Rapper BIA Talks About Making Big Decisions As An Artist And Her Influence In Fashion [Interview]

Boston rapper Bianca Miquela Landrau, aka BIA, is the queen of virality. Swarming the music industry and the Tiktoksphere with her bumpy hits and smooth, sensual vocals in her most recent and notable single 'Whole Lotta Money', there's no arguing that BIA is on the come up. Since the songs remix and co-sign by rap mogul Nicki Minaj, BIA's authenticity and coolness is taking the streets by storm.

We sat down with BIA and spoke all things music, fashion and authenticity.

This is BIA:

Who is BIA? For anyone who’s introduction to you is through this interview, how would you describe yourself as an artist and as a person? Do you see any difference between the two?

Well, my name is Bia and I just love making music. I've been making music for some time. I was a signed artists to an independent artists to a now signed artists again. I'm starting my own label now for certain records. I'm just a girls girl, OK? I love my girls. I love the culture. I love being able to merge cultures and music together. So there's a little bit about me.

You’re the queen of virality right now. In 2019 you and Russ went viral with ‘Best on Earth’ thanks to Rihanna. ‘Whole lotta money’ from your tape ‘For Certain’ blew up on TikTok and this year we saw your song ‘Skate’ hold as this year's theme song for the NFL playoffs. How does it feel seeing your songs pick up so quickly on the internet?

It's so crazy because I feel like, you know, I always wanted to have these moments where people would know me for me and know my songs. But every moment feels different for me. You know, I'm grateful for everyone. And I feel like every moment that I have brings me to the next one. And it teaches me something different or something new. It’s so crazy because I just really feel like I'm just a testament to the people that just don't give up because, you know, this wasn't overnight for me and I'm just my truest and authentic self. And I feel like people relate to that. And that's like a breath of fresh air for people that are just trying to make it being themselves.

You made your debut into the spotlight on the Oxygen reality TV show, ‘Sisterhood of hip hop’. What was that experience like? At the time you were on the show, did you ever anticipate the level of success you have now?

I always hoped and dreamed for it. I hoped and I always had these goals. And as an every time I reach a new one, I'm like, 'wow', you know, 'you did that'. I applaud myself and my team and the people that are around me to help me get to that next moment. And it always means so much because like I say, it hasn't been overnight. So for every single thing I’m grateful for it, you know? But yeah, the reality show, I think it taught me how to be prepared for these moments and how to carry myself. And when you get to see yourself on TV it's like an accurate look of like who you are and how you want to portray yourself to the world. So I think after that experience, I definitely was like, 'OK, I know who I am and I know what I want people to see from me.'

You’ve had to make some pretty big decisions to pave a way for yourself and your career which I have so much respect and admiration for, such as leaving college, leaving you deals to become independent. How difficult were those decisions at the time and what encouraged you to take a leap of faith?

Well, at the time, like especially with school, I was really, really good with words and with writing. But I wasn't excelling in school, maybe I was just more of a creative person and I felt like I would do better somewhere else? Or maybe my business mind took me somewhere else? I'm not sure. But I always wanted to stay in school. And that's why I even tried to go to college or try to stay in school - because I wanted to make my family proud and I wanted to feel like, 'OK, I did that'. I wanted that college experience, but it just wasn't for me. And I didn't want to waste my time or anybody else's time. And I think that whatever you do like in life, just don't waste nobody's time. If you find yourself sitting there doing something and think, ‘this is not speaking to me’ or ‘I'm not growing from this’, just don't waste your time and don't waste my time. Go find what that thing is and go do that. And that's what I had to do. Any situation, you know, business or school. I just felt like if I was wasting my time, I got to make this work and change something in this cycle.

How would you describe your current sound and how has this evolved since your debut on the show to now?

Well, I definitely feel like I’ve found my own sound. At the beginning I think I was making music to try to make a hit or try to make like what everybody else thought would be good like, oh, ‘I'm making this for this is my radio song’ or ‘this is my this is my song for this’. So this is my song for that. And it wasn't really like, oh, ‘I'm making this song because I feel like this is needed in the culture. Now, I feel like I'm making a song because women need the song or I'm making the song because I need the song or I'm making a song because he needs the song. You know, it's more like personal for me now. And it's like it's more like if I can jam to it, then everybody else can, because like, you know what I'm saying. I got good taste so I trust my taste.

What music are you listening to / what music inspires you?

I'm listening to like a lot of R&B, I love R&B. I love Blxst. I love Brent. I love Giveon. I'm a big R&B girl. I listen to like a lot of like hardcore rap too you know? And a whole lot of money on repeat, period. And we're waiting ln a deluxe for that too.

What can we expect from the deluxe?

It's maybe like eight new songs, fire songs, fire features, new videos and everything. I'm just excited. I like the deluxe just as much as the original. If not, maybe a little more. So I'm excited for people to hear it and to tell me like ‘oh this is one of my favourite songs’, like I'm just so excited for you to hear. You have no idea.

Who would you say were your inspirations growing up?

My biggest inspirations growing up, I listen to a lot of Aaliyah, Aaliyah was like my biggest inspiration. I listen to a lot of TLC, like TLC was like my first concert, and a lot of rap too. I was I was either listening to, like, a lot of like cool, cool girls or like hardcore rap. That's pretty much it. Like Nas or like, you know, D12, Eminem etc.

You reference fashion in your music often, as well as being a music icon you’ve also involved into a fashion one. How would you describe your style and aesthetic?

It's very like 'Flygirl', you know. I want people to come to me or my page and be like ‘she's fly'. Putting together looks, it’s a movie.

I love Heron Preston, I love Bottega, I love Jean Paul Gaultier here, honey, you can always buy me some vintage JPG or some new JPG. I love pieces. I love vintage stuff, vintage Dior vintage Chanel. I juts love stuff that's a look. I want people to be like ‘where did she find that? Give me BIA’s whole outfit’. I'm on to more independent and black designers. So like female designers like I want to know more about, I've been tapping into more. I tag a lot, like if you go on my page, I have some designers that are tagged who are up and coming.

You’ve been a champion of women supporting other women throughout your career, it comes through in your music and we see it through your online activism with the hashtag #newwoman. What are some changes you would want to see in the music industry to encourage a more supportive industry for women?

I think how things that have been going is exactly what's needed. More camaraderie and more giving people their flowers publicly, not just privately. So I think that's important. You can't just give somebody their flowers privately and then not expect to do the same publicly. And then we wonder why we have males in the industry that are so much closer than us because they don't have problems doing those things and they don't have problems, you know, going out and genuinely showing this support and championship for the other person. So I feel like now that we see more of that for women. So yeah give people their flowers, give give people what they deserve at all levels. And I feel like then you won't have so many people that's like, 'Oh, that's mine, that's mine'. 'Or I can support her' you know what I'm saying? Because everybody's getting what they supposed to get.

What's one lesson you learned during your come up that you’d want to share with your fans?

Just be authentic, be true to yourself, you don't get anywhere happily by doing things for other people, like, you know, you've got to sometimes do things for you or at least like put what you want to do first in a sense, you know what I'm saying? I just started to do the things that make me happy and make me proud and the people around me proud. And that was resonating in everything, you know, it was resonating in my music, in my business world, in my love life, my happiness - it resonated because I was doing the things that were making me happy.

Listen to Bia's new remix with Nicki Minaj here: