Rony Kordab (born June 5, 2004), known professionally as RealestK, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. His popularity started on the social media platform on TikTok and he rose to fame in 2021 with his breakout single "WFM", which reached number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. He then received co-signs from fellow Canadian musicians Nav and Drake, and collaborated with the former in late 2022 on the song "Lost Me" from his fourth studio album, Demons Protected by Angels. RealestK released his debut studio album, Dreams 2 Reality, that same year.
RealestK | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rony Kordab |
| Born | June 5, 2004 Toronto, Canada U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Labels |
|
Early life
editRony Kordab was born on June 5, 2004, in Toronto, Canada, specifically in Scarborough. Both his parents were born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon and he has an older brother named Amir Kordab who is also known as ItsAmiroMusic on Instagram. His older brother in fact was the one to help Rony (RealestK) get into music when Rony was younger. Another fact about his older brother, is that he helped create mixed and mastered “WFM” for rony which was the #1 hit song in 2021. Rony & Amir also attended Senator O'Connor College School.[1]
Career
editOn October 6, 2021, RealestK released the single "WFM", alongside its music video. The singer recalled editing the video during a business class, in which his teacher lectured him, but he still continued to do it.[1] The song debuted at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 67 the following week.[1]
On September 9, 2022, RealestK released a collaboration with Canadian rapper Nav titled "Lost Me", which appeared as the fourteenth track from the latter's fourth studio album, Demons Protected by Angels. The music video for the song premiered the following day.[2] The song serves as his first time working with another artist and Nav also brought him out at Rolling Loud in their hometown of Toronto to perform the song.[3] After releasing some more singles, RealestK released his debut studio album, Dreams 2 Reality, on October 28, 2022.[4]
Artistry
editAlex Nino Gheciu of Complex, who interviewed RealestK in February 2022 felt that "RealestK's songs are full of raw candour and vulnerability—he yearns for something real amid an increasingly soulless and nihilistic age" and added that "he's got the lived-in, heart-wrecked conviction of someone twice his age, and one of the most captivating new voices in Canadian R&B".[1]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Dreams 2 Reality |
|
| Real World |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [5] |
US [6] |
US R&B/HH [7] |
US R&B [8] |
WW [9] | |||
| "Only You" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Swm" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Confessions" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Miss Me" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "WFM" | 53 | 67 | 24 | 7 | 56 | Dreams 2 Reality | |
| "Patience" | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Toxic" | — | — | — | — | — | Dreams 2 Reality | |
| "Love Me" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Don't Walk Away" | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Leave Me Alone" | — | — | — | — | — | Dreams 2 Reality | |
| "One 4 U" | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Bruce Wayne" | — | — | — | — | — | Dreams 2 Reality | |
| "Trust" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Think I Do" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Wish You Well" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart in that territory. | |||||||
Guest appearance
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Lost Me" (with Nav) |
2022 | Demons Protected by Angels |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Gheciu, Alex Nino (February 22, 2022). "Meet RealestK, the Mysterious Toronto Artist Everyone's Checking For". Complex. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Powell, Jon (September 12, 2022). "NAV drops off visual for "Lost Me" with RealestK". Revolt. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ Pavlakos, Louis (October 28, 2022). "Toronto Artist Realestk Drops Debut Album 'Dreams 2 Reality'". Complex. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Provost, Rex (October 28, 2022). "Realestk Breaks Onto The Scene With "Dreams 2 Reality"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "Canadian Hot 100: Week of October 30, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of October 30, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of October 30, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Hot R&B Songs: Week of October 23, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of October 30, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.