moving to virginia was practical, allowed them time to grow their earnings for something Better. the decision also gave tambara a place to nest when, at twenty, she became pregnant with kamali.

•• it was only after his own career gained traction that gael felt comfortable uprooting his family from their small neighborhood in virginia. the family home was relocated to miami when kamali was three years old. a sought after producer behind the scenes and an artist in his own right, gael felt things settled enough then to merit the change. tambara's transition back into work helped. babysitting left the hands of her maternal grandparents and wound up instead in the more than capable care of a full-time nanny.

•• the home that kamali grew up in is still the home that her parents live in today - a near mansion in a lavish part of town, featuring a winding driveway and security gate, ocean-front views, spacious bedrooms and a studio where gael continues to do a bulk of his recording. it was here that kamali grew up plucking guitars, banging on bongos and performing her own renditions of her father's songs.

•• being in their line of work hasn't always been easy for tambara and gael. engaged so young and living such a fast lifestyle has placed some stresses on the couple's marriage over the years. in the past there have been rumors of gael's cheating, allegations of tambara's stand-offishness and plenty of buzz about the authenticity of their commitment. whatever their sometimes fights, behind the scenes there's love in spite of the occasional argument. kamali knows her mother not as stand-offish or the bitch the press sometimes hints she is but a quick-thinking business woman with a want for perfection. her father, meanwhile, is a bright and vibrant light more silly than somber, full of sharp-witted jokes. through them kamali has developed an appreciation for her culture - nigerian and cuban combined.
the music •• kamali was four when she toddled into her mother's shoes to model in local pageants and begin work in commercials. although these were events her mother was criticized for, tambara insisted that kamali wanted these things for herself. she furthered her point to interviewers by promising she'd pull kamali from the spotlight if need be. to her credit, tambara often held her tongue during these first competitions and auditions, wanting only for her daughter to enjoy herself. but as the girl's hobby began to look like a career, her advice for kamali became more rounded and solid with intent.

•• easy with her smiles and glad to entertain, kamali was driven to try a little of everything. that she had performing in her blood only helped her cause. thanks to her buoyant personality and previous experience with modeling, she won over casting directors for school of rock. following this venture and work on the film the polar express, she landed a brief role in ned's declassified.

•• while other adolescents found their education primarily in books, with college in mind, kamali received her high school education at an institution geared towards the arts. here she studied jazz, tap, and ballet. the momentum of her music career was established following her education here when, alongside four other girls, she formed the briefly lived group [name here]. the girls disbanded not long after a run on the my world tour.

•• by 2011, kamali was officially in pursuit of establishing herself as a singer. when her debut mixtape 'in case we die' dropped in 2012 the music community began to buzz about just how much she was capable of.

•• it was in january 2014 that the buzz generated by her debut and two follow up mixtapes began to reach fever pitch. "2 on" hit the airwaves to incredibly warm reception. and with the release of aquarius kamali seems to have finally found her stride. as of march 2015 she's released a new mixtape, is working on a second studio album and is looking forward to joining [the pinkprint] tour.
the controversy •• outside of her career, kamali is often a lightning rod for media attention. rumors of her party girl lifestyle began to bloom when she was only sixteen. it was that same year that the media jumped onto the opportunity to speculate on her relationship with fellow entertainer solomon.

•• though she and sol insisted they were "just friends" at the time of their meeting, their closeness inevitably birthed a full-fledged relationship that lasted [xx] years. they were a favorite with fans and their respective pr teams pushed for the romance to continue. kamali gave solomon an added edge that drew in a new demographic while solomon softened the blow of kamali's wilder antics. throughout their relationship there was plenty of gossip about kamali's habits to wander and just as many lies about whether their connection was a business ploy. when solomon unexpectedly popped the big question, kamali immediately said yes. her perceived giddiness about the engagement and married life to come lasted only as long as it took for an incriminating spring break photoset to surface. though there are still some lovers of the unit that was kamasol/solokam the two broke up not long before she began work on her first mixtape.

•• when she's not drawing attention at nightclubs or being photographed drunkenly stumbling over curbs, kamali enjoys making time for her fans. much like her mother she has a special love for giving back. since she's not so vocal about visits to children's hospital or checks donated in support of public school many have chimed in that she's vapid, self-centered and lacks empathy.

•• while her social circle is large, her group of close friends is tightly contained. hyper aware of her family's reputation, if kamali takes any care at all to keep her drug use out of the headlines it's primarily for the sake of her strict and straight-laced mother. she's frequently seen with good friend moni and has been pretty forthcoming about publicly teasing strawn. it should be noted that one of kamali's favorite past-times is giving people something to buzz about with. even if there's nothing truly there.

•• musically she's determined and driven, making her a good partner in collaborations and a constructive critic. however, there have definitely been times when she speaks first and regrets later. sometimes shade slips out, leaving radio hosts to raise eyebrows, and the world at your fingers convenience of social media has been known to get her in trouble.

the girl underneath the need for attention she's a girl who simply wants a shot at doing what she loves best: singing. she loves to help, to give advice where possible and is incredibly loyalty to those she considers family. what she loves most is good conversation with good people. and where she doesn't debate she listens closely, seeking to learn so that she can better herself. traits often lost on people who only see a short skirt and pumps hurrying into the backseat of a car. kamali's creativity, knack for hardwork and passion are hard to deny but she can be moody, distant, and has a difficult time being alone for too long.