RealestK
{{short description|Canadian singer (born 2004)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = RealestK
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Rony Kordab
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2004|6|5}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Canada U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter}}
| instrument = Vocals
| years_active = 2021–present
| label = {{hlist|Columbia|D2R}}
}}
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.
Early life
Rony 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/realestk-interview|title=Meet RealestK, the Mysterious Toronto Artist Everyone's Checking For|website=Complex|last=Gheciu|first=Alex Nino|date=February 22, 2022|access-date=February 22, 2022}}
Career
On 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. The song debuted at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 67 the following week.
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-09-12/191468/nav-realestk-lost-me-video/|title=NAV drops off visual for "Lost Me" with RealestK|website=Revolt|last=Powell|first=Jon|date=September 12, 2022|access-date=September 12, 2022}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/realestk-dreams-2-reality|title=Toronto Artist Realestk Drops Debut Album 'Dreams 2 Reality'|website=Complex|last=Pavlakos|first=Louis|date=October 28, 2022|access-date=October 28, 2022}} After releasing some more singles, RealestK released his debut studio album, Dreams 2 Reality, on October 28, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/realestk-dreams-2-reality|title=Realestk Breaks Onto The Scene With "Dreams 2 Reality"|website=HotNewHipHop|last=Provost|first=Rex|date=October 28, 2022|access-date=October 28, 2022}}
Artistry
Alex 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".
Discography
=Studio albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="2"
|+ Studio album ! scope="col" style="width:14em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:23em;"| Album details |
| scope="row"| Dreams 2 Reality
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"| Real World
|
|
= Singles =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: center;"
|+ ! rowspan="2" |Title ! rowspan="2" |Year ! colspan="5" |Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2" |Album |
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"|CAN {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100/2021-10-30/|title=Canadian Hot 100: Week of October 30, 2021|magazine=Billboard|access-date=October 26, 2021}} !scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"|US !scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"|US !scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"|US !scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"|WW |
|---|
| scope="row"|"Only You"
| rowspan="7"| 2021 | — || — || — || — || — | rowspan="4" {{Non-album singles}} |
| scope="row"|"Swm"
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"|"Confessions"
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"|"Miss Me"
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"|"WFM"
| 53 || 67 || 24 || 7 || 56 | Dreams 2 Reality |
| scope="row"|"Patience"
| — || — || — || — || — | {{Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"|"Toxic"
| — || — || — || — || — | rowspan="2" | Dreams 2 Reality |
| scope="row"|"Love Me"
| rowspan="7" | 2022 | — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"|"Don't Walk Away"
| — || — || — || — || — | {{Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"|"Leave Me Alone"
| — || — || — || — || — | Dreams 2 Reality |
| scope="row"|"One 4 U"
| — || — || — || — || — | {{Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"|"Bruce Wayne"
| — || — || — || — || — | rowspan="3" | Dreams 2 Reality |
| scope="row"|"Trust"
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"|"I Think I Do"
| — || — || — || — || — |
| scope="row"|"Wish You Well"
| 2023 | — || — || — || — || — | {{Non-album single}} |
| colspan="8" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart in that territory. |
=Guest appearance=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" style="width:10em;" | Title
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Album |
|---|
| scope="row" | "Lost Me" {{small|(with Nav)}} | 2022 |