Bria the Artist is the poet, singer, painter, producer (+ more) that you need to know about
Read up on this Dope Artist
The NY based creative known as Bria the Artist is exactly that, an artist. She's the rare type of talent who feels at home in front of a sketch pad, a microphone, a paint brush, or whatever other creative medium moves her that day. While some wait for the perfect opportunity to make it happen, Bria has made her own opportunities a reality, with nothing but her voice and a cell phone. Her debut project "Moon Swings" was mostly self produced from a phone app, giving us some great vibes and establishing herself as a name to remember. Now, with one project on her resume, Bria has her eye on what's next.Bria the Artist got her start like a lot of dope singers do: In the church. From her time in her Peekskill, NY church choir, Bria learned the value of putting her spiritual essence into her art. That raw talent was honed at Lincoln University where she picked up on performing and playing keys. The HBCU alum refers to legends like heavily influenced by Erykah Badu, D’angelo, and Andre 3000 as influences with Timbaland and Missy Elliott influencing her production style.We spoke to Bria the Artist about how she got her signature singing style, her HBCU experience, and her next project. She's promised that she's coming even harder with the beats, and this time, she's producing it 100%.Read up below:
1. I read that in Lincoln University, you started playing keys and performing at talent shows. Can you talk about your HBCU experience a bit and how it helped shape you as an artist?
There is truly nothing like experiencing the magic of an HBCU. I think I’ll stand by that statement as long as I live. I was actually a visual art major at Lincoln University, but in my free time I would go straight to the piano rooms and write music or practice all those R&B songs I learned by ear. Sometimes people would walk by the room, hear what I was playing and sing along— that was what got me excited about having a crowd to share a music experience with. Also, seeing so many young Black people coming into their own, even with all the growing pains, truly inspired me to come out of my shell and live as my authentic self.
2. You're definitely a renaissance woman. A painter, poet, musician etc. Can you talk about your creative process and how you manage to weave these talents together in your work?
I don’t know if you’ve heard the stereotype that artists are kind of a bundle of organized chaos, messy, “avant garde”… I am she and she is me. It’s usually all over the place. My creative process is to put the idea down as soon as it comes to mind. Sometimes I’ll get an idea for a painting, but it’ll serve the purpose of song inspiration. Sometimes I’ll get an idea for a song and it’ll turn into an idea for a painting. I’ve also got some poetry that’s been turned into songs. “Space Jam” from my album Moon Swings was one of them.
3. I love your insistence on being not just the artist, but the brand. Can you expand a bit on this concept for us? How would you describe your brand to those who are unfamiliar with you?
I feel like every artist should live by this concept. As the world is increasing its innovation, social media, technology (and subsequently its capitalism), artists are basically forced to represent themselves as a brand/business. With that, people are always looking for the next best thing to invest in. As my own brand, I have invested a lot of time, energy and money into myself. My brand is “Bri-dimensional”. That means It’s ethereal, has multiple realms (visual art, music, poetry, etc.) and extends beyond our conscious experience. Whenever I perform or show a piece of art, I like to give the listener/viewer something out of their normal everyday lives.
4. I found it interesting that you produced most of your 2019 album "Moon Swings" a phone. I'd love to hear more about how you managed to pull it off. Was that by a "Get it done by any means" kind of necessity or a creative choice?
A friend of mine actually put me on to the GarageBand app for my phone (can I use the name?) and I never looked back. With the exception of “Snowfall in July”, “Tell A Vision” and “Milky Way (Outro)”, I produced everything. I knew what I wanted and how to create it so I took matters into my own hands. I would use my headphones and record at night, having to “whisper-sing” because my mom was asleep. That’s the main reason you hear me singing so softly on my songs! Funny enough, it turned into my go-to recording style. As far as my beats, I would spend hours producing and arranging to make it sound as professional as possible, being that I’m all self-taught. At the time, it really was all I was able to use— being that I couldn’t afford a lot of studio time.
5. What should we expect next for you? Are we getting that late 2020 album? Any other updates or announcements you'd like to share?
I’ve got something huge in the works. My next album, Jaded, will consist of about 12 songs of which I’m producing ONE HUNDRED PERCENT! I’m so excited about this one— the production is better, the beats are better, the vocals are better and I’m using my own home studio to do it all. My audience will finally get to hear a bit of my vulnerability, but told through the eyes of a space girl. It’s also a visual album, so you’ll get to see a short film about it. The only “bad” news is: you’ll have to wait until summer 2021. Don’t worry though. It’s all for the best. For now, one could get his/her BTA fix on my YouTube channel and check out my latest music video for “Honey”. I’ve also got some song covers in the works that I’ll be posting soon featuring my silent clone. I recently posted an Erykah Badu “On & On” cover to my YouTube (@Bria The Artist) which got a lot a great attention on Instagram (@briatheartist).
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