Interview: BriaR
BriaR
Interview By: Emily May
Rising singer, songwriter and performer BriaR has always loved and been surrounded by music. The daughter of legendary rapper Mack 10 (also known as part of Westside Connection alongside Ice Cube and WC) and former step-mom T-Boz of TLC, she had plenty of guidance to help navigate her own career in music and people to go to when she needed advice. She recently released her debut single “Breathe Fire” from her forthcoming debut album Finding BriaR, out this fall. “The song came about during the pandemic. I was going through a tough time and I felt as though I wasn’t being heard. I created ‘Breathe Fire,’ an autobiographical record, explaining who I am and what I can bring to the table,” shares BriaR. Although the record contains personal lyrics, I still wanted this to be a groovy track that makes you want to dance, hence the bass heavy record in the background.” The process of writing and recording the album involved collaborating with her brother, rapper District 21, in their home studio . “Recording this was like my therapy and it still is my therapy,” says BriaR. “The EP is about discovering the different sides of this individual. These songs helped me realize everything I want.” Having transitioned over the past few years from more of an alt-rock sound to what she calls “psychedelic soul”, BriaR blends multiple genres including R&B, hip hop, and dance with art-rock, punk, and hooky pop. Having family who turned their own dreams into reality helped her to realize that anything is possible and has allowed her to strive to achieve her goals and dreams. With plans to release more music and music videos and to hopefully perform some live shows later this year, BriaR has plenty of great things coming up! You can follow and connect with BriaR via the following links.
INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | ITUNES/APPLE MUSIC | YOUTUBE | TIKTOK
You grew up in a family of artists, musicians, and entertainers and have said that you've been obsessed with music since you were 2 years old. What can you tell me about your childhood and cultivating your love for music from such a young age?
I certainly had an unorthodox childhood, just from having family members in the music industry. With that being said, my world was very music-based. Not in the way where my parents wanted me to do it, but just in the way that it was very important to my family. My mom, who is not an artist, always played music. Always. I mean, she and I used to do our own little music videos with our VHS camcorder back in the day! It was so fun. And with my dad, I explored different genres of music. And with my uncles and my siblings and my grandparents. Music is very, very important in our family. I feel like I pretty much didn't have a different choice but to become an artist because I was surrounded by it so much. Music has always been an integral part of my childhood and upbringing for sure.
You have said that you dream big because you come from a family that turned their own ambitions into reality. With your father and former stepmom being such prominent members of the music industry, how did they help to support and guide you with your own dreams of music growing up?
It pretty much just showed me that anything is possible. To me, there's no such thing as limitations and you should always reach for the stars in everything that you do. So, having my father be who he is and my sister's mom, my former stepmom, be who she is, they really reached such high levels of success in their careers, so there were no limitations for me. I think that's why I am the way I am today when it comes to dreaming big. I've seen what dreaming big can do and what it can turn into firsthand.
In having a father and former stepmom who are so well-established in the music industry, do you feel like you have been given the space to be your own artist with your own sound?
I definitely feel like I have been given the space to be my own artist for sure. My father was a prominent figure in the Gangsta Rap world, which is certainly far from what I'm doing. As far as Tionne goes, she is a very prominent figure in the pop and R&B world, but I think that she and I are very different in our styles. Did she influence me? Absolutely! She's been around for my entire life, so of course, she's influenced me. I definitely don't have to worry about comparisons or pressure of being like them or being compared to them, because I really have created my own lane, and my dad and my family have allowed me to be exactly how I want to be as an artist.
A few years back you performed in a band called BMR that had a more alt-rock sound. What can you tell me about that time for you and about transitioning sonically with your current solo project towards what you call "psychedelic soul"?
One of my favorite genres of music is an alternative music and I was in a band, BMR, and it was a lot of fun! It was me and my neighbors I grew up with and my cousin and we had such a great time re-creating songs and just creating great music. I kind of just felt a transition in my life in 2020, as I think all of us did, and that's where I discovered BriaR. Just me, myself. Not myself in the band, but just me as a solo artist. I really explored my feelings and I explored sounds that made me want to groove and that were different from any other music I had done before. BriaR is very different from BMR, but the transition was very organic. And actually, I still created records that were similar to BMR, but I had to make a cohesive project, so that's why some of the records didn't make the EP. I always keep that alternative sound somewhere in my catalog.
You recently released your debut single "Breathe Fire", as well as a music video, and have said that you wrote the song during the pandemic while were going through a tough time and felt like you weren't being heard. What can you tell me about the message behing that song, as wel as the music video?
The message behind that song is really just explaining exactly who BriaR is. I quite literally describe my personality and I have a very strong personality. With that being said, I am fiercely loyal. At the time, in the pandemic, it was a transitional period for be because I was going from being an alternative artist to being a psych-soul artist. A lot was happening in my personal life and I just wanted to create a record where it was, like, "Hey! This is me and this is who I am" and I know I've got this fierce personality, so let me put it down in a record. As far as the music video, at that time, since there was so much going on in 2020, I really just wanted to escape reality. I really dove into the stars and galaxies and just space. So, with "Breathe Fire", with the video, I wanted to emmulate like I was in a spaceship and what I would do if I was in a spaceship. I would dance my ass off (laughs) and just sing and be one with myself. So, that's where the video came from, kind of elaborating on this idea of escaping reality and diving into space and just going abroad and above earth.
The single is from your forthcoming debut album Finding BriaR, which you have said was your therapy, helped you to discover your different sides, and realize everything you want. What can you tell me about the process of writing the songs for the EP and the message you hope people take away from it?
The writing process was really organic. My brother and I, during quarantine, pretty much...we have a home studio and just locked ourselves in the studio and dedicated hours and hours a day to writing and creating a project. The writing process was really fun! It really forced me to bring out my best songwriting thus far. It forced me to collaborate with my brother, because I trust his musical ear very much, and the writing process was great. My brother and I, kind of formed a Billie Eilish and Finneas thing, as I like to say. He's not really a producer, but he is an artist himself. We just wrote and we'd get the beat first. We'd listen to the beat and then would come up with the song. I personally feel like the beat will tell you what you need to write about. Once I had each beat, I was writing and it was just coming out and my brother would help me speak lines here and there. Some songs I wrote completely on my own. It was fun and was really awesome to collaborate with my brother so closely on this project. We really pushed each other’s boundaries and it was an ideal writing process, honestly. I can't complain.
Had you and your brother collaborated in the past or was it the first time you had done so?
We've actually done a lot of records together in the past, but they were records that he wrote and wanted me just to sing on. So it was never really a collaborative effort, but more like "Hey. Can you be featured on this?". This was the first time that he and I actually started from the beginning of the process of creating a record. So this is the very first time we really started from the beginning together and ended it together. Typically, with all of our other records, it's at the tail end when one of us joins.
Do you have plans to collaborate more going forward?
Definitely! That is certainly in our plans for the future. We are very different artists but we are both music lovers and love creating, so there's definitely a possibility of my brother and I working together in the future, for sure.
What kinds of things do you like to do for fun outside of music?
I love dancing and going to take dance classes. I love pilates. I love hanging out with my family. I have a big family, so I love hanging out with them. I like being outdoors, like at the beach. The beach is not far from my house, so I love being at the beach. But definitely dancing and any sort of outdoor activity.
You have talked about the influence of fashion on your art. What can you tell me about your love for fashion and it correlates with music? Who would you name as some of your favorite fashion idols?
For starters, my most favorite female icon is Gwen Stefani! She is it for me. She just gets it and she's so cool. Another female fashion icon I totally adore is Rihanna! She is totally and unapologetically herself. Her fashion is just incredible. I love ASAP Rocky and think he is a phenomenal fashion icon. Even people like Janet Jackson. You know, she's had a lot of really cool styles. And Aaliyah, from back in the day. I loved her sense of style, as well. Fashion means a lot to me. I personally have a very eclectic taste in fashion. My friends always say "You know, only you could pull that off" because I love platforms. I love platforms and I love really cool pants, whether they are baggy or even a satin material or latex material. I love exploring fashion and taking fashion risks. It plays a huge part in my music, as well, because my music is very eclectic. It's not just pop or R&B. It's a mix of so many different things, and that's how my fashion is, as well. I like to take cool pieces that...you know, some pieces are worth a lot and some pieces aren't worth a lot. But if you can mix it together and create something that's totally different, unlike anything else that someone is wearing, then I think you've done your job. So, fashion plays a huge part in my life and my music.
Do you see yourself incorporating fashion into your live shows and doing crazy costumes and things like that?
I would think fashion will be a big part, but I'm probably not going to give you a Lady Gaga meat dress for live performances (laughs)! I still have to be able to dance and everything. But my space outfits will definitely be a huge part of my show because I want people to understand my aesthetic and relate to it and be inspired by it. All of that comes with the live show, so fashion will definitely play a big part in my live performance.
What's next for you? What are some of your goals going forward?
To get on the road. I'm hoping that this Delta variant kind of dies down. I'm ready to hit the road and put on some more performance for everyone. Also, the release of my EP, Finding BriaR, will be coming in the fall. And also just releasing more music and music videos. I have some more music on the way that I'm super excited about. I just want to keep giving to the fans and just keep giving to everyone!