Ex-Brownstone singer is latest buzz with alternative act

Nekesa Mumbi Moody

Friday, Sept. 8, 2000 | 10:13 a.m.

Kina in concert

NEW YORK -- As a member of the trio Brownstone, Kina had a taste of commercial success and fame. For many singers, who struggle just to get a record deal, that would have been enough.

But singing grooves that fit into the mainstream R&B market left Kina in a deep funk. The Detroit-born singer, who grew up listening to everyone from Led Zeppelin to Chaka Khan, felt stifled, unable to do the kind of music she really wanted to do. So she took a chance on herself.

"I needed to be the artist that I am, and I left to do that, so it was a relief, and exciting, because I was finally going to do what I wanted to do," she said.

It appears Kina's gamble is paying off with the release of her self-titled debut album, which features hard-driving rock tracks against her gospel-like vocals. The album's first single, "Girl From the Gutter," an anthem for the scorned and the belittled, is getting airplay on Top 40 radio stations.

She is also the opening act for Savage Garden, and both perform Sunday at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues. It's part of a multilayered strategy that has one bold goal: to make her a superstar.

"I would not be happy with a gold record quite honestly," said her manager Benny Medina, whose clients include Jennifer Lopez and Sean "Puffy" Combs. "We shouldn't just break an artist here, we should break barriers."

For Kina to break barriers in sales, she will first have to overcome obstacles in the world of commercial radio. As a black female who sings something other than R&B, she faces similar challenges of those who came before her.

Most urban radio stations do not play songs that deviate from the R&B format, which usually consists of hip-hop, dance beats or silky soul songs. Meanwhile it can be difficult for black alternative acts to get airplay on mainstream or other radio outlets.

While Macy Gray's double-platinum debut is a success story, there are many others -- including Billie Myers, Nicole Renee and Joi -- whose sparkling albums did not garner commercial success.

"I was definitely worried about it, but so far, the response has been amazing, at least on Top 40 radio," she said. "I wish I could be played on black radio, but there's nothing."

Still the buzz is out there. In appearances prior to her album's release, she drew audiences packed with celebrities and industry executives hoping to get a glimpse of the singer being hawked by DreamWorks Records as its next big thing.

On a superficial level, Kina -- who is in her 20s -- has what it takes to be a star: She is statuesque with stunning looks and her close-cropped blond hair is in sharp contrast to her dark-brown complexion. She has already signed a contract with the Wilhelmina modeling agency.

Although Medina was eager to sign her, Kina wasn't in any rush to make him her manager, despite his successful track record in Hollywood. (Besides Lopez and Combs, Medina was instrumental in Will Smith's rise to stardom.)

At a meeting, Kina's lawyer peppered him with dozens of questions before dismissing him without giving him an answer, Medina said.

"I felt like I had gone out on a first date and really hoped that the girl would call me back," he said.

Kina's approach to business comes from lessons learned the hard way. She arrived in Los Angeles almost a decade ago at the urging of a college friend, Nichole Gilbert, who was putting together a singing group.

She joined the group, but it disbanded two days later. She then began working on her own music, taking various jobs to pay the bills, including working as a clothed waitress at a strip joint.

Meanwhile Gilbert formed Brownstone in 1994. The group was signed to MJJ Music/Epic records and scored a Top 10 hit with "If You Love Me." Kina watched her friend's success from the sideline, but with no regrets.

"I still wanted to do what I wanted to do. I had put a band together, and I had my own thing," she said. "I felt like it still would have been drama."

When one of the trio became ill, Gilbert called on Kina, who didn't pass up the opportunity. She had fun going on tour, but "inner turmoil" made her rethink her decision, she said. After Brownstone's second release in 1997 was met with tepid fan response, Kina left the group, which eventually disbanded.

"Everybody just wanted to go and do their thing and I went first," she said. "We parted not as friends, but we didn't part as enemies. There was no big explosion, no big fight, it was kind of like, 'See ya.' "