How much is Kandi Burruss worth?
| Net Worth: | $14 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Singer |
| Date of Birth: | May 17, 1976 (age 46) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 5 ft 2 in (1.59 m) |
About Kandi Burruss
Kandi Burruss, whose full name is Kandi Lenice Burruss, is an American actress, businesswoman, television personality, singer, and songwriter. Often simply called Kandi, she began her career in 1991 at the age of 15, when she joined the group Xscape. The girl group eventually signed a recording deal with Jermaine Dupri’s label So So Def Recordings and had a ton of success in the late 1990s. Ever since then, Kandi has released two studio albums, several number-one hit singles and starred in a variety of television series and reality shows.
Ever since she announced her departure from Xscape, Kandi rose to prominence and made a name for herself in the entertainment business. In the early 2000s, when she won her first and only Grammy Award in the category “Best R&B Song”, which she received for her writing contributions to TLC’s number one hit “No Scrubs”. Since 2009, she has been one of the premiere stars in the television series The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Kandi became famous during her teen years thanks to her spunk and various talents. She was born on May 17, 1976, in East Point, Georgia. In 1994, shortly after she graduated from the Tri-Cities High School in her hometown, Kandi focused her attention on music and acting. Her first television appearance was at the age of 15 when she took part in an episode of the BET series Teen Summit.
At that time, Kandi met LaTocha Scott and her sister Tamika. The three began singing during their teen years and were soon joined by Tamera Coggins, however, she didn’t last long in the group. Kandi, Latocha, and Tamika were soon approached by Tameka Cottie who was interested in joining them.
After Tameka joined the group, the four girls formed Xscape. Often called “XSCAP3”, the vocal quintet, was eventually discovered by Jermaine Dupri, who signed them to his So So Def Recordings label.
The success of the girl group really helped Kandi and the rest of the girls rich. After they signed with Jermaine, in October 1993, Xscape released their debut studio album Hummin’ Comin’ at Cha. The album debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard 200 among several other charts.
It was followed by their sophomore album, Off the Hook, released in July 1995. In just a few months time, both albums received platinum certifications by the RIAA.
In 1998, Xscape released their third and final album titled Traces of My Lipstick. Just like the previous two, it was a critical and commercial success that appeared in several album charts and received a platinum certification by the RIAA. After the album’s release, the group officially disbanded and Kandi decided to pursue her solo music career.
In 1999, she focused her attention on songwriting and production. It was at that time that she teamed up with her Xscape group mate Tameka Cottie to co-write the TLC hit “No Scrubs”. Thanks to her songwriting skills, Kandi earned her first Grammy Award the following year in the category “Best R&B Song”. She also co-wrote Pink’s debut single “There You Go” and another hit single “Bills, Bills, Bills”, which eventually became one of Destiny’s Child’s most streamed songs of the decade.
Besides a Grammy, in 2000, Kandi also earned herself an ASCAP award in the category “Songwriter of the Year”, given mainly for her songwriting credits in the aforementioned hits. With the win, she also became the first African-American to achieve this.
Kandi Burruss’ success started in 2000 when she began releasing her own music and appearing on a variety of television series, and reality shows. Her debut single titled “Don’t Think I’m Not” was released in August and in just a few months time, it earned gold and silver certifications in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The song also served as a lead single in her debut album – Hey Kandi…
Her first studio album was released a month later, in mid-September. Despite not being a commercial success, the album was met with generally positive reviews. In the mid-2000s, Kandi left the label Columbia Records and went on a hiatus. A couple of years later, in October 2009, she released her first extended play Fly Above EP, which includes collaborations with established rappers Gucci Mane, Rasheeda, and Rick Ross.
Upon her return to the music industry, Kandi announced she signed a deal with Asylum Records. In 2010, she released her second album Kandi Koated. Before the album was released, in March 2009, it was confirmed that she would replace Deshawn Snow in The Real Housewives of Atlanta starting its second season. Thanks to her exciting personality, Kandi became one of the most distinguished stars on the show and was soon offered her own reality series titled The Kandi Factory.
The 2013 spin-off of the above mentioned The Real Housewives of Atlanta was followed by two other spin-offs, which premiered in 2014 and 2015. Unlike the first, Kandi’s Wedding and Kandi’s Ski Trip were more successful and amassed over 1.5 million viewers.
Outside of the widely-popular Bravo reality series, Kandi has also taken part in a number of television shows and reality series such as Celebrity Big Brother, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Single Ladies, and Let’s Stay Together.
Her most recent appearance was in the popular reality singing competition – The Masked Singer. Kandi worked the third season of the show, where she portrayed the character of “Night Angel”. In the finale of the show, she was declared the winner and was able to defeat the likes of Jesse McCartney and Bow Wow. With her win, she became the first female to win the competition.
Burruss’ Total Net Worth
Kandi Burruss has earned estimated total career income of $25 million dollars. Burruss is paid $450,000 per season when she appears on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and has earned more from her music sales in the 90s and 2000s, as well as her business ventures in more recent years.
As Burruss lives in the state of Georgia, she will have had to pay around 41% in taxes on her career income. After tax, it is estimated that her career earnings are at around $14.75 million dollars, having paid $10.25 million dollars in taxes.
Kandi Burruss married television producer Todd Tucker in 2014 and they remain together. They have two children together, Ace Wells and Blaze Tucker. Kandi also has another child, Riley Burruss, from a previous relationship with Russell Spencer.
In her personal life Burruss has likely spent $2-3 million dollars of her career earnings but also earned $3 million dollars from her investments. In 2012 she bought a mansion in Atlanta for $512,00 and, after $200,000 invested in renovations, it is estimated to be worth around $1 million dollars today.
As she will have also had to pay around $1-2 million dollars in business related costs, it is therefore estimated, that Kandi Burruss has a net worth of about $14 million dollars.
Summing-Up
Ever since her teen years, Kandi Burruss has found success in the entertainment business. She first began singing and songwriting and then became a reality star who has won millions of fans. Whether it’s writing a song for TLC or Destiny’s Child or sparking up a feud in The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Kandi has done it all and continues to be one of the most influential reality stars in the world.
