Biography
Multiple Grammy-nominated British songwriter and producer Alexander Grant, widely recognized under the moniker Alex da Kid, serves as founder of the KIDinaKORNER imprint and shaped numerous chart-defining singles throughout the 2010s. Raised in North London, Grant first gained traction when a track of his appeared on a Kardinal Offishall release. A subsequent publishing agreement brought him to Los Angeles, where Michelle Williams’ 2008 cut “Hello Heartbreak” marked his initial commercial breakthrough. Further multi-platinum successes arrived via B.o.B and Hayley Williams’ “Airplanes,” Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie,” and Diddy - Dirty Money and Skylar Grey’s “Coming Home.” Yet it was his contributions to Imagine Dragons’ 2012 debut album Night Visions, issued through his own KIDinaKORNER, that cemented his prominence; the set yielded five charting singles, three of them helmed by Grant. In the years that followed, he earned two placements on Billboard’s Top 40 Under 40: Music’s Top Young Power Players Revealed, broadened KIDinaKORNER into a comprehensive creative development firm, and issued original material under his own name.
Born in 1982, the North London native grew up amid varied cultural influences, his father hailing from Jamaica and his mother from England. Although surrounded by diverse sounds in childhood, soccer initially captured his attention, leading him to play semi-professionally for Championship League side Bristol City during his teenage years. A friend’s introduction to FL Studio, then known as Fruity Loops, redirected his focus toward production. Grant later completed a master’s degree in audio technology at Thames University and secured a position at London’s Metropolis Studios.
Around 2008 he relocated to New York City, where an industry contact facilitated placement of one of his productions on Kardinal Offishall’s Not 4 Sale. Grant soon secured a publishing arrangement with Universal Records and moved to Los Angeles. His first major credit came with Michelle Williams’ 2008 single “Hello Heartbreak.” The year 2010 proved pivotal, delivering three multi-platinum hits: B.o.B and Hayley Williams’ “Airplanes,” Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie,” and Diddy - Dirty Money and Skylar Grey’s “Coming Home.” That same year he established KIDinaKORNER and signed Grey as its inaugural artist. In 2011 he added another high-profile success with Dr. Dre’s “I Need a Doctor,” which featured Grey and Eminem.
Subsequent efforts centered largely on Grey and the newly signed Imagine Dragons. The Las Vegas group’s 2012 debut Night Visions generated five charting singles, three produced by Grant—“Radioactive,” “Demons,” and “On Top of the World.” “Radioactive” reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned diamond certification after ten-times platinum sales. Grant’s collaboration with the band continued on their follow-up Smoke + Mirrors, which topped the charts and included his production on “I Bet My Life.” In 2013 he added Jamie N Commons and X Ambassadors to the KIDinaKORNER roster; the latter’s 2015 debut VHS climbed to number seven on the Billboard 200, marking Grant’s fourth project to enter the Billboard Top Ten.
During 2016, alongside his production work on the Suicide Squad track “Sucker for Pain” featuring Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Logic, Ty Dolla $ign, and X Ambassadors, Grant debuted as a solo performer with “Not Easy,” which again featured X Ambassadors, Khalifa, and Elle King. He followed in 2018 with the standalone single “Go” featuring H.E.R. and Rapsody.
Born in 1982, the North London native grew up amid varied cultural influences, his father hailing from Jamaica and his mother from England. Although surrounded by diverse sounds in childhood, soccer initially captured his attention, leading him to play semi-professionally for Championship League side Bristol City during his teenage years. A friend’s introduction to FL Studio, then known as Fruity Loops, redirected his focus toward production. Grant later completed a master’s degree in audio technology at Thames University and secured a position at London’s Metropolis Studios.
Around 2008 he relocated to New York City, where an industry contact facilitated placement of one of his productions on Kardinal Offishall’s Not 4 Sale. Grant soon secured a publishing arrangement with Universal Records and moved to Los Angeles. His first major credit came with Michelle Williams’ 2008 single “Hello Heartbreak.” The year 2010 proved pivotal, delivering three multi-platinum hits: B.o.B and Hayley Williams’ “Airplanes,” Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie,” and Diddy - Dirty Money and Skylar Grey’s “Coming Home.” That same year he established KIDinaKORNER and signed Grey as its inaugural artist. In 2011 he added another high-profile success with Dr. Dre’s “I Need a Doctor,” which featured Grey and Eminem.
Subsequent efforts centered largely on Grey and the newly signed Imagine Dragons. The Las Vegas group’s 2012 debut Night Visions generated five charting singles, three produced by Grant—“Radioactive,” “Demons,” and “On Top of the World.” “Radioactive” reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned diamond certification after ten-times platinum sales. Grant’s collaboration with the band continued on their follow-up Smoke + Mirrors, which topped the charts and included his production on “I Bet My Life.” In 2013 he added Jamie N Commons and X Ambassadors to the KIDinaKORNER roster; the latter’s 2015 debut VHS climbed to number seven on the Billboard 200, marking Grant’s fourth project to enter the Billboard Top Ten.
During 2016, alongside his production work on the Suicide Squad track “Sucker for Pain” featuring Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Logic, Ty Dolla $ign, and X Ambassadors, Grant debuted as a solo performer with “Not Easy,” which again featured X Ambassadors, Khalifa, and Elle King. He followed in 2018 with the standalone single “Go” featuring H.E.R. and Rapsody.
Singles