Bia (rapper)

Bianca Miquela Landrau(born August 16, 1991), known professionally asBia, is an American rapper who debuted on theOxygenreality television seriesSisterhood of Hip Hop. She signed toPharrell'sI Am Otherrecord label, in partnership withRCA Recordsin 2014. Her firstEP,Nice Girls Finish Last: Cuidado, was released in 2018. She is best recognized for featuring on the 2016 single "Safari" byJ Balvinand "Best on Earth" byRussin 2019. In early 2020, Bia signed a new record deal withEpic Records, releasing her secondEP,For Certain, on December 11, 2020. The EP spawned the single "Whole Lotta Money", which later was released as a remix featuringNicki Minajand reached the top 20 of theBillboardHot 100.
Landrau was born inMedford, Massachusetts.She is ofPuerto RicanandItaliandescent.In an interview withOxygen's website, she spoke about wanting to become a rapper at a young age after attending studio sessions with rappers and helping them record.Landrau attended college briefly, but after realizing it did not suit her, she dropped out and began bartending to pay for studio time.She moved toLos Angeles,California, full time in 2017.
Bia was initially discovered by rapperFam-LaythroughYouTubeand who later introduced her toPharrell.Bia starred on the first two seasons of theOxygenreality television seriesSisterhood of Hip Hop. In 2014, she signed to theI Am Othermusic label as part of a collaboration withRCA Recordsand began working withT.Ias well as singersJennifer HudsonandUsher.Later that year, Bia released a mixtape entitled#CholaSeason. In an interview with radio stationHot 97's morning showEbro in the Morningin September 2015, she revealed that she would not return for season 3 ofSisterhood of Hip Hop.
Bia served as the opening act forPusha T'sDarkest Before the Dawn Tourin March and April 2016.The next month, Bia alongsideVictoria Monét, were the main support acts for the European leg ofAriana Grande'sDangerous Woman Tour.Bia also opened for select dates during the North American leg. Bia was featured onJ Balvin's song "Safari", released as a single in May 2016. The track topped the charts in Mexico and Spainas well as peaking at No. 3 on the US Latin Charts.
In 2016, Bia released the singles "Whip It" and "Gucci Comin' Home".These singles were 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 titledTrap Vogue, to be followed by her debut album. Bia described the project as "high energy with Latin elements mixed in".She 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", fromKali Uchis' debut albumIsolation, which was released on April 6, 2018.Victoria Monétreleased 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 EPNice Girls Finish Last: Cuidado, which included the single "Hollywood", as well as collaborations with Uchis andKodak Black.
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 singerRuss, was released on October 17, 2019. SingerRihannaposted 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 theBillboardHot 100, becoming Bia's first entry on the chart and was certifiedPlatinumby theRIAAfor selling over one million units in the United States.On September 29, the song garnered Bia her firstBET Hip Hop Awardsnomination for Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse.
In early 2020, Bia resigned with Sony underEpic Recordsand released two singles, "Free BIA (1st Day Out)" and "Cover Girl"."Cover Girl" was serviced to Urban and Rhythmic radio stations on April 14.In September 2020, Bia released the single "Same Hands" featuring American rapperLil Durk.Another single, "Skate", was released in November 2020, alongside a music video.A reworked version of the song, entitled the "NHL Mix", was later used as the theme song for the 2021Stanley Cup playoffs.All songs are included on Bia's second EP, titledFor Certain, which was released on December 11, 2020, throughEpic Records.A music video for the song "Whole Lotta Money" was released on April 8, 2021.Following viral success on the social media platformTikTok, the song was serviced to Rhythmic radio on May 18, 2021, becoming the fifth single from the EP. A remix featuringNicki Minajwas released on July 9, 2021, and caused the song to reach a peak of number 16 on theBillboardHot 100, becoming Bia's highest-charting song. On September 24, she released the single "Besito" featuringG Herbo. Alongside the release, Bia announced the deluxe edition ofFor Certainwhich will be released on October 22, 2021.
In an interview with Ladygunn, Bia revealed she is working on anR&Bproject titledR&BIA.
On February 5, 2022, Bia launched her own make-up line Beauty for Certain.On April 8, 2022, Bia released a song with rapperJ. Coleentitled "London". On September 9, 2022, Bia featured on the remix toNicki Minaj's song "Super Freaky Girl" entitled the "Queen Mix" alongside JT fromCity Girls,Katie Got Bandz, Akbar V, andMaliibu Miitch.In September 2022, Bia also featured on German rapperLuciano's track "Bamba".On March 3, 2023, Bia released a song titled "Sixteen". On March 24, 2023, Bia released a song featuring American record producerTimbalandtitled "I'm That Bitch".
In an interview on Bootleg Kev, Bia announced that she has completed her debut album. She revealed that she has decided the name of her upcoming album and the cover art is ready while also further revealing that "I'm That Bitch" and "London" will be on the tracklist of her upcoming album.
On June 1, 2024, following what appeared to be a diss aimed at Bia in the remix toGloRillaandMegan Thee Stallion’s "Wanna Be", Bia had previewed a newdiss tracktargetingCardi B.
Bia has cited American rapperJay-Z, Puerto Rican rapperIvy Queen, American singerSelena, and fellow rappersBankroll Fresh,21 Savage,Nicki Minaj,Foxy Brown,M.I.A., andBlac Youngstaas her biggest influences, as well asAaliyahandRihannaas her personal muses. Bia stated that she has never connected with an artist the way she has connected with Rihanna.
Notes