Bianca Landrau, professionally known as Bia, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and model who debuted on the Oxygenreality television showSisterhood of Hip Hop. She signed to Pharrell's I Am Otherrecord label, in partnership with RCA Records in 2014. In 2016, Bia was featured on the Latin single "Safari" by J Balvin and on the single "Best on Earth" by Russ in 2019. Bia would later go on to sign a new record deal with Epic Records in early 2020.
Early life
Bia is originally from Medford, Massachusetts and graduated from Medford High School. She is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent. According to an interview with Oxygen's website, she spoke about wanting to become a rapper at a young age after attending studio sessions with rappers and helping them record. Bia attended college briefly, but after realizing it didn't suit her, she dropped out and began bartending to pay for studio time. She moved to Los Angeles full time in 2017.
Career
2014–2015: Career beginnings and ''#CHOLASEASON''
Bia was initially discovered by rapper Fam-Lay through YouTube and who later introduced her to Pharrell. Bia starred on the first two seasons of the Oxygen reality television show Sisterhood of Hip Hop. In 2014, she signed to the i Am Othermusic label as part of a collaboration with RCA Records and began working with T.I as well as singers Jennifer Hudson and Usher. Later that year, Bia released a mixtape entitled #CHOLASEASON. In an interview with radio station Hot 97's morning showEbro in the Morning in September 2015, she revealed that she will not be back for season 3 of Sisterhood of Hip Hop.
2016–2018: Touring and ''Nice Girls Finish Last: Cuidado''
Bia served as the opening act for Pusha-T's Darkest Before the Dawn Tour in March and April 2016. The next month, Bia alongside Victoria Monét, were the main support acts for the European leg of Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman Tour. Bia also opened for select dates during the North American leg. Bia was featured on J Balvin's song "Safari", released as a single in May 2016. The track topped the charts in Mexico and Spain as well as peaking at #3 on the US Latin Charts. In 2016, Bia released the singles “Whip It” and “Gucci Comin’ Home”. These singles would be followed by “Badside” and “Fungshway” which were both released in 2017. All four singles were intended to be included on Bia’s then-upcoming debut EP titled Trap Vogue, to be followed by her debut album. Bia described the project as "high energy with Latin elements mixed in". Bia also revealed that the song "Esta Noche" featuring Grande, which was performed during Bia's opening set for the Dangerous Woman Tour, would be included on the project. Bia eventually scrapped the project in favor of new material. Bia was featured on the track "Miami" from Kali Uchis' debut album Isolation, which was released on April 6, 2018. Victoria Monét released a remix of her song "Freak" featuring Bia on July 10, 2018. A visual was released including a shortened version of the track just containing Bia's verse and a chorus, while the full version of the song appeared on streaming platforms. On September 21, 2018, Bia released her debut EP Nice Girls Finish Last: Cuidado, which included the single "Hollywood" as well as collaborations with Uchis and Kodak Black.
2019–present: Departure from RCA and ''Rich Tiers''
In 2019, Bia split from RCA Records, citing the label was preventing her from releasing music. She released her first independent song "One Minute Warning" in August. "Best on Earth", a collaboration with rapper and singer Russ, was released on October 17, 2019. Singer Rihanna posted on her social media that it was her new favorite song, which led to an internet trend #BestOnEarthChallenge and a spike in popularity to the song. The song eventually peaked at number 46 on the BillboardHot 100 becoming Bia's highest peaking song on the chart and was certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over one million units in the United States. In early 2020, Bia signed with Epic Records and released two singles, "Free BIA " and "Cover Girl." The songs would appear on her upcoming project titled Rich Tiers. "Cover Girl" was serviced to Urban and Rhythmic radios on April 14th.
Artistry
Bia has cited American rapper Jay-Z, Puerto Rican singer Ivy Queen, Selena, Bankroll Fresh, 21 Savage and Blac Youngsta as her biggest influences as well as Aaliyah and Rihanna as her personal muses. Bia stated that she has never connected with an artist the way she has connected with Rihanna.
