Joann Kelly is the daughter of musician, convicted felon, racketeer, and sex offender, Robert Sylvester Kelly better known as R. Kelly, and choreographer, dancer, and actress Andrea Danyell Lee also known as Andrea Kelly or Drea. Joann’s father R. Kelly won three Grammys for his song “I Believe I Can Fly”, and was also nominated for his song “You Are Not Alone” recorded by Michael Jackson.
Joann Kelly: Bio Summary
| Name | Joann Kelly |
| Age | 25 years old as of 2023 |
| Date of birth | March 19, 1998 |
| Famous as | daughter of R. Kelly and Andrea Kelly |
| Gender | Female |
| Parents | R. Kelly and Andrea Kelly |
| Siblings | Robert Kelly Jr. and Jaah Kelly |
| Grandparent | Joanne Kelly |
| Occupation | Singer |
Joann Kelly Is The Eldest Child
Joann Kelly was born on March 19, 1998, to R. Kelly and his ex-wife Andrea Kelly (née Lee) as their first child. As of 2023, Joann is 25 years of age. She was named after her grandmother Joanne Kelly who was a schoolteacher and devout Baptist. Joanne died from cancer in 1993. She has two younger siblings Robert Kelly Jr. (b. 2002) and Jaah Kelly (b. 2000).
ALSO, READ; Carey Kelly: What Happened to R. Kelly’s brother?
Jaah publicly came out as a trans male at age 14, in a video posted to his then-active Ask. fm account. “I believe I am a boy and want surgery and the medication to help me be who I was supposed to be,” Jaah said in an interview with Paper magazine for its Pride issue. “I identify as a lesbian, I know I like girls, but that’s as far as I’ll go to label myself,” Jaah said.
Jaah is a musician and he releases music under the name JaahBaby. Joann appeared on the WEtv reality series Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta alongside her mother Andrea Kelly. According to her IMDb page, she appeared as Joann Kelly in the music video, Céline Dion & R. Kelly: I’m Your Angel and R. Kelly: I Wish.
Joann Kelly Had A Sour Childhood
Although Joann Kelly is a celebrity child, her childhood was not all that pleasant. Joann has opened up about her experiences growing up. Per The Hollywood Reporter, when she was still a child, her father R. Kelly was on trial, accused of child pornography. Joann revealed that going to public school for the first time as an early teen was very challenging for her.
At school, Joann Kelly heard all sorts of stories about her father that she had not heard before. She said, “Kids in school don’t necessarily care. Fifth and sixth grade is when I started learning the sore part of it, the not so good part. I think that was the hardest part for me because for so long I went with this image of who my dad (was) and what my family (was).”
Also Read: Robert Kelly Jr: What Happened To R. Kelly And Andrea Kelly’s Son?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it got to a time when Joann Kelly even ‘contemplated suicide’. However, her life at home was normal: “At home it’s normal, you’re living a life with your parents; your dad and mom aren’t going to go into all the bad things that might be going on outside of home,” she said.
Joann Kelly’s Relationship With Her Father, R. Kelly
Joann Kelly and her father R. Kelly do not have a good father-daughter relationship. Her parents R. Kelly and Andrea Kelly’s marriage ended in January 2009, after 13 years of marriage. Later Andrea accused R. Kelly of physical, verbal, and mental abuse, including in the documentary Surviving R. Kelly (2019).
Joann Kelly became estranged from her father after the release of “Surviving R. Kelly,” which depicts the sexual abuse allegations against her father R. Kelly. Joann said she and her father does not “have a relationship, so it’s not like me to check in on him. I don’t personally go look it all up and read. I keep myself out of it.”
In an Instagram post, Joann Kelly reacted to allegations from multiple women of sexual abuse against her father. She wrote: “The same monster you all confronting me about is my father. I am well aware of who and what he is. I grew up in that house.
ALSO, READ; Carey Kelly: What Happened to R. Kelly’s brother?
She added: “I pray for all the families & woman who have been affected by my father’s actions. Trust, I have been deeply affected by all of this.”
Joann Kelly Is Into Music
Just like her father, Joann Kelly is a talented singer. She decided not to use her real name but prefers her stage name, Buku Abi. She is believed to have inherited her talent from her father, R. Kelly who has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. She was performing on stage in high school. She has revealed that entering the music industry hasn’t been easy.
Joann Kelly has faced some challenges and she said her father’s misfortunes had affected her musical career. She can never run away from the fact that she is the daughter of R. Kelly. She says being his daughter is like “a double-edged sword.” She said people in the music industry judge her simply because her father is R. Kelly.
“I definitely run across challenges — people wanting to work with me to spite him or people not wanting to work with me just because of who he is,” she said. “I’ve definitely come across turmoil … being judged for really no reason at all, just based off associations. I’ve been pushing through it. Me making the art, it saved my life so there’s nothing really that would be able to stop me.”
ALSO, READ; Theresa Kelly- Who is R. Kelly’s sister, Where is she now?
Joann Kelly claims that she has lost several record deals because of her father. She selected the name Buku Abi after first going by the name Ariirayé. She worked hard on her debut EP, “Don’t Call Me,” produced by her sibling Jaah Kelly, which echoes SZA and other millennial artists in the alternative R&B world.
Music is where Joann and her father connect and she hasn’t denied that. She said: “There’s a lot about him as an artist that inspires me.” She added: “He has made mistakes in his life and other things that he’s dealing with, but when it comes to that, I can’t take that away from him. That’s the one thing that will always keep us connected.”
Also Read: Jaah Kelly: Everything About R. Kelly And Andrea Kelly’s Transgender Child
Joann Kelly collaborated with R. Kelly while she was using her former stage name Ariirayé, on the song “Wanna Be There,” a plea to restore their broken relationship. It appears on his 2015 album, “The Buffet.” Joann has released songs, including “Mmm Yeah,” “Back Up,” and “You Ain’t a threat.” She also uploaded another track, “Pls Don’t,” on Sound Cloud.
Joann Kelly Boyfriend Or Husband
Joann Kelly hasn’t spoken about her love life. It is unknown if she is married or seeing someone currently. There is no information about her past relationships or marriages. Per The Sun, she made it known to her fans in November 2020 that she had a miscarriage. The identity of the father of the baby remains undisclosed.
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