Ivy Sole

Ivy Sole
Birth nameTaylor C. McLendon
Born1995 (age 28–29)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • producer
Years active2016–present
Labels
  • Les fleurs
Websiteivysole.com

Taylor C. McLendon (born 1995), known professionally as Ivy Sole, is an American rapper and record producer from Philadelphia. Ivy Sole has been a member of Indigold, Liberal Art, and Third Eye Optiks.[1] Ivy Sole has been mentioned as an example of the growing movement of non-binary artists.[2][3]

Early life

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McLendon grew up queer in a Southern Baptist Church and received all of their vocal training in a church setting. McLendon was raised in a predominantly black neighborhood, but attended a predominantly white magnet school.[4]

A week after their 18th birthday, McLendon attended a Mac Miller concert featuring Rapsody and Nicki Minaj, which they cite as their inspiration for pursuing a musical career.[5]

Career

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Ivy Sole began their musical career by joining three different collaborations called Indigold, Liberal Art, and Third Eye Optiks.[1]

In 2016, Ivy Sole began their solo career with the debut mixtape entitled Eden,[6] which would be followed by the extended plays West and then East.[1] NPR noted that Ivy Sole tackles mental health issues in their music video for the track entitled "Life" off of the extended play East.[7]

In 2018, Ivy Sole released their debut full-length album entitled Overgrown.[1] Pitchfork did a review of the track entitled "Achilles" off of the album Overgrown.[8]

In 2020, a live recording of Overgrown entitled Overgrown* (Live from Philadelphia) was released.

Personal life

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McLendon moved to Philadelphia in 2011 to attend the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. They graduated with the Class of 2015 with a degree in business.[1][9]

Describing their sexual orientation to Billboard, McLendon stated: "I like women and I like men. I like women a lot though. Women have me on my ass, which is rare — I feel like I'm a very calm and collected person."[4] McLendon identifies as non-binary[10] and uses they/them pronouns.[11]

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • Eden (2016)
  • Overgrown (2018)
  • Candid (2022)

Live albums

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  • Overgrown* (Live from Philadelphia) (2020)

Extended plays

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  • West (2017)
  • East (2017)
  • SOUTHPAW (2020)

Singles

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  • "Backwoods" (2018)
  • "Rollercoaster" (2018)
  • "Life" (feat. Dave B) (2016)

Guest appearances

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  • Cro – "fake you." from tru (2017)
  • Franky Hill – "Lies" from User (2018)
  • B4bonah – "4 U" from B4Beginning (2019)
  • Hadji Gaviota – "tHAt SiNkiNg feeliNg..." from ANCHORS (2019)
  • Myles Cream – "Peace" from Grillo (2019)
  • Charles Fauna – "Listen" from Yonder (2020)
  • Birthh – "Ultraviolet" from WHOA (2020)
  • Blossom – "Sass (sowle Remix)" from Sass (sowle Remix) (2020)
  • Pool Cosby – "Day Breaks" from Day Breaks (2020)
  • Shura – "elevator girl"[12] from elevator girl (2020)

Concert tours

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  • The Femmetape Summer Tour[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Corry, Kristen (September 24, 2018). "Ivy Sole Is the Philly Rapper Who Wants You to Forgive Yourself". Vice. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  2. ^ Chesman, Donna-Claire (January 7, 2019). "5 Women in Hip-Hop to Watch in 2019". DJBooth. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Setaro, Shawn (January 16, 2018). "What's Next in Rap? Experts Predict What Hip-Hop Will Sound Like in 2018". Complex. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Ivy Sole Talks Growing Up Queer in the Southern Baptist Church & Mac Miller's Impact: 'He Bridged Generations'". www.billboard.com. September 19, 2018. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  5. ^ Kuga, Mitchell (September 19, 2018). "Ivy Sole Talks Growing Up Queer in the Southern Baptist Church & Mac Miller's Impact: 'He Bridged Generations'". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  6. ^ Victoria, Da'ryl (April 14, 2016). "The Source |On The Rise: Ivy Sole Bares It All On their Debut EP, 'EDEN'". The Source. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  7. ^ Carmichael, Rodney (June 1, 2017). "Ivy Sole's 'Life' Reassures That Pain Is Temporary". NPR. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  8. ^ Horn, Olivia (September 24, 2018). "Ivy Sole "Achilles"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  9. ^ Heinzerling, Kelly (August 7, 2017). "Why Wharton grad Ivy Sole is the hip-hop artist you should be listening to". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  10. ^ "Facebook on Instagram: "What are your pronouns? How do you ask someone for theirs? For #InternationalPronounsDay (celebrated on the third Wednesday of October each year), we talked to @wetheculture creator @ivysole on why using correct pronouns is important, and why sharing your own can be powerful."". Instagram.com. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  11. ^ "Ivy sole (@ivysole) • Instagram photos and videos". Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Swanson, Chris; Swanson, Ben (March 16, 2020). "Shura Shares New Single "elevator girl (ft. Ivy Sole)"". Secretly Canadian. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  13. ^ Keimig, Jasmyne. "Ivy Sole, Blossom, Parisalexa". The Stranger. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
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