Kaya Jones

Chrystal Neria (born August 28, 1984),[1] known professionally as Kaya Jones, is a Canadian-born American singer and model. She originally became known in 2003 for performing with the American girl group the Pussycat Dolls. Since 2004, she has pursued a solo career in music. In 2017, she joined the National Diversity Coalition for Trump as their Native American Ambassador for Trump despite having no formal recognition of membership in a federal or state tribe, nor confirmation of any Native American ancestry.[2]

Kaya Jones
Jones performing in 2018
Background information
Birth nameChrystal Neria[1]
Born (1984-08-28) August 28, 1984
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
OriginLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instruments
Years active2001–present
Labels
Associated actsThe Pussycat Dolls
Websitewww.kayajones.com
huemanracerecords.com
twitter.com/KayaJones

Personal life

Chrystal Neria was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She joined the girl group the Pussycat Dolls in December 2003, when she was 19.[3] Group founder and choreographer Robin Antin claimed she was not an official member of the group after she claimed that the group was a "prostitution ring" for entertainment executives.[4]

Career

Jones has performed with the Pussycat Dolls a few times, but there is controversy over whether she was ever a full member of the group. Founder Robin Antin has stated that Jones "was never an official member of the group".[4] Jones left the group in September 2004 while the group was recording their debut album, claiming that it was no longer fun to be in the band. She told Yahoo! Singapore, "When everyone is not on the same page it affects the group so that I think was the worst part and I decided to leave".[5]

Jones has repeatedly made allegations that the Pussycat Dolls was a prostitution ring.[6][1][7] She has claimed that she and her bandmates were abused by music industry executives, however, the group has denied the allegations.[8]

Jones contributed vocals to the Pussycat Dolls' songs "Sway" and "We Went As Far As We Felt Like Going", but left the group in September 2004 before the release of these songs and the group's debut album PCD.

After appearing with the Pussycat Dolls, Jones began a solo career in music. She released her first single, "Hollywood Doll," in 2009. Her next single, "Take It Off," was performed with DJ Regi and had a lukewarm reception in Europe, where it charted in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Belgium. In 2011, Jones started a record company called HueMan Race Records, Inc.[5]

Politics

Jones is a conservative, previously registering as a Democrat but switching after becoming a born-again Christian, and an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump.[3] She has appeared on the Fox News show Hannity several times, beginning with an appearance in June 2017.[3]

In December 2017, Jones announced she had joined the National Diversity Coalition for Trump, where she is listed as a director with the title Native American Ambassador for Trump.[9] With this announcement, she began to draw heavy criticism from prominent members of the Native American community.[10][11][2] Jones has claimed to have Apache heritage, but Native American journalists state that no Apache tribe claims her, and that there is no confirmation of any Native ancestry for Jones.[2] Secretary of State of the Cherokee Nation Chuck Hoskin, Jr. has cited genealogist David Cornsilk in a statement saying that Jones is not a member of any federally recognized Native American tribe.[12]

References
  1. Caslin, Yvette (17 October 2017). "Pussycat Doll accuses band of prostitution, but says R. Kelly never tried her". Rolling Out. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  2. Hughes, Art (December 26, 2017). "Monday, January 8, 2018 — Native American ambassador…Kaya Jones?". Native America Calling -Your National Electronic Talking Circle. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  3. Plott, Elaina (October 19, 2017). "How a Former Pussycat Doll Became a Darling of the Right". Washingtonian. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  4. Willis, Jackie (October 16, 2017). "Pussycat Dolls Founder Robin Antin Slams Kaya Jones' Claims that the Group Was a 'Prostitution Ring'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  5. Chai, Gail (August 3, 2012). "Ex-Pussycat Dolls member Kaya Jones: It was no longer fun". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  6. Harrison, Lilly (15 October 2017). "Former Pussycat Dolls Member Kaya Jones Calls the Group a Prostitution Ring". E News. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  7. Petit, Stephanie (October 16, 2017). "Pussycat Dolls Founder Robin Antin Denies Member Kaya Jones' Claim She Was Victimized as Part of 'Prostitution Ring'". People. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  8. Maslow, Nick (October 18, 2017). "Pussycat Dolls slam 'prostitution ring' claims". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  9. "Who We Are". National Diversity Council Trump. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  10. "Kaya Jones: The "Apache" Native American Ambassador For Trump". Stop Tribal Genocide. December 26, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  11. Furdyk, Brent (December 31, 2017). "Cher Refuses To Apologize For 'Half-Breed' After Twitter War Fuelled By Trump's Diversity Coalition Appointee". ET Canada. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  12. "Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Response to Diversity Council Announcement". January 1, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
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