Kandi Burruss

Kandi Burruss was born on May 17, 1976 in College Park, Georgia. She attended Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia and graduated in 1994. While at high school, she met LaTocha Scott, Tamika Scott, and finally Tameka "Tiny" Cottle and formed the girl group Xscape. The quartet's major breakthrough performance came in 1992 with an appearance on BET's Teen Summit when Burruss was 15 years old. The TV appearance led to the girls signing with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. Their debut album, Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha, was released in October 1993 and had both critical and commercial success. Xscape released two further albums in the 1990s: Off the Hook in 1995 and Traces of My Lipstick in 1998. All three albums were certified platinum and spawned the hits Just Kickin' It, Understanding, Feels So Good, Who Can I Run To, and The Arms of the One Who Loves You, among others. In June 2017, Xscape reunited at the BET Awards and embarked on a reunion tour from November 2017 until January 2018.

Burruss has also experienced success as a solo artist, releasing her debut album Hey Kandi... in 2000, an EP entitled Fly Above in 2009, and a second studio album, Kandi Koated, in 2010. She has also enjoyed a prolific career as a songwriter, most notably co-writing hits such as No Scrubs for TLC, Bills, Bills, Bills for Destiny's Child, and There You Go for P!nk.

In 2009, Burruss also became a reality TV star, joining the second season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta on Bravo, which also led to the spin-off series The Kandi Factory in 2012, Kandi's Wedding in 2014, and Kandi's Ski Trip in 2015.

She made her Broadway debut in a special limited engagement as Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago from January 15 through March 11, 2018.