Bia | It Begins, It Scales, It Overtakes with Trust

BOTTEGA VENETA coat.

If you’ve scrolled through TikTok at least once this year, you have probably heard the addictive lyrics: “I put on my jewelry just to go to the bodega. And I keep it with me just so that I’m feeling safer. Fendi on my body, but my feet is in Bottega.” That’s off rapper BIA’s “Whole Lotta Money,” and she just dropped the remix with the iconic Nicki Minaj.

“She is a legend,” says BIA of the iconic Queen of Rap. “She has so many stories to tell and advice to give, and learning from someone like that is a blessing.” BIA continues on how the remix came about. “It’s crazy, ‘cause I had been DMing Nicki for years, just like a fan, and she DMed me! She DMed me and found the messages that I had sent her, and then we just started talking, and started talking on the phone. From there, we met up, she invited me to her house, to her studio, and it was the most amazing experience. To get to go there with her, to get to write in person with her, it was legendary.”

MSGM jacket and pants, PRADA top, MESSIKA earrings, and BOTTEGA VENETA sunglasses.

BOTTEGA VENETA robe and shoes and CARTIER glasses.

In the past, BIA—who is signed to Epic Records—has worked with Pharrel, toured with Ariana Grande, been featured in songs by J. Balvin and Russ, plus taken part in the Oxygen reality television show, Sisterhood of Hip Hop. But BIA doesn’t want to talk about the past—she is focused on her future, where she sees “a lot more great music.” The rapper is also planning on dipping her toes into the fashion and cosmetics spaces. “I am working on a lot of brands of my own,” she explains. “Different collections and things. That’s what I am excited for.”

Additionally, as part of her ongoing mission to empower and uplift women, BIA has ambitions to join the philanthropy space, where she hopes to create an outreach program to help girls everywhere. “I just want to be there for other women that feel like they don’t have all the answers—the same way I felt like I didn’t have all the answers.”

NICOLAS GUICHARD bodysuit.

Making history for her future self, BIA is the first person of color, and the first in the rap space, to be featured by the NHL in their promos, hand-picked by the powerful hockey league to attract a new audience. “It feels iconic,” blushes the artist. “It feels legendary. Whenever there is a space for sports and music to collide, that’s a beautiful thing to me. The NHL has been super supportive of me and what we are doing—it just makes me so happy to be able to build this relationship with them.”

Although her songs seem to have blown up rather quickly, BIA has been in the game for a long time, and wouldn’t change a thing, because her success came from her persistence. “As cliche as it sounds,” reminisces the musician, “never give up. I really never gave up. It took me so long to get people to tap into what I was doing, but you have more longevity, ‘cause over time people really see your growth, and they grow with you—and I think that’s what’s happening with me.”

Lastly, to any new artists, she just wants to say: “trust yourself more, trust your art, and trust your own ideas.”

NYAH top and pants, BYLOLITA earrings, and CARTIER glasses.

Photographed by: Mark Clennon at Early Morning Riot
Styled by: Zoe Costello at Indigo Bleu
Hair: Keianna McBeth
Makeup: Amber Perry