That Girl Lay Lay on Child Stardom, Growing Up & Life After Nickelodeon

That Girl Lay Lay, aka Alaya High, bonds with Keke over what it’s really like to be a child star ready to grow up. At 19, the actor and rapper opens up about evolving in the public eye, dating and heartbreak, having her dad as her manager, and why she feels a responsibility to the young fans who have grown up with her. She also talks about life after her Nickelodeon show, working with Monaleo, new music, and betting on herself with her self-funded film Growing Pains. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Keke Palmer?

  Today, I'm sitting down with Aleah High, also known as That Girl Lele. Like me, she knows what it means to grow up in this business and have the world know your name before they fully understand the person behind it. She became the youngest female rapper ever signed to a major label, went from viral freestyles to starring in her own Nickelodeon show. And now, she's building her next era as an artist, creator, and young black woman. We're talking music, family, fame, social media, relationships, and what it takes to keep growing when the world is still attached to the version of you they first met. So, let's get into it. Baby, this is Keke Palmer. And baby, this is Lele.

• 1:12Keke Palmer?

  Today's episode is brought to you by Apple Watch. We spend so much time checking in on everybody else, but when's the last time you checked in on your heart? Apple Watch Series 12 has an all-new health-sensing system that unlocks even more powerful health insights. In health, heart is everything. Now, let's get into today's show.

• 1:35Keke Palmer?

  Come out, girl!

• 1:37Speaker 01

  Hello! Hi, Kiki!

• 1:40Keke Palmer?

  You look so good, boo! How are you?

• 1:44Speaker 01

  I'm fantastic. How are you?

• 1:46Keke Palmer?

  I'm doing good. We on the East Coast.

• 1:47Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 1:48Keke Palmer?

  You know, how's everything going down in Houston? I know that's where you from.

• 1:51Speaker 01

  Yes, it's going well. I recently just moved down back there, so...

• 1:55Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, you were in L.A. for a while, huh?

• 1:57Speaker 01

  I was in L.A. for two years while filming my show, and then I lived in Atlanta.

• 2:01Keke Palmer?

  Okay, I love Atlanta. I spent a lot of work in Atlanta.

• 2:04Speaker 01

  Yes, I love working in Atlanta. I think more than L.A. It's just, it's a different feeling.

• 2:09Keke Palmer?

  Especially with music. You can get with so many people. It's very creative. I mean, no shade to L.A., but just, you know, you know, Atlanta's that music scene. You know, we gotta be real.

• 2:16Speaker 01

  It's different.

• 2:18Keke Palmer?

  Well, I'm so happy you're here on the podcast, girl.

• 2:20Speaker 01

  Thank you. I'm happy to be here.

• 2:21Keke Palmer?

  It was so crazy when you were coming on here. I was talking to my team that is still part of the same team that I had when I was on GMA 3.

• 2:27Speaker 01

  Yes, they just told me.

• 2:28Keke Palmer?

  And we were talking about when you came on there with your dad. I think this is right before your TV show, right when your TV show happened.

• 2:34Speaker 01

  Yes, I was like, probably 12 or 13.

• 2:36Keke Palmer?

  Which is so crazy, so we go way back.

• 2:38Speaker 01

  Right.

• 2:39Keke Palmer?

  I love that. I love that. Okay, so we did our pre-show pull-up, so I'm about to get to know you a little bit more. Your first name is actually Aleah High. Come on, Aleah. Now, do people call you Aleah?

• 2:49Speaker 01

  My family does.

• 2:50Keke Palmer?

  Okay, cute, cute.

• 2:51Speaker 01

  Yes, my family does. But fans and friends, they call me their Le or, you know, Lele.

• 2:55Keke Palmer?

  Oh, Lele. Zodiac sign is Aquarius. I feel like that is correct. You give me that fun, flirty energy. I live for an Aquarius vibe.

• 3:03Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 3:04Keke Palmer?

  Your rising is a Leo. Do you feel any connection to the Leo of it all?

• 3:08Speaker 01

  I think when it comes to my looks, I'm giving Leo. You know, when it comes to the nails, you know, the black, red bottoms underneath with the little bob.

• 3:15Keke Palmer?

  I love when you were doing the wide, like, you were doing like some type of wide type situation. That was very cute.

• 3:20Speaker 01

  Yes, they hated them, so I stopped doing them.

• 3:21Keke Palmer?

  I like, I just, I was like, yes, she put me on to something. I was like, my girl Lele put me on to something. I was with that.

• 3:26Speaker 01

  Those are my favorite ones.

• 3:28Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, very cute. Gemini moon. Now, do you feel the Gemini? Because you know they come for the Geminis. People be getting on me, but I like Geminis now, okay? Y'all, I like Gemini.

• 3:34Speaker 01

  I love Geminis, but I think my emotions are ruled by that Gemini moon, and I have a, I have a time with that. I think already being in Aquarius, I'm already kind of woo! And then the Gemini's like woo more, and then the Leo's just like pow! Like, it's just too much. It's just too much for me.

• 3:51Keke Palmer?

  But that's what makes the perfect cocktail, you know?

• 3:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, okay, yeah.

• 3:54Keke Palmer?

  What are you most grateful for today? To be here on Kiki's show, doing what I love. I was so excited too to have you on. Soon as it was like, yes, my girl Lele, let's get her on there and just catch up, because it's been so long.

• 4:06Speaker 01

  It has. It's been, it's been a while.

• 4:08Keke Palmer?

  I know we're gonna get into it, but just, I've been following you since the beginning, since your dad put out that first freestyle. So, it's like from there to you coming on GMA, to you having your own show. My little, one of my little nieces actually appeared on your show, and I was like, y'all up on Lele's show? Like, it was just because they love you. They just love you, and so I was so excited to catch up with you.

• 4:27Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 4:27Keke Palmer?

  Okay, what is a question you wish you were asked in more interviews? How are you doing in the industry mentally?

• 4:34Speaker 01

  Because, you know, the industry takes a toll, and they're always just wondering everything but that. And I feel like that's the biggest thing. That's, you know, you can't work if your mental isn't good. And right now, I'm in a great mental space.

• 4:46Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, but it is very up and down.

• 4:48Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 4:48Keke Palmer?

  Because, first of all, life is up and down. But with a public-facing job, it can be just like, because you gotta be so pulled together. You gotta be like...

• 4:55Speaker 01

  Yes, all the time.

• 4:56Keke Palmer?

  If you're in a job, maybe that you're behind the scenes or you're like behind a desk, and maybe it'd be easy to be like, huh, I'm mad.

• 5:01Speaker 01

  Right.

• 5:02Keke Palmer?

  On your computer or something, at least you can have that moment.

• 5:04Speaker 01

  Right.

• 5:04Keke Palmer?

  But when you're like in a public-facing job, you have a...

• 5:06Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'm so happy. Like, I'm really going through it right now.

• 5:09Keke Palmer?

  Yes, yes, so I definitely feel you on that. Who was someone you've met that made you feel starstruck? We have this in common. You said Angela Bassett. Girl, we love Angela Bassett.

• 5:18Speaker 01

  Oh, my goodness.

• 5:19Keke Palmer?

  Angela is really just that lady, like...

• 5:22Speaker 01

  It's just something about her that I just, I just love.

• 5:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 5:27Speaker 01

  I was so happy to meet her.

• 5:28Keke Palmer?

  Now, when did you guys meet? Was it at an award show?

• 5:30Speaker 01

  It was at the NAACP Award.

• 5:34Keke Palmer?

  I knew it had to be easy, because she's at the, she's at the event, you know what I mean?

• 5:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, if it's, you know, if she there, it's that type of event. Yes, NAACP Image Award. And I remember seeing her. She was sitting out in the front, and I'm looking at everybody. We're all in the back, and I'm like, I need a picture with Angela. And I didn't want to go out there. I didn't want to, you know, say, hey, can I get a picture? But I had to do it. This is the Angela.

• 5:55Keke Palmer?

  Very classy, very demure.

• 5:56Speaker 01

  Okay, and I was like, crouched down. I'm trying to take the picture. She's talking about, girl, get up. Okay.

• 6:00Keke Palmer?

  Okay, that's that Leo. She's a Leo.

• 6:03Speaker 01

  I got up so quick.

• 6:05Keke Palmer?

  I love that. Shout out to Angela. Okay, now, for anybody that knows the name, That Girl Lele, but may not know the whole story, how would you kind of introduce yourself to them now?

• 6:16Speaker 01

  I feel like I'm still figuring that out myself. What I do know is that I'm an entertainer, and I'm doing what I love, and I have a mission, and I'm still completing the mission, you know, to be a role model for the younger kids. And I just want to be that positive influence that they don't see often.

• 6:31Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah. Do you have younger siblings yourself?

• 6:33Speaker 01

  I do have younger siblings.

• 6:34Keke Palmer?

  Boys, girl?

• 6:35Speaker 01

  Yes, I have brothers and sisters.

• 6:37Keke Palmer?

  Oh, wow. I'm sure they really are like, you just, you that one.

• 6:40Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 6:41Keke Palmer?

  You know what I'm saying? Do they have interest in music?

• 6:43Speaker 01

  Yes, they do. One is very, very talented at drawing. The other one, he wants to rap like me. And then my sister, she just sings and dances around the house all day long. She reminds me so much of me.

• 6:53Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, I love that so much. I mean, speaking of that, we met you as a fearless little 11-year-old girl freestyling in your daddy's car, girl.

• 7:12Keke Palmer?

  And now, you're stepping into a new chapter. I mean, when you look back at those first days of yourself, what do you see and what do you remember?

• 7:19Speaker 01

  I just see so much confidence in younger me. And, you know, I feel like I still have that confidence. But I think when you're growing up in the industry and your consciousness becomes more aware, and you're on the internet, and you're seeing comments, and you're seeing opinions, it kind of can mess with your confidence, because now you're aware that people are looking at you and that they're gonna have something to say. So, I feel like that definitely, it kind of messes with me a little bit. So, I make sure to go back and I look at younger me, because I need, I need to keep being her. Because she was, she didn't listen, she didn't listen no to nobody. She didn't accept no. She just was doing something that she loved, and she was confident in it. So, I make sure to still, I keep her in the back of my mind.

• 8:01Keke Palmer?

  And I think that's very natural. It's good to speak up on that, because people feel like that being confident means you're never shaken.

• 8:07Speaker 01

  Right.

• 8:08Keke Palmer?

  And that's actually just not true. Like, you're gonna keep going through different experiences in your life. And it was the same way for me. Like, when I look back at the little me, and then I think about the transition from being a kid entertainer and traditional, and then going to digital and evolving myself, people was always trying to be like, we don't know. And then it makes you think like, do I know? Do I? But each step that you decide to go with your own voice,

• 8:29Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:30Keke Palmer?

  that builds that confidence over that next chapter. So, it's like, it's like so annoying, but it's a part of the process.

• 8:35Speaker 01

  Yeah, it is. It builds you. It builds character.

• 8:37Keke Palmer?

  It really does. Now, people met me, obviously, as a little kid as well. You know what I mean? Before they really understood kind of the person behind, you know, that brand. They're now, just now, actually really getting to know some of that. What has it been like reintroducing the world to you? Obviously, I'm watching it as a fan. You know, I seen the transition from kid, and then I'm seeing you more, you're mature. You know what I mean? You're 19 now, and your conversations. So, how has that been for you, knowing what you want to start talking about next? Coming from just being a good kid?

• 9:05Speaker 01

  It's been a journey, I will say. You know, people have a hard time letting people that they've watched younger grow up. So, um, yeah, it's been a journey. But I still make sure to keep it very much appropriate. You know, I'm only 19. I'm not really rushing into the adult world so fast, because once you're there, you're there, and there's no going back. So, therefore, I'm just here, and I'm still, you know, I'm working with the kids, and I'm just... I'm not in a rush. I have time. I know a lot of people, they try to, or kids in general or teenagers, they rush into that, you know, adult era, but I'm not in a rush. Because adults, they're pretty harsh.

• 9:42Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's just too much going on up over there. But there is the fun thing about it now. I mean, 19, you're probably dating. You know, you're driving in your car. I don't know if you still live at home, if you got your own whip, your own place, excuse me. So, like, what is, what are the conversation pieces that you think you're having in your music more? Like, are you talking about falling in love? Are you talking about going to...

• 10:00Speaker 01

  You know, I'm talking about dudes. I'm talking about getting my heart, I'm talking about getting my heart broken, how, you know? You know, I'm definitely rapping about it these days. You know, I ain't gonna say no names, but yeah, I'm rapping about it for sure.

• 10:10Keke Palmer?

  Yes, I love that. Do you feel like there's a big difference between, you know, the Aleah at home and the Lele we get in the music? Like, is the, is...

• 10:18Speaker 01

  Not at all.

• 10:19Keke Palmer?

  It's really all the same thing?

• 10:20Speaker 01

  I'm who I am. I don't, I don't know how to act like nobody else. Y'all gonna get the full me. This is me.

• 10:25Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, hilarious. So, when you think about Lele the brand, you were talking about kind of like the mission, and that you're figuring it all out. But what would you think would be your North Star? Or if there are people that you admire growing up? What would you, what lane would you see for yourself? And obviously you're creating your own, but if there are-

• 10:42Speaker 01

  I'm definitely creating my own lane. But I can definitely see, I like your lane. I like the way that-

• 10:47Keke Palmer?

  Just the brand?

• 10:48Speaker 01

  Yes, I, I like everything that you do from childhood to now. You did it the correct way. You did it in a mature way, in an appropriate way. When it, I, I like how you did it.

• 10:58Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh. Well, you know, your, your parents were pioneers in what they were able to do with you from digital to bringing you into traditional. I feel like that's a very hard thing to do.

• 11:08Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 11:08Keke Palmer?

  And I, I really can't think of many, too many other people that were able to do. I mean, if we, unless we think about like Justin Bieber or somebody like that.

• 11:14Speaker 01

  Right.

• 11:14Keke Palmer?

  People that were able to have a viral sensation moment and then actually take it to the next level-

• 11:20Speaker 01

  Right, and do something with it, right.

• 11:22Keke Palmer?

  What was that period like? Like, do you remember having conversations with your dad? Was, he was like, we need to get you to, like, how did you guys figure out how to make that transition? Because it's not easy at all.

• 11:33Speaker 01

  I think it just worked out how it worked out, you know? It, it literally just started with one freestyle video, but I've always been a performer-

• 11:40Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 11:40Speaker 01

  Since I was little, so I think we just knew what it was gonna be, like, I mean, it's simple, you know?

• 11:46Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. Now, your dad inspired your love of hip-hop, so was it kinda like you was growing up watching him in the studio?

• 11:52Speaker 01

  Yes, we stayed at the studio and I would just always watch him and I knew that that was something I wanted to do. Like I said, since I was little, I've been rapping around the house, so- I remember being in the session with him one day and he was rapping and I was like, you know what? I'm gonna try this today, and I took over his session. And that was the day we realized that this is what I was gonna do. I was gonna be rapping, cuz even the engineer was like, oh wow, you know, she's, she's really talented.

• 12:15Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh. And being from Houston, how much do you, cuz Houston has such, I mean, people constantly are biting up off that Houston sound. Like, it's the-

• 12:23Speaker 01

  It's so irritating.

• 12:24Keke Palmer?

  It's, but it's so inspiring.

• 12:26Speaker 01

  Yes, it is.

• 12:27Keke Palmer?

  Houston, what do you feel like is, is what you take the most from your culture and your background?

• 12:32Speaker 01

  Um, just the southern hospitality and just the, the confidence. Like, in Houston, it's just different, like, they know what they're doing and, and they love it. And just the talent, it's like something in that Houston water, it's just like the talent that comes from it.

• 12:45Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I definitely feel the talent, the confidence, and the women are very like, listen up.

• 12:49Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 12:49Keke Palmer?

  You know that, and I love that.

• 12:50Speaker 01

  I think of Megan, okay? I, I think of Megan.

• 12:53Keke Palmer?

  I was just listening to that song with her and SZA, it had me in my bag. I love that little jam.

• 12:58Speaker 01

  Anytime I need to get my bag, I either put on Megan or I put on Future.

• 13:01Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, Future gonna get you in the bag too. What was that line that he always said to everybody? Dang, I forget, he always has some phrase that we'll just take to the summit, child.

• 13:09Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 13:09Keke Palmer?

  Um, now, in the beginning, I was reading that your dad initially did not wanna put your freestyle out.

• 13:14Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 13:14Keke Palmer?

  You know, maybe, I, I'm curious, did he tell you why? He was nervous, especially now that you've broken out into the industry. Were there any apprehensions that he shared about putting you in that space early on?

• 13:24Speaker 01

  Um, I believe it was just because he knows how the industry works. He's been in the industry a long time and I just, he, I think he didn't want me to go through the struggles of the industry and it's just, it's a harsh world. It's just, I can see from a dad's perspective, want, like, their daughter wanting to be in the industry and knowing how it is. But, I mean, when your kid has talent, you kinda just have to let it be. You can't, can't just sit on it, you know?

• 13:47Keke Palmer?

  And you really do have to be brave and courageous.

• 13:48Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 13:49Keke Palmer?

  So I really do give props to your parents because, you know, opportunity is amazing, but opportunity breeds responsibility, breeds expectation-

• 13:57Speaker 01

  And he plays no games, so I've, I've had a, a really good time in the industry because my dad is always on my side and they know that, and they know not to play.

• 14:06Keke Palmer?

  I feel the same way about my mom.

• 14:07Speaker 01

  Okay, they, they know. They know not to play.

• 14:10Keke Palmer?

  Okay, now, freestyling is something that not everybody can do, but you're known for that.

• 14:15Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 14:15Keke Palmer?

  What the hell is going on in your brain when you're freestyling? Like, how are you able to think of the stuff to say? Like, what is the training of the freestyling girl?

• 14:22Speaker 01

  Girl, it's just a, it's just a talent, okay? I don't even know how to explain the talent, it's just something you do, you know?

• 14:29Keke Palmer?

  You go to a transcendental state.

• 14:31Speaker 01

  Yes, it's just, I be, I don't even know.

• 14:33Keke Palmer?

  Is there a bar that you've come up with that's like, yo, this is my, I can't believe I said that, that you just know off the top of your head?

• 14:39Speaker 01

  I, not necessarily, because I feel like every freestyle I do, I have bars in all of them.

• 14:45Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 14:46Speaker 01

  Bar after bar after bar, like, it's just, yeah, it's just bars on top of bars.

• 14:51Keke Palmer?

  I love that. So, when it comes to freestyling and your viral moments turning into an actual career, what was your approach at that age to show people that you were more than just a viral video?

• 15:02Speaker 01

  I feel like I'm getting to that point now. At that age, I wasn't, that wasn't really something I was thinking of, you know? I was just doing what I knew how to do, you know? I knew how to rap, I knew how to dance, I knew how to act. But I feel like that's something that I'm getting into now.

• 15:16Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, what was it like the experience of getting on your own show? You go from doing the, you know, viral videos, you're just kinda being a creative and being a musician, but as you now know, being an actor is a totally different addition to the music. Music can be more fun, more on your own time, but acting is like, we gotta show up, we gotta, you know? What was it like being thrust into that world, into such a corporate system?

• 15:37Speaker 01

  It was, it was a big world. It was new to me, but I had a lot of support and I had a lot of teachers. And especially when I started on my show, they, they were teaching me a lot fast, between the cameras' names and how do you stand and don't be this, don't have your back towards the camera. I just learnt so much, especially from my co-host Gabby. I appreciate her so much because the day I got on set, it was a teaching moment. And literally, everybody on the set was just teaching me things so fast and I caught on so quickly.

• 16:06Keke Palmer?

  You definitely did, Lele.

• 16:07Speaker 01

  Yeah, thank you.

• 16:08Keke Palmer?

  It, it was just so impressive to just see. I remember just, you know, you're going through your life and your day, you just turn on your, I'm like, damn, that Lele girl, she's still- You know, I mean, it really made me just so happy because people don't understand what it takes. It takes a lot of discipline, baby, it really does.

• 16:19Speaker 01

  It takes a lot, a lot, you miss out on a lot, it, you know, it, it takes a lot.

• 16:24Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, thinking of the missing out on a lot, I mean, you, you were homeschooled, I'm sure, you know what I mean? But you probably, do you remember when you were in real school?

• 16:31Speaker 01

  I do.

• 16:31Keke Palmer?

  You still remember that time, yeah?

• 16:32Speaker 01

  Yes, elementary, yeah.

• 16:34Keke Palmer?

  And then when you started getting homeschooled, obviously missing out on some high school experiences, I'd imagine?

• 16:39Speaker 01

  See, I made sure to still stay in the high school events. When my, I would be telling them, when y'all got a game, let me know, I'm pulling up. When y'all got a party, let me know, I'm pulling up. If I have nothing to do, I'm there because I still wanted to have that social side of me. I didn't wanna just be a workaholic, because that is all I did at the time. Even now at 19, you know, I'm still like a workaholic, but I now have more time for me. I have more time to do things that I love and figure out what I wanna do, and I'm, I'm just so appreciative of that.

• 17:06Keke Palmer?

  I am so happy too, because that was not my experience. I, I just really couldn't have no time to do nothing, girl. And it was, and I really didn't love it, you know?

• 17:13Speaker 01

  Yeah, and that's how, it'll, it'll make you like that, and that's why you have to make sure you're still incorporating things that you love to do, because then you'll eventually start hating something that you once loved to do.

• 17:23Keke Palmer?

  What you really love, it's so true, and I feel like, me at my age now, I really started to learn that in the last, you know, five-

• 17:29Speaker 01

  Right.

• 17:30Keke Palmer?

  Eight years, but it's been a long time to make that transition, so the fact that you were able to still do that and your parents were able to help support you in that way, that's, is so important.

• 17:38Speaker 01

  Yes, it's very important.

• 17:39Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean, it really is, to be a person inside of what you do. Um, what was your first splurge that made you feel like, okay, I'm getting into it, child?

• 17:48Speaker 01

  Ooh, I had many splurges, okay?

• 17:57Keke Palmer?

  This message is a paid partnership with Apple Watch. Our heart can tell us a lot about our health, and most of us are just out here ignoring it like an unread text from someone who's right. I've learned that one of the best indicators of how you're really doing is your heart. Apple Watch Series 12 has the most accurate heart rate sensing in-a-wearable, and the readiness score gives you one simple number every morning that says, yes, go conquer, or maybe sit this one down. It pulls from your recent activity, your vitals, your sleep, and it adjusts throughout the day, so you know when to push and when to pull back. Oh, and the vitals app now tracks HRV, or heart rate variability, which is basically your body's inside scoop on stress and recovery.

• 18:43Keke Palmer?

  And you can check vitals day or night to catch shifts in your health status before they even think about becoming a whole thing. And that's on self-care, honey. Your heart tells the story of your health, and with Apple Watch Series 12, you can understand it better than ever. Visit apple.com slash apple watch series 12 to learn more. The features described are for wellness purposes only and not for medical use. iPhone 11 or later required. Heart rate accuracy based on Apple conducted study August 2026. Visit apple.com slash HR accuracy. I've been scrolling Airbnb, planning Thanksgiving, and I already know I wanna take the family somewhere instead of hosting at home this year.

• 19:25Keke Palmer?

  I'm thinking Hudson Valley Orchards, farm-to-table restaurants, maybe a cider tasting that turns into a whole afternoon? I wanna hit a local market the morning of and get everything fresh. Find a bakery for the pies, because let's be clear, I do not bake, I perform other talents. Walk through town after dinner when everyone's too full to function but too happy to go inside. And then we'll come back to the cozy home at the end of the night to relax, get comfy, and of course, enjoy those leftovers at midnight. That's what I love about booking trips with Airbnb. You get the comforts of home while exploring new neighborhood, discovering local gems, and living your best life.

• 20:06Keke Palmer?

  If a cozy holiday getaway is in your future, play your next family gathering with Airbnb.

• 20:15Speaker 01

  I stayed at that mall.

• 20:17Keke Palmer?

  Yes, she said I stayed at that mall.

• 20:20Speaker 01

  It was so bad. One time this person on Twitter tweeted and was like, "Lele doesn't come to the mall and spend less than a thousand ever." And I think that was like the last day I went to the mall because I was like, "He's right. I don't. I'm doing too much."

• 20:34Speaker 01

  Like, why am I shopping every day here?

• 20:36Keke Palmer?

  What do you think is this thing that gets you the most? Like, is it bags? Is it shoes? Is it clothes?

• 20:41Speaker 01

  Clothes. Like, I'm just a clothes, a holic. Like, I just feel like I need every clothing item there is.

• 20:47Keke Palmer?

  I love that.

• 20:48Speaker 01

  And you know, it's bad. Now, I'm better. I'm getting better.

• 20:53Keke Palmer?

  I'm recovering.

• 20:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 20:54Keke Palmer?

  I'm a recovering addict.

• 20:56Speaker 01

  Even when I came to New York, I'm like, "Lele, don't do no shopping. You know how you get."

• 21:00Keke Palmer?

  And the shopping here. Because you know, it's so crazy. What they have on the East Coast, they don't have on the West Coast.

• 21:04Speaker 01

  That's what I'm saying. I brought a packed suitcase so I couldn't shop. I can't bring nothing back.

• 21:09Keke Palmer?

  Girl, well, you know they got good suitcases here too, no?

• 21:11Speaker 01

  I'll leave it all here. I'll leave everything I brought in here.

• 21:14Keke Palmer?

  Now, obviously, both of us grew up working with our parents.

• 21:17Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 21:17Keke Palmer?

  A lot of people know it's a great thing because you share a passion with the parent. You get to do, you know, your career with your parent. But it's also tough because you're continuously having to also know when to oscillate between you my mama, my daddy, and now you my working partner.

• 21:30Speaker 01

  Right, yes.

• 21:31Keke Palmer?

  So how's it been for you being able to balance that and continue to grow, you know, and evolve your relationship?

• 21:36Speaker 01

  It's been, it's been nice. My dad, he knows how to do both very, very well. He knows how to be dad when he needs to be dad and he knows how to be manager when he needs to be manager.

• 21:44Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 21:44Speaker 01

  And the most important role to him is that. So, yeah, manager is a side role to him.

• 21:49Keke Palmer?

  Now, your mom, has your mom been able to be, is she really a part of your music? Or she more just like, "We at home. I got your back when you need personal advice."

• 21:56Speaker 01

  Yeah, she's more so just mom. You know, this world is, the industry is a lot.

• 22:00Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 22:01Speaker 01

  You know, you kind of need somebody who's already been in the industry to know how to get through it because they'll try a lot, you know?

• 22:07Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, that's exactly how it is with my mom and my dad. My mom is the one that's really, she's always on the ground with me. And then my dad is always the one that's making sure we good at home.

• 22:15Speaker 01

  Right.

• 22:15Keke Palmer?

  He's holding down the fort. And always being a support to my mom. Because you know, they need that support.

• 22:19Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 22:20Keke Palmer?

  Because they be in the trenches with us.

• 22:21Speaker 01

  Okay, literally.

• 22:23Keke Palmer?

  Um, so you were signed, you were the youngest artist to ever be signed to a major label. That's very crazy. What were you thinking at that time? How was that opportunity?

• 22:32Speaker 01

  You want to know something? It didn't even really hit me until now. A lot of things didn't hit me until I became older, at nineteen. Like I said, my, just my consciousness, how much it's become, it's just open now. Even sometimes when I get on Netflix and I see my show, I'm just like, I'm still starstruck to this day because I remember once being a little girl and looking at TV shows and just picturing my show being on there. So for it to just be there still to this day is just crazy to me. Even my movie now that, I'm just...

• 23:03Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, you funded your own movie?

• 23:05Speaker 01

  Yes, I funded my own movie.

• 23:06Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh, it's called Growing?

• 23:08Speaker 01

  Growing Pains.

• 23:08Keke Palmer?

  Growing Pains.

• 23:09Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 23:09Keke Palmer?

  So let's just, since you brought it up, let's just take a quick sideline. Because what I love about it is that you funded it yourself.

• 23:15Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 23:15Keke Palmer?

  And this is something that I really need people to understand with this industry is as much as we want to ask and expect different things to change and get more opportunities, you really have to create them.

• 23:25Speaker 01

  You have to do it yourself. Nobody can do it for you.

• 23:27Keke Palmer?

  It's 100% true. So tell me how you came to this Growing Pains, how you developed this project.

• 23:32Speaker 01

  You know, honestly, I came up with Growing Pains in my notes. You know, I put how...

• 23:36Keke Palmer?

  Girl, I love a good...

• 23:37Speaker 01

  Girl, put a note out real quick and get to it. I know, I put it in my notes and then I sent it off to my dad and I, you know, told him, "We need somebody to formulate this into a script and let's get the ball rolling. Let's do it." Because I, after the show ended, I still want it to be on TV, you know? But I wanted to do it my way.

• 23:54Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 23:54Speaker 01

  I wanted to have creative control over it. So that's what I did with my movie. You know, I called up my friends in Atlanta, all my peers. I said, "I need y'all to help me pull this off." Um, my best friends in the movie, they're actually my background dancers for my tour and my best friends in real life, which just made the film 10 times more fun to do. And I'm still portraying the same positive affirmation character that I am in the show. And I incorporated my music. It goes from like music video to scene. It's just, it's phenomenal. It's a very, it's a good family movie. You know, we don't have those anymore. I don't have many movies I can sit with my siblings and turn on and not worry about what's about to come on the screen. So it's just a good, just, you can sit with granny. You can sit with anybody and just watch it.

• 24:33Keke Palmer?

  It's still cool and funny. They made me think about like back in the day with like Like Mike and stuff. Like, that movie was cool and fun, but it was also like good for the kids. Like, good for the fam, you know?

• 24:41Speaker 01

  But teenagers can watch it too. It's like one of those. It's just a really feel-good movie.

• 24:46Keke Palmer?

  What puts it into your heart to, to, to guide your work that way? Like, why is it important to you to have a co-viewing kind of brand?

• 24:55Speaker 01

  Um, I think just because I don't see it often, you know? So whatever I don't see often, I just become. And I just do because it's all you can do.

• 25:03Keke Palmer?

  She said, "I see the white space. I'mma feel it." Yes.

• 25:07Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 25:07Keke Palmer?

  It makes me so happy. What do you feel like, um, you, I don't know how your relationship is with other rapper, you know, female rappers or even male rappers in the industry, but what do you feel like you've learned from any of them, if you have? Have there been people that you've collaborated with or spoken to that you feel have been a hand or, you know?

• 25:23Speaker 01

  Um, not necessarily, but what I will say is I have great bonds with a lot of people in the rap industry. Um, I recently just collabed with YK Nese and Buna.

• 25:32Keke Palmer?

  Shout out to them.

• 25:33Speaker 01

  Yes, and we had a great time. They're so down-to-earth. They're so sweet. They made the filming process just go extremely fast. It was easy and I just had a good time. I pretty much have good connections with everybody in the industry. You know, they're always supporting. They're always letting me know that they're there. Especially you. You know, when I post something and I see you comment, I just feel like I'm doing the right thing, you know?

• 25:53Keke Palmer?

  And you is. I be in the comments like, "That my girl!"

• 25:57Speaker 01

  And I see, I'm like, "Okay, Kiki comments that I literally don't care about anybody else." And that's just what it is. I can turn my phone off now.

• 26:02Keke Palmer?

  What I think is so dope is that what you're, like, you're building a brand.

• 26:06Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 26:06Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean? Like, it's like, yes, I rap, but I act.

• 26:09Speaker 01

  This is a brand.

• 26:10Keke Palmer?

  And I do this and I'm doing movies and I'm doing, I mean, your fashion. I love your looks. You give me, you know what I mean? It's very character. So I really be loving that because I'm a big believer as a multi-hyphenate that go on other days where you need to worry about one thing. And, or let people try to make you feel like that's all you can do and all you can make money doing. And the only way you can support yourself, like, you could do it all. So that's what I just go up for because...

• 26:32Speaker 01

  Entrepreneur.

• 26:33Keke Palmer?

  Entrepreneur.

• 26:34Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 26:34Keke Palmer?

  Period. Um, how do you, going back to what we're talking about with, you know, feeling like you want to do something that all the community can engage in? How do you carry that? Because it can seem sometimes like a weight. How do you carry that without feeling boxed in? Without feeling like you, you know, um, "Oh, I can't say this." Or "I can't say that." How do you still lead with your truth?

• 26:54Speaker 01

  You know, I feel like there's a time for everything. And right now, I'm just, and I have divine timing, you know? I, I trust the universe and I just go with the flow, you know? It'll be a time where I'm able to say what I want to say and speak how I want to speak when it comes to rap. And I'm just, I'm just going with the flow. That's it.

• 27:13Keke Palmer?

  Yes, you trusting that path. That's, that is truly God on you.

• 27:16Speaker 01

  I see signs all the time. You know, I ask God all the time. I'm like, "Let me know that I'm on the right path." You know, "Show me my favorite number a bunch of times this day if I'm doing the right thing." And out of nowhere, I'll be seeing 28, 28, 28 all over. And I'm like, "You listen!"

• 27:29Keke Palmer?

  Girl, I love doing stuff like that with God. I'll be like, "If you really love me."

• 27:33Speaker 01

  You're right. Show me a pink Cadillac.

• 27:35Keke Palmer?

  Why are we playing like that? But he already know me like that.

• 27:38Speaker 01

  Yes, and he'll show me that pink Cadillac. Okay, he'll give, he knows.

• 27:41Keke Palmer?

  Even if it's a day late, he'd be like, "Got you."

• 27:43Speaker 01

  Right, and I'll be like, "I remember!"

• 27:47Keke Palmer?

  Um, because you started so young, you've had to think like a businesswoman.

• 27:50Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 27:50Keke Palmer?

  What do you feel like the industry has taught you most so far about, you know, money, identity, you know, how to continue to evolve?

• 27:58Speaker 01

  Stay true to yourself. And whatever mission you're on, keep going on that mission, you know? And just stay positive. That's really all you can do. You just have to stay positive. You have to stay peaceful to get all the blessings that, you know, you're here to get.

• 28:12Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 28:12Speaker 01

  If you're not peaceful, if you're not positive, if you're not kind, if you're speaking a certain way, you just won't get those blessings. God will block those blessings. So that's just what I'm learning. And I'm just trying to stay in that mood. Because you know, I'm an Aquamanio. I can, I can get pretty mad. I can go there, you know? But you know, I try to go to hot yoga. I try to breathe it out.

• 28:31Keke Palmer?

  Come on!

• 28:33Speaker 01

  Yeah. You know, we saw.

• 28:35Keke Palmer?

  Yes. One thing that I also love that you were saying, you know, because when we were working with corporations, we're, they're our collaborators. So our ability to tell the story 100% ourselves, but then also lean and be a good collaborator, what they want is a learning skill.

• 28:48Speaker 01

  Yeah, and that's how I felt with my TV show.

• 28:50Keke Palmer?

  That's what I was just about to go, that's what I was going to.

• 28:52Speaker 01

  You know, I was still able to be myself, but kind of had to give in a little bit to be this character that they wanted me to be.

• 28:58Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 28:58Speaker 01

  And, you know, speak how they want me to speak. But I still made sure it's to be me. You know, I was wearing pink highlights in my hair. I was having the, all the characters on my nails. And I would have to send these pictures in weekly. They're like, "How is your hair right now? Is it colored?" I'm like, "Yeah, it is. Can we keep it for the show?" And they're like, "You know what? Let's do it." I pushed for it. I pushed to still be myself because I wanted people to know, like, you could still do what you love and still be yourself. Don't let them change you. You make them adapt to you. You don't adapt to them.

• 29:26Keke Palmer?

  Oh, I just love it, Lele, so much. I really do. Because I remember back in the day doing True Jackson VP. They had me up at Chori Burke. Honey, I was like, but obviously, my character was the VP. So I had to be the VP. But I just love that you were able to bring some of that musicality, that character type vibe.

• 29:41Speaker 01

  The style, the diamonds. I brought that all over there, yes.

• 29:44Keke Palmer?

  Um, you know, Lele, you become bigger than music, right? It's like products, deals, books. It's the whole universe that you're building. What is it like watching your business grow while you're still building who you are? And I think this goes back to that mental health kind of piece where it's like, yeah, like, okay, I've got to be presenting to the world, but also like, I still got [BLEEP] to figure out about what's going on with me.

• 30:10Speaker 01

  That's a lot.

• 30:11Keke Palmer?

  You know, yeah, like, what do you, do you feel like you, are you journaling? You know what I mean? Do you talk to, do you talk to friends or, you know, kind of what's your way?

• 30:18Speaker 01

  I talk to God.

• 30:18Keke Palmer?

  That's right.

• 30:19Speaker 01

  That's all I can say. I talk to God. I talk to the universe. There's only really one person who can give me answers that I need.

• 30:27Keke Palmer?

  It is so true.

• 30:28Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 30:29Keke Palmer?

  I remember.

• 30:29Speaker 01

  You could talk to a therapist, you could talk to friends, you could talk to everybody. Sometimes the answers you need is, you know, it comes from them.

• 30:36Keke Palmer?

  The hardest part be the waiting.

• 30:38Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 30:39Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean?

• 30:39Speaker 01

  And that's what I'm learning. It's a, it's a wait game because like I said, divine timing. Everything, it happens when it needs to and it happens when it doesn't. And sometimes you have to be okay with that. And I'm, I'm learning that.

• 30:50Keke Palmer?

  Walk me through when that girl Lele ended, the show ended, what was that transition like? Because that was a very hard transition for me. Um, you know, the, people don't, I mean, when you're working a TV show, it's great, it's fun, it's also consistent money.

• 31:03Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 31:03Keke Palmer?

  So it's like, that is something that you end up counting on. You're kinda like, this is my livelihood. This is my, and so when the show ends, you're like, ooh.

• 31:10Speaker 01

  And that's why I think, I, I thank God for my dad because what I can say is he is a true hustler.

• 31:17Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 31:18Speaker 01

  And he knows how to pivot.

• 31:19Keke Palmer?

  That's right.

• 31:20Speaker 01

  He's taught me how to pivot. Because sometimes in this industry, you have to pivot. You gotta go the net, you gotta, you gotta move on.

• 31:27Keke Palmer?

  It's true.

• 31:27Speaker 01

  And that's when that movie came about, you know?

• 31:29Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 31:30Speaker 01

  We, we had that in our back pocket. It was like, we, we did it. It was like, okay, let's do this. This is next.

• 31:34Keke Palmer?

  I also have loved that you tour, like that you, and those, it be sold out. I've told you, I've had so many young women that be like, oh my gosh, we're going to Lacy, Lele. And they be looking like you and doing your thing.

• 31:46Speaker 01

  Yes, with the buns, everything. I love it.

• 31:49Keke Palmer?

  It gives me so much life.

• 31:49Speaker 01

  I tell people that all the time. They're like, how do you, you know, still work with children? Do you enjoy it? I'm like, you don't understand to have this little person telling you how much they love you and how much they wanna be like you and their hair is like you and they're, have your face on your shirt. Y'all don't understand that.

• 32:05Keke Palmer?

  Girl.

• 32:05Speaker 01

  It's a different feeling.

• 32:06Keke Palmer?

  That's the future.

• 32:07Speaker 01

  Right.

• 32:08Keke Palmer?

  That's when, that's when people say that to me.

• 32:09Speaker 01

  It makes me feel like I'm doing something right.

• 32:11Keke Palmer?

  Anytime you have the opportunity to be a part of somebody's childhood.

• 32:15Speaker 01

  Right. And inspire them in a positive way.

• 32:19Keke Palmer?

  There's no greater gift. There's no, and they will never forget that.

• 32:22Speaker 01

  They won't. They're literally growing with me. I've had fans that was three at my show and now they're like 11 and they're at the, they're still at the show. They're like, I was here around three.

• 32:30Keke Palmer?

  I've gotta call up my girl, Ece Eden. Ece Eden, I'm really, I'm here with Lele and I'm bringing you up because I know that that's your girl boo. And so I'm bringing up my little niecey poo.

• 32:37Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 32:37Keke Palmer?

  Because seriously, and it's so, it's, it's so inspiring to me to see that happening and again, because you are positive.

• 32:44Speaker 01

  Right.

• 32:44Keke Palmer?

  But you still be real too.

• 32:46Speaker 01

  Right, you have to.

• 32:47Keke Palmer?

  And you're like, me, me, me, me, me. You're like, and I told them, go and go. And I'm like, it's like, cause you're giving them that attitude.

• 32:52Speaker 01

  Yes. I'm still myself, but I'm, I'm letting you know that, you know?

• 32:56Keke Palmer?

  Yes. What would you say to people that may have a, and maybe there's nothing to say, but have a problem or having a challenging time with watching you grow from being the little girl we first saw to, you know, a budding young woman?

• 33:15Keke Palmer?

  You know how every episode I go deep on whatever I can't stop thinking about? Well, lately, it's been my living room. I walked into my local IKEA store last week just to look around and left with a whole new vision for my space. Because here's the thing people don't realize, there are hundreds of new products every season. New colors, new patterns, whole new collections I had never seen before. It's not just about style for me. It's the functionality of it all. I found new storage pieces that solved problems I'd been ignoring for months. Plus, some design updates that made my space feel fresh. I feel like every time I go back, there's something new waiting for me. So, if you haven't visited in a while, trust me, go see what's new.

• 33:58Keke Palmer?

  Discover what's new at IKEA. Shop the latest products in store or online at ikea.us/discovernew.

• 34:10Speaker 01

  I will say, I understand, you know, it's kinda hard watching me grow up because y'all have seen me as a little girl. But I also will say that there is absolutely nothing you can do about me growing up. And you just have to accept it because that's what it is and that's, that's what it'll be.

• 34:25Keke Palmer?

  What else is gonna be? Y'all gonna be gone?

• 34:27Speaker 01

  Like, I mean, I, I can't help that I'll be 20 this year. I mean, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to pause the clock? There is no clock to pause. That's, I mean, hey. But that's why I'm still, I'm easing into it because I know that they're watching. I know that I still have such a, a big kid audience. So that's why I'm not, cause you know, my teen, my teenage friends are always asking me, you know, why don't you wanna curse in your songs? Why don't you wanna do this? I'm like, I have children that truly look up to me. And that is my mission in life right now.

• 34:53Keke Palmer?

  Come on, Will Smith.

• 34:54Speaker 01

  Okay? That's my mission in life right now. And it's just them. And it'll be a time where I'm catering to the adults and it'll be soon. And you know, it'll still be this, I'm still gonna be the same positive person. Like, that's, I'm always just gonna be that.

• 35:06Keke Palmer?

  I love that you know who you're talking to. That is just so incredible to me. Uh, it, it really, really is. I mean, and there's a lot of pressure on, as a young black woman, to be confident, but not too grown.

• 35:17Speaker 01

  They expect so much out of us.

• 35:19Keke Palmer?

  To be sexy, but keep it cool.

• 35:20Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 35:21Keke Palmer?

  To be, you know what I mean?

• 35:22Speaker 01

  Don't be too young, but don't be too grown, but don't be too cute, don't be too, it's just like, well, and that's exactly why I do what I want. You know, and I, and I do it in a way that still comes across as classy.

• 35:32Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 35:32Speaker 01

  It still comes across as fun, it's, it's modern, it's everything.

• 35:36Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. You did something recently with Mona Leo.

• 35:38Speaker 01

  Mona Leo, yes.

• 35:39Keke Palmer?

  I really, really like Mona Leo. Her little song, Pink Everything. She's cute. She's also fun. Has a good vibe. And she's from Houston too.

• 35:45Speaker 01

  Yes. She's, she's definitely supported me in a huge way. She, um, we did a song called Off Top. Um, and I was just really happy to get that done because a lot of female rappers in the industry don't collaborate with me because I feel that they think we, we have two different audiences.

• 36:02Keke Palmer?

  Sure.

• 36:02Speaker 01

  And we rap about different things. Um, so you know, I just wait and I'm waiting on my timing. But Mona Leo put that to the side. And she was able to create bars that, you know, was still nice for the kids and nice for the adults. And it made me feel better because I'm like, you know, I have somebody older in the industry on my songs. So I feel, you know, I feel like I'm going somewhere with this.

• 36:22Keke Palmer?

  There's not a lot of people your age that are killing it like you.

• 36:25Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 36:25Keke Palmer?

  It's tough to be the only one like that.

• 36:27Speaker 01

  Yeah, it is, you know?

• 36:29Keke Palmer?

  And you're really speaking for a generation.

• 36:31Speaker 01

  Right.

• 36:31Keke Palmer?

  You know what I mean?

• 36:32Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 36:32Keke Palmer?

  So when you're thinking about that, the fact that you're speaking for a generation, and obviously it's still cooking up, right? Like when I think about the millennials, we kinda like have a idea of what our theme or our topic or what we came here to do was. But when you think about your generation, what do you think the attitude or the conversation is that you guys are having?

• 36:50Speaker 01

  I don't know. My generation wild. This is a wild generation.

• 36:53Keke Palmer?

  Cause would you say you're Gen Z? Or would you say you're Gen Alpha?

• 36:57Speaker 01

  I'm Gen Z, but I'm really a millennial, you know? I'm, I'm truly, you know? I don't, I do not associate with Generation Z.

• 37:06Keke Palmer?

  What year was you born?

• 37:07Speaker 01

  From, I was born 2007.

• 37:09Keke Palmer?

  Damn, that's crazy. 2007 had a full-time job.

• 37:12Speaker 01

  It's close enough to the 2000s to be a millennial if you ask me.

• 37:16Keke Palmer?

  Yo, 2007 is, is incredible. That is, what, what TV shows did you grow up watching?

• 37:23Speaker 01

  Hmm, see, I grew up.

• 37:25Keke Palmer?

  Backyardigans?

• 37:26Speaker 01

  Yes. That was my show.

• 37:28Keke Palmer?

  I know a little something.

• 37:29Speaker 01

  Oh my goodness. Yes, the Backyardigans.

• 37:32Keke Palmer?

  So did you miss, I'm Dipping in My Own Way, Got My New Found Fam, Gonna Change Your Old Game, Flip It? She don't know it. She don't know that.

• 37:37Speaker 01

  What is that?

• 37:38Keke Palmer?

  That's True Jackson VP.

• 37:39Speaker 01

  Oh. See, I'm not hip because you know, that wasn't my era.

• 37:43Keke Palmer?

  That's not, that's so, and it's so crazy how time be flying like that.

• 37:47Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 37:47Keke Palmer?

  Trying to figure out what else, what, what, who was the kids that was on when you were? Who was the kid show? You was the kid show for your own self.

• 37:54Speaker 01

  Yeah. I was gonna say, it wasn't many. I was, I was on my iPod watching Friday, if I'm being honest.

• 37:59Keke Palmer?

  Come on, Friday, okay? That is so good.

• 38:01Speaker 01

  It was secretly on there.

• 38:02Keke Palmer?

  I just met Chris Tucker recently and I was like, it's you.

• 38:04Speaker 01

  I love Chris Tucker.

• 38:06Keke Palmer?

  Girl, love Chris Tucker.

• 38:08Speaker 01

  I love him in everything. I watch Rush Hour for him.

• 38:11Keke Palmer?

  That Rush Hour is too good.

• 38:13Speaker 01

  He's so funny. He's just a great, he's great.

• 38:16Keke Palmer?

  He's so funny. Who are some of your favorite actors?

• 38:19Speaker 01

  Um, I'm gonna go with Angela Bassett.

• 38:22Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 38:23Speaker 01

  Hats and Clue Keke Palmer. Okay. I love your new films. They're amazing. I loved one of them days. So funny. Um, who else? Oh, Regina Hall. Um, who's another one? I have some, oh, um, Julia Roberts.

• 38:37Keke Palmer?

  Oh, Ju.

• 38:38Speaker 01

  And Pretty Woman. One of my favorite movies.

• 38:40Keke Palmer?

  Julia Roberts has such an effervescence to her that cannot be explained. I mean, she is Julia Roberts.

• 38:45Speaker 01

  I just love her. She's just so heavenly.

• 38:48Keke Palmer?

  She is. She really, really is.

• 38:49Speaker 01

  I just love her.

• 38:50Keke Palmer?

  What do you feel like you've learned in terms of personal relationships in the industry? Because obviously you're making a lot of money, you're famous. How do you know when people really are down for you? And you got very famous very young. So your introduction to like making friends, like, do you remember seeing the change or noticing?

• 39:07Speaker 01

  It's kinda difficult now, especially now that I'm Lele, you know, um, I don't know why I try to make friends and then think that they don't know me. And then, you know, I'm like, yeah, you know, if this person doesn't know me, I could be myself. And then they're like, wait, I know you from somewhere. I'm like, no, you don't. You don't know me. Okay. You don't know, cause I wanna be myself. Because I feel like it's hard when somebody knows you. Because, I don't know, you just, you, you gotta worry. It's your, it's your responsibility to keep yourself private, you know, to keep certain things private. So I feel like I'm dealing with that right now. It's, it's a little difficult. But I have my friends that I grew up with before I was Lele. So that helps a little bit. And even still making new friends, I just make sure to keep certain things private. Cause you can't really trust everybody.

• 39:48Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 39:49Speaker 01

  Everybody kinda some, they have some type of motive.

• 39:52Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. And even if somebody doesn't know you, like they watch your stuff, all they gotta do is go online and see your impact.

• 39:58Speaker 01

  Right. And, yeah, it, it.

• 40:00Keke Palmer?

  And then it's like, ooh. So it's tough. It's tough.

• 40:03Speaker 01

  Yeah, it is tough. It's a tough world for sure.

• 40:04Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 40:05Speaker 01

  And I think that's why some people have a lot of friends in the industry be somebody that they can relate to. But even then, it becomes difficult because sometimes.

• 40:12Keke Palmer?

  Some of them is clout chasing off you.

• 40:14Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 40:14Keke Palmer?

  But I have learned, I have started to be more, I used to always assume that because somebody wasn't in the industry, they was more real. Or they were more grounded.

• 40:22Speaker 01

  I thought that too. And that has nothing to do with it.

• 40:24Keke Palmer?

  No, it don't. And now I'm more open to being friends with people that are in the industry.

• 40:27Speaker 01

  Definitely. Me too.

• 40:29Keke Palmer?

  And I've actually had a little bit more success there.

• 40:30Speaker 01

  Yeah. That's, that's just kinda what we have to do.

• 40:32Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. It's, it's, because I was trying so hard for my life to be normal.

• 40:35Speaker 01

  Right.

• 40:36Keke Palmer?

  To be grounded, to have a in and out. I was trying to be on that Hannah Montana.

• 40:39Speaker 01

  Okay. I literally say that all the time. I'm like Hannah Montana.

• 40:42Keke Palmer?

  But I couldn't do it. You know, sometimes you gotta just stay in your lane.

• 40:45Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 40:46Keke Palmer?

  You know?

• 40:46Speaker 01

  That's it.

• 40:47Keke Palmer?

  Um, I love that you did this with your new, uh, single, Spent It, to promote it. You actually hid money in Houston for fans to find.

• 40:54Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 40:55Keke Palmer?

  That's a dope idea.

• 40:56Speaker 01

  I had so much fun doing it. That money got found and we literally put it down. I turned this way, turned back this way. That money was gone. Picked up. And I was so happy for her. I'm always so happy for everybody.

• 41:07Keke Palmer?

  I love that. How did you come up with that idea? Because I love the concept of giving back.

• 41:12Speaker 01

  It's actually somebody's idea. They have, um, it's called Find the Cash, and they have it in all different type of cities. And we just collaborated for it.

• 41:19Keke Palmer?

  That's very dope.

• 41:21Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 41:21Keke Palmer?

  Congratulations on signing with Atlantic Records.

• 41:23Speaker 01

  Yes, thank you.

• 41:24Keke Palmer?

  They were, I've signed with Atlantic Records when I was 12. That was my first record label. Yes, it was. What are you most excited about with this next chapter with them?

• 41:31Speaker 01

  Um, I'm just excited to just start a new journey. I feel like this is a new era for me, coming from doing, from being in the industry as a child to being in the industry as an adult. In Atlantic, they know what they're doing. You know, so I feel like I'm in good hands. I have a great team. They're very down to earth. The hospitality is amazing. So I, I think it's gonna go very well.

• 41:51Keke Palmer?

  And they can be very specific with their artist development, like with their journey. So have you guys started talking about who you kinda wanna be in the studio with or who they think could be a good match with you producer-wise?

• 42:01Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, for sure. And I've kinda already did that on my own, just working with producers. Me and my dad, we'll, we'll get in the studio with certain producers. Um, like ATL Jacob, um...

• 42:10Keke Palmer?

  Oh, love him.

• 42:11Speaker 01

  Yes, I love ATL Jacob. I've been in the studio with him many times, had a great time. I recently worked with Jay White, did it. Um, he recently just did, um, Spin That Stuff by Karisha.

• 42:22Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 42:22Speaker 01

  Uh-huh, um, yeah, I love working with new producers. I have a blast. I like to see what they can bring to the table for me and how they can make it different.

• 42:31Keke Palmer?

  Yeah. You, um, I know we talked about you funding your first feature, Growing Up, but I wanted to just know a little bit about the story. What is it about? The, the story of Growing Up? Growing Up.

• 42:40Speaker 01

  The movie?

• 42:40Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, the movie, yeah.

• 42:41Speaker 01

  It's basically just me transitioning to high school, but you know, I'm still that girl Lele. I'm still doing shows. I'm doing performances all around the school. But I'm also still going through friendships breakups. I'm going through real relationship things of people being fake and, you know, all type of stuff. It's just like a, it's literally what the title is. It's me growing up. It's growing pains.

• 43:02Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 43:03Speaker 01

  That's all it is, yeah.

• 43:04Keke Palmer?

  Did you feel like you've had, um, going through that process that you learned things about kind of doing your own thing from scratch? Like, uh, positives and negatives of, of funding your own project?

• 43:14Speaker 01

  Yeah. Yes, for sure. Um, I think it's just different. Uh, I, I feel like working on a Nickelodeon set, it's just, it's really put together.

• 43:25Keke Palmer?

  It's very corporate.

• 43:26Speaker 01

  Their budget is bigger.

• 43:27Keke Palmer?

  For sure.

• 43:28Speaker 01

  But when it came to mine, it, mine was more so a fun thing. It was like a for my spirit type of thing, but I'm still doing what I love. So that's kinda what my set was. It was just...

• 43:39Keke Palmer?

  It's important that, I think that that's acknowledged and that that's said and that you still did it. Because a lot of people feel, especially once they've done traditional corporate stuff, that they can't do things on their own because it's not the same money. Or it's not the same this, or it's not the same that.

• 43:51Speaker 01

  It doesn't look the same. You don't have the same trailer. You don't have the same, you don't have security. You don't have, you know, it's just different things that...

• 43:56Keke Palmer?

  But that cannot stop you.

• 43:58Speaker 01

  Right.

• 43:58Keke Palmer?

  That cannot stop you. I can't say how many times I've done big budget, low budget.

• 44:03Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 44:03Keke Palmer?

  No budget.

• 44:04Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 44:04Keke Palmer?

  I'm gonna do it though.

• 44:05Speaker 01

  Do it all.

• 44:06Keke Palmer?

  Because like you said, it's about doing what I love. And so I think that that's like dope that that at no point got into your head because that can't get into people's heads. And I tell people all the time, it shouldn't matter about that. If you have an idea and you have something that you wanna do, you need to push through and do it for years.

• 44:19Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's, it's never about money with me. It's just about doing what I love.

• 44:23Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 44:23Speaker 01

  And making an impact with it, a positive impact with it. So, yeah.

• 44:28Keke Palmer?

  You've been famous for literally more than half your life at this point.

• 44:32Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 44:34Keke Palmer?

  What's the best part of being famous and the worst part for you?

• 44:40Speaker 01

  I think the pros.

• 44:44Keke Palmer?

  Spending more than a thousand at the mall?

• 44:47Speaker 01

  That part.

• 44:49Keke Palmer?

  But that's actually really just having money. That's not necessarily the famous part. That's just like having, having what?

• 44:53Speaker 01

  I don't know. I'm still kinda dealing with fame. You know, it's kinda odd to just, you know, wanna just go out one day, but you know, you have to look a certain way. So that's kinda one of the cons. Um, the pros? I don't know. Especially being in Houston, I go to certain places and I'm getting let in through the front door, the back door, because I'm Lele. They're like, we got Lele at the front, let her in, you know? So that's the pros.

• 45:17Keke Palmer?

  It's giving niece people, it's giving cousin. It's giving sis, little sis.

• 45:21Speaker 01

  That's the pros of it. But you know, everything has its pros and cons. That's life, so...

• 45:24Keke Palmer?

  It's so true.

• 45:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 45:26Keke Palmer?

  Um, you've accomplished so much. I mean, some things that people really never accomplish. You know what I mean? Um, when you picture your life 10 years from now, what would you hope to see?

• 45:35Speaker 01

  I definitely wanna do more in acting. I wanna do more serious roles. As of right now, I've kinda only played myself, which I'm enjoying. I like playing myself because I never wanna get stuck in a role and not be, not be able to get out of that role because I've seen it before. Um, but I definitely wanna be an entrepreneur. I wanna have businesses. That I, I see myself still acting, but I kinda wanna be behind the scenes as well. And I just wanna run businesses. You know, I wanna have a salon. I wanna have a daycare. I wanna, I just wanna have businesses. I wanna, I wanna be a business.

• 46:05Keke Palmer?

  I'm here for the franchise of everything Lele. Lele Shoes, Lele Nail.

• 46:08Speaker 01

  Yes, I'm also working on right now, um, edge control and lip gloss.

• 46:11Keke Palmer?

  I'm here for this.

• 46:12Speaker 01

  Yes. Laid by Lele.

• 46:14Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 46:16Speaker 01

  So I'm working, I'm getting in my entrepreneur bag right now, yeah.

• 46:19Keke Palmer?

  As you should. I love it and I see it all for you so easily. Like, it's like, not even a question. It's like, Lele, there it is.

• 46:28Speaker 01

  Everywhere.

• 46:29Keke Palmer?

  Yes. Okay, before we close out, I love to play a game with my guests. So you know, we got to get into this game.

• 46:34Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 46:35Keke Palmer?

  Now, before the world knew you from Nickelodeon, the bars were already there. So we are going back to the beginning with grown Lele energy. Okay, I'm gonna give you the first half of a line and then you just, you know, do a little quick, little freestyle of the rest. Okay, it's funny, cocky, inspirational, whatever you feel.

• 46:52Speaker 01

  Okay, let's see.

• 46:52Keke Palmer?

  It's quick. Okay. I walked in the room and they already knew...

• 46:59Speaker 01

  That I was the baddest because I had on blue.

• 47:04Keke Palmer?

  Come on. Okay. Lil' Lele had the bars, grown Lele got the...

• 47:09Speaker 01

  Car.

• 47:10Keke Palmer?

  Ah, come on, car.

• 47:12Speaker 01

  We whipping now. We whipping.

• 47:14Keke Palmer?

  If I'm spending money, then I'm spending it on...

• 47:19Speaker 01

  If I'm spending money, then I'm spending it on clothes.

• 47:23Keke Palmer?

  Period, period. My dad always told me...

• 47:29Keke Palmer?

  You could tell we wasn't no rappers when we wrote this. We just saying.

• 47:32Speaker 01

  I'm...

• 47:32Keke Palmer?

  At this point, you finishing a sentence.

• 47:34Speaker 01

  I was about to say, is this finish the sentence or, or rhyming? You know? I'm okay with that though. I like finishing sentences. This is good. My dad always told me that do what I love and I'ma be good at it.

• 47:48Keke Palmer?

  Okay, last one. If Kiki and Lele hit the studio, we would be going off...

• 47:56Keke Palmer?

  I was just adding something to it myself. I ain't...

• 47:58Speaker 01

  Well, well, well, let's go ahead and see you finish this sentence then.

• 48:01Keke Palmer?

  If Kiki and Lele hit the studio, we would be going off like Coolio.

• 48:05Speaker 01

  Oh, okay, I like that. I like that because Coolio do be going off.

• 48:08Keke Palmer?

  Why would I age myself like that? Do you remember Coolio?

• 48:11Speaker 01

  I do.

• 48:12Keke Palmer?

  Come on, yes. Been spinning most of my life. He was in what?

• 48:15Speaker 01

  He made an appearance on that, Kenny and Kel.

• 48:18Keke Palmer?

  Yes, he did. He did that theme song. Um, Abbott and Costella, Magic and Karema, Penn and Teller. Yeah.

• 48:26Speaker 01

  I don't know that one, but I like it.

• 48:29Keke Palmer?

  Okay, that's, that's all I got.

• 48:31Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 48:32Keke Palmer?

  Lele, I'm so happy that we had you on the podcast.

• 48:35Speaker 01

  I'm so happy to be here. I remember us doing our first interview on Good Morning America and now we here on Kiki Show, baby. Yeah.

• 48:43Keke Palmer?

  Girl, and we gonna keep, keep, keep, keep, keep going.

• 48:46Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 48:47Keke Palmer?

  Give me some love, boo.

• 48:53Keke Palmer?

  I hope this conversation reminds you that growth doesn't have to be a rejection of who you used to be. Lele came into this industry as a kid with a gift, a dream, and a whole lot of confidence. Now, she's figuring out what it means to be a Lea as well. And I think that's something so many of us could relate to. Sometimes people get attached to the version of us they met first. The challenge is giving yourself permission to keep evolving anyway. You don't have to choose between who you were and who you're becoming. Both can be true at the same time. I'll see you next time on Baby. This is Keke Palmer.