BJ The Chicago Kid

BJ The Chicago Kid announces his first show in Aotearoa!

Grammy-nominated R&B soul singer and songwriter BJ The Chicago Kid will be performing live in New Zealand for the first time on Sun 13 April 2025 at The Tuning Fork, Auckland.

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, BJ first touched hearts with his debut independent album Pineapple Now-Laters in 2012 but quickly gained increased attention the following year with songs like "Honey" and "Good Luv'n" featuring frequent collaborators Freddie Gibbs and Problem.

With gospel-soaked vocals, 2014 proved to be BJ's breakout year when he appeared on SchoolBoy Q's Grammy award-winning single "Studio" and released his fourth mixtape, The M.A.F.E. Project, which included rap assists from Q, Gibbs, and Smoke DZA. In 2016, BJ released his impressive major-label debut, In My Mind, which earned the son of the Windy City three Grammy noms, including Best R&B album. Across his career, BJ's soul-stirring talent has garnered everything from cosigns and collaborations with Kanye West, Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Solange, and Eric Bellinger.

"Forgot Your Name" stands to continue to accelerate BJ's success in 2023. The premiere single is the first output of a multi-track project titled Gravy, in collaboration with producer Yeti Beats (Doja Cat's musical right hand). The album is an organic music match made in heaven that materialized in less than a week.

BJ and Yeti's latest project “Gravy” was recorded with a live band in Memphis, Tennessee at Royal Studios, the home of soul legend Al Green whose '70s mellow grooves served as inspiration for the album's overall sound. Features include Andra Day, Phillip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire, and a well-rounded cast of friends.