Briana Alexa Martinez, commonly known by her stage name Brika, is an American singer and songwriter.ASCAP Latin On The Spot, June 10, 2014 She currently releases music under independent record label Art House Records.iTunes Official Release On February 23, 2015, Brika was included as one of New Music Seminar's 'Artist on the Verge' by "a hand-selected A&R committee NMS partners, talent scouts, buyers, booking agents, taste-makers and other industry experts", as reported by Billboard.New Music Seminar 'Artist On the Verge' Class of 2015 Billboard, Billboard Staff, February 23, 2015 Brika's music has circulated Annie Mac's Musical Hot Water Bottle program on BBC Radio 1.Annie Mac's Musical Hot Water Bottle, August 17, 2014Annie Mac's Musical Hot Water Bottle, October 26, 2014
Early life and career
Brika was born in Miami and is of Cuban descent. Brika was intrigued with music since she was an infant, which eventually led to teaching herself how to play the piano and write her own songs., Jess Goulart, Feb 27, 2015
She met music producer Julio Reyes Copello in 2011 and signed with his independent record label in 2013.LADYGUNN Magazine Interview, Olivia Inkster, April 2, 2015
Her critically acclaimed record, Expectations, is considered to be her "breakout single" and was listed on the blog aggregator, Hype Machine's Zeitgeist Most Blogged and Favorited Tracks''' with over 5 million streams on Spotify.Ziegeist 2014 List
Her debut album, Voice Memos, circulated through college radio stations around North America and was listed on HillyDilly's Top 25 Debuts.88Nine Radio MilwaukeeAir Toronto HillyDilly Top 25 Debuts , The album had an exclusive premiere on Hype Machine a week before its official release,Hype Machine Exclusive Premiere, December 2014 after climbing to the top of its 'Most Popular' Chart several times throughout the year.Hype Machine Chart, May 2014Hype Machine Chart, July 2014 Notable blog Indie Shuffle listed Brika as an "Artist To Watch in 2015".Indieshuffle Artist To Watch List, Dec 22, 2014
Brika took part in a performance with electronic artist Gryffin at Ultra Music Festival in 2015.Billboard Coverage Ultra Music Festival Brika/Kygo, More recently, Brika also performed with Kygo during the winter XGames 2016 live on ESPN (United States) Nationwide. Miami New Times wrote articles referring to her as "Miami Music's Next Big Thing" and "Ten Can't-Miss Local Acts of III Points 2016". The Miami New Times highlighted: "Her voice has an old-school quality that's rich with nuance and subtlety, rare these days."
NYLON placed Brika in their list of "7 Up-And-Coming Female Artists You Should Know About". She took part in Red Bull's esteemed SoundSelect'' festival alongside up-and-coming artist Goldlink. Brika was featured on Live Nation's One's To Watch alongside LANY, Léon, and many other artists.
Artistry
Her sonic identity has been characterized as "alt-soul... simplistic yet powerful in nature"The Music Ninja Blog, with a vocally "sultry tone".HillyDilly Review , Taylor Rummel, September 2014 Brika has expressed that she draws inspiration from "bits and pieces of everything, even visuals". Journalist Brianne Nemiroff, of Viva Glam Magazine, has compared her sound to Billie Holiday and Banks.Viva Glam Magazine , Brianne Nemiroff, April 1, 2015
Discography Albums
References