by Adelie Salagnac
all photos by DVVINCI
“I want to be a motivator for girls to be themselves. Artists in general, but mostly women of color. A positive rapper and vocalist with an honest look on life.”
Bri Steves, vocalist and recording artist, songwriter, fashion model, and full-time student at Temple University, really is a woman of power and influence. “I was raised by a single parent mother,” she says. “I have some troubles with my father and I’m in college trying to be a great artist at the same time.”
Winner of the now well-known Philly Rising Yearly Showcase at World Café Live, there is no doubt that Bri Steves is the next big thing. Among some of the best up-and-coming acts of Philly, Steves played her cards right and conquered the audience with a touching and memorable performance.
“I ended with ‘Big Lights’,” Steves remembers, “which was a tribute to the artists who performed that night. It was a song I wrote about chasing your dreams and being scared of what that kind of success would bring. Because in all honesty, I want to get bigger and reach more people, but I understand that world is a jungle in itself. Look at it like wanting to see the sun, but knowing you’ll get fried if you actually do. That type of self-awareness and longing with a dash of reality check.”
And Bri Steves will be one step closer to reaching her dreams very soon. As part of the prize of the showcase, she currently is working on an EP, set to be released in the near future. She explains: “I’m pretty deep into the project process. The place I’m in now is actually deciding which records to cut and which ones to polish a bit more. I should be finished before the summer for sure. But then again the release of what I’ve been working on adds different layers everyday!”
Looking at the future, after the release of her forthcoming EP, Steves is very optimistic and excited – as usual. “For me, it’s always about getting better,” she says. “The next thing for me would be surrounding myself with great people and working on great things. Following the rabbit hole. I’ve trusted the process so far and it’s gotten me here. Just working on myself to become a better artist, songwriter, engineer, vocal producer and finishing my last two semesters in college is what I’m all for. I have big dreams of going out to L.A., I just want to be ready first.”
An exciting year is ahead for the talented artist. Because that’s just what she is: a complete, diverse, multi-faceted artist, composing, writing, modeling, blogging, studying, recording and performing. Steves does not have a second for herself. She knows how to keep her feet on the ground, however, and remembers to have a critical mindset.
“I try to channel that more into my musical career than anything,” she explains. “Being gifted in many areas is great, but if I learned anything along the way, you can’t get good at any one if you have too many eggs in the basket. Music is my number one of course, but I’d love to get into brand management and social media management later on down the line. For some reason it gets me going. Entertainment PR is definitely my field behind the scenes. “
Living definition of a strong and independent woman, Steves is constantly trying to promote and demonstrate a positive image to her fans, and to women in general. “Success is 99% ‘failure’ and you only ‘fail’ when you give up. Find a way,” and “someone told me once that you have to be the change you want to see. I took it seriously,” she writes on her Facebook page.
“My goals have stayed the same as far as being a trendsetter. Creativity is a must to be happy in life and that’s what I’m all for promoting. Whether that’s as weird as you want to be. Keep pushing towards Plan A, and embrace being unique and different while doing it. Plan Bs only distract from Plan A. Even though I’m an artist and have good intentions when talking to my friends (for advice) or just listeners, I’m a huge hypocrite. I down talk the power of social media, but indulge in it myself, for example. I’m human just like everyone else.”
A very talented human everyone should keep an eye on – we, at That Music Mag, are firm believers that Bri Steves will be heard far and wide.
