SPOTLIGHT: BRIVON

Meet BRIVON and tune into her newest single “And I.”

Growing up in Alaska and later moving to the East Coast, how have these contrasting environments influenced your musical style and artistic perspective?

Coming from such a secluded yet diverse place like Alaska, you have to find your own way. You either grew there or you flew there. In my case, my grandmother moved her family to Alaska to start a new life and with that, cultures got left behind. That’s the beginning of my story. I was a blank canvas. I was susceptible to everything but luckily that made me want to learn about everything. My lack of history, culture and identity in my upbringing caused me to be curious and adventurous. This all translates to my artistic perspective. I don’t believe in being boxed in or labeled. Art imitates life and life is ever changing so that is my approach to music. I make music that reflects my most current and purest form of life.

When you first began releasing music, what inspired you to start sharing your music with the world at that time?

Growing up, I wrote little silly pieces here and there. No real rhyme or reason. What led me to release my first single was a traumatic heartbreak in 2020. Not having anyone to talk to or truly understand the complexities of it turned that pain into songwriting. After I finished writing my first full song about the situation, it felt like a therapy session and the only way to finish my healing journey was to release it, so I did. The overwhelming responses I got from it was my confirmation that music is what I needed to do.

Your music seamlessly blends elements of R&B with other genres. Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound?

My influences range from jazz & blues to neo-soul to current hip-hop and R&B. Jill Scott, Brandy, Beyonce, Smino, Noname, H.E.R. My inspirations currently are small unsigned artists. The rawness, hunger and authenticity of an unsigned artist is unworldly and those are unsung heroes that inspire me everyday.

Your lyrics often explore themes of love, loss, queerness, and liberation. How do you approach translating such personal experiences into your music?

This may or may not be healthy but my best work is written when I’m hurt. Writing is a form of therapy to me. Your brain can be so hard to understand something but when I hear music, I express my thoughts so clearly. I write my buried feelings.

As an independent artist, you have the freedom to explore various aspects of music creation. Can you walk us through your typical songwriting and production process?

My typical songwriting process is simple in my eyes. I go through beats that I received until I feel convicted. I only really need 5–10 seconds to know if a beat is enticing feelings out of me and from then on, I either come up with a melody or words first and it just flows out like water. I don’t really think too much. Once I get out the first couple words, my hands just type and most of the time I don’t even know what my song is about until the very end.

Your voice has been described as “luring” and “unpredictable.” How do you experiment with vocal delivery to convey the emotions in your songs?

So I don’t have any musical background besides a random music class in 3rd grade so basically I had to teach myself how to sing. Scales, chords, harmonies, all that good stuff was self-taught. Whatever sounds good to the ear is what I do. With that, I have to have a lot of trust in myself and my abilities. A lot of notes or runs I have in my songs are things I do for the first time and they just work. That trust and limitlessness allows me to create my own world in my music.

Your new single “And I” is set to release soon. What inspired this track, and what themes does it explore?

To be quite candid, this is a sensual song I wrote when I was feeling the most unsexy. An alter ego. I pride myself in being a free-spirited and liberated woman and that was something I was struggling with at the time. People perceive music in many ways but even with my own music, the meanings change. In retrospect, “And I” explores the themes of pleasure and its power play tug-of-war between a partner and also against myself.

How does “And I” differ from your previous releases, both in terms of sound and lyrical content?

“And I” is the most grown and sexy song I’ve released to date. I definitely lean into those after hour ideologies both sonically and lyrically more than before. I wanted to make a statement about a sector of my life I haven’t yet.

Can you share any memorable moments from the creation or recording process of “And I”?

I would say right after writing and running through the song in full for the first time was a crazy moment because I was thinking “WHO IS THIS PERSON WRITING THIS FREAKY SH…?” I felt like a mom watching her daughter step into her womanhood.

With the release of your album “Whatever Happens, Happens” in 2023, how do you see your music evolving in the coming years?

That’s a great question. I take so much pride in “Whatever Happens, Happens”. It was my first baby that felt whole. As that was a fundamental stepping stone in my journey, I see myself having more experimental approaches and more openness in my music going forward.

Are there any artists or producers you aspire to collaborate with in the future?

I hope to collaborate with more up and coming artists like myself. Everyone wants to always collaborate or network up but I want to collaborate in order to create community because community is the real game changers of culture. Big shoutout to the “webreathemusicallday” community for always being open to collaborate and work.

Beyond your music, you’re creating a movement that embodies liberation and human connection. What message do you hope to convey to your listeners through your artistry?

I hope through my artistry I inspire listeners to express themselves no matter what. No matter the social climate, what society thinks, how much it costs or if people see it or not, always express yourself because you never know what it attracts.

To end off on a fun note, what is your dream collaboration and why?

My current top 3 collabs would be Emmavie, Smino, and Anderson.Paak. They all are so unique in their respective lanes and I would kill to even be a fly on the wall just to learn and enjoy.

“And I” is now out on all streaming platforms!