Ivy Sole

Ivy Sole
Birth nameTaylor C. McLendon
Born1995 (age 29–30)
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

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

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

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

Studio albums

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

Live albums

  • Overgrown* (Live from Philadelphia) (2020)

Extended plays

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

Singles

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

Guest appearances

  • 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

  • The Femmetape Summer Tour[13]

References

  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.