What you see…isn’t always ALL you get. If there’s one person who could be a spokes model for this remixed cliché, it’s
Kiya Roberts.
Consider this...
....a pretty young animated woman with a body type similar to that of a Barbie doll, walks into your office. You’re thinking “Well, here we go…another ditzy airhead with no sustainable talent, who thinks her looks are gonna make her famous.” But you couldn’t be more WRONG!!
Kiya recalls, “I’ll never forget the time a college organization of mine played the truth sheet game. Someone wrote about me ‘you seem to be a little light-weight mental, but you’re good at what you do.’ I think I took offense to that comment at the time. Then I got a little older and realized that, if on first impression I come off as ditzy or fiesty, who cares?! I make people laugh and they feel comfortable around me because of it! I know who I am and what lies beneath.” What Kiya is referring to, what she knows that most people don’t about her, is that underneath that playfully feisty surface is a deeply authentic, independent, sensitive and intelligent young lady. There is layer after layer of emotional range and depth fueled by her own experiences. Commonly cast as the sought-after love interest, in real life, Kiya is a compassionate self-proclaimed “hopeless romantic”, desperately wanting to believe in happily-ever-after, in love and life.
"No longer apologizing that I'm not who you EXPECT me to be."
"....if on first impression I com off as ditzy or fiesty, who cares?! I know who Iam..."
Growing up in a good family environment in Richmond, VA, Kiya did everything the “right” way. She received excellent grades, played sports, joined clubs and set high standards for her younger brother and sister to uphold. What she couldn’t seem to get right though, was her ‘place’ in the social scene. Passed over by the boys she liked for being “too skinny” and labeled “too smart” to be one of the super cool girls, Kiya considered herself anything but “sought-after” in relationships of any kind. However, being the not-so-popular girl, caused Kiya to develop something she would subsequently use throughout the rest of her life, a sense of humor. From cafeteria stand-up sessions to classroom clownery, Kiya found that she had a gift for making people laugh. Says Kiya of her comedic ability, “Impressions were my thing. I would do anything from mimicking our math teacher to recreating whole scenes from everyone’s favorite movies. It was great!! I had something that made me unique and it felt good. Even the boys paid more attention to me!”
But her comedic skills weren’t the only thing the boys were beginning to pay attention to. “I don’t know when my body started to develop into …this,” she says laughing. “I just know that one day I looked down, and had boobs! At first, I tried to hide my body, but then I realized that this was ME, and I had to learn to love all of me. God gave me this physical makeup for some reason…and, well, (laughingly), if you’ve got it, baby, shake it!” So, stepping into a newfound feminine confidence, thus began the trials of young love in this ‘funny girl’s’ life. Kiya has admittedly experienced every kind of healthy and unhealthy relationship you can think of, and says of them all “I wouldn’t change a thing. I honestly believe every experience I’ve known with a man, from my father and brothers to my last boyfriend, has helped to build the colorful arsenal of variety I can use in my work.” And once you’ve seen her work, it all makes sense. From girl-next-door caught between two loves, to sensual seductress, to stuck up daddy’s girl, to real-life SNL character, Kiya, like Barbie, can change clothes and become just about any kind of love interest there is, and always with perfect poise!
Coincidentally, as a child her favorite games were dress up and Barbie soap opera, (they would pick up where they left off in the story the next day). And as we all know, the grown-up version of changing clothes, playing characters and telling stories is the life of a true thespian, as is Miss Roberts. Taking her life-long love for creating and entertaining to the esteemed BFA program at Howard University, Kiya quickly developed a strong love for the stage and acting. After college, ready to reach new levels in her career, she picked up and moved to Los Angeles to continue progressing as a performer. Continuing to take classes, (even to the present), to train as an actress, she takes the craft of acting very seriously and speaks candidly about her battle with self-doubt. “There’s so much to consider in pursuing this dream. For one, there’s a lot of competition out there, and it can be scary. But sometimes success is just as frightening as failure. Once you really believe you are good enough, what happens then?”
Kiya, though the epitome of a girlie girl is, at best, a unique dichotomy. With a graceful demeanor, yet naturally feisty personality, she was once described as: ‘the best champagne available and a big bowl of popcorn!’ Comically, she can pull off complete opposites with ease. In her signature ‘Gospel according to Kiya’ tone, she poses the question: “How many funny female actresses do you know that give you a healthy order of sophistication, but can completely smother it in homemade goofball? ‘Cause I can!” As proof, in 2007, she landed her first television series, Hell Date, a comedic faux dating show, where Kiya played everything from a prissy virgin to a classy, yet sex-driven, young lady with no qualms about changing a tampon behind a bush on a romantic walk in the park! Using her natural ability to be sexy and funny at the same time, she undoubtedly became a network favorite whose episodes ran for over 3 years and still sell on Itunes!!
"...one day I looked down, and had boobs!! At first, I tried to hide my body...but hey, if you've got it baby shake it!"
Quietly becoming a recognizable face in the industry, she has since landed work in several independent films, the roles of Sara and Mattie in Layon Gray’s NAACP Image Award winning “The Girls of Summer” , Lola Brown in Patricia Cuffie-Jones' "Love's Holiday", and a recurring cast member on the new sketch comedy web series, The Q&A Show. Most recently she has begun work on 2 of her first independently produced projects, a highly controversial documentary feature, and an original stage play.
Kiya Roberts is due to hit the industry like a hurricane in the desert. An exotic beauty, clothed in charming intellect, matching quick-wit and bewitching sensuality, with the articulation of the youngest woman ever elected to Senate, say hello to the new "Black Barbie".
She's ready to revolutionize ALL your previously held convictions....and no longer apologizing that she's not who you EXPECT her to be!