LIA GIVENCHY

LIA GIVENCHY IS A GRITTY, SEXY RAPPER FROM FLATBUSH BROOKLYN. HER TAKE ON HIP-HOP IS A CROWD PLEASER. LIA IS NO STRANGER TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AS SHE WAS THE GHOST WRITING FORCE BEHIND SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN THE HIP-HOP. AND HOLDING HER OWN HAS NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE AMONGST HER MALE COUNTERPARTS. LIA HAS CREATED A NEW LANE FOR HERSELF. WITH HER DEEP, PROVOCATIVE VOICE SHE IS POISED TO CAPTIVATE HER AUDIENCES. HER DRIVE DEFINES HER AS AN ARTIST AND PERSONALITY ON HER OWN TERMS. THE ARTIST, THE ENTREPRENEUR, AND THE WOMAN... LIA GIVENCHY.

VALIDATED: TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD GROWING UP AND HOW IT INFLUENCED YOU?

LIA GIVENCHY: I WAS BORN IN GUYANA. HALF MY FAMILY IS FROM GUYANA AND THE OTHER HALF IS FROM BRAZIL. I BASICALLY GREW UP IN SOUTH AMERICA HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY REGGAE, SAMBA, REGGAETON, HINDI AND SOME HIP HOP AND SOUL MUSIC. WE DEFINITELY GREW UP IN THE GHETTO OR I WOULD SAY THE SLUMS BUT WE ALWAYS HAD PRIDE. WE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR MUSIC AND WE WERE ALWAYS ALLOWED TO EXPRESS OURSELVES AND DREAM ABOUT BETTER AND WORK TOWARDS BETTER.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP-HOP, THE CULTURE?

LIA GIVENCHY: I REMEMBER BEING IN LOVE WITH TLC AND WANTING TO BE MISSY ELLIOTT. WHEN I SAW HER IN THE "I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN" VIDEO, THAT'S WHEN MY LOVE FOR HIP HOP STARTED. BACK THEN I WANTED TO BE A SINGER BUT OF COURSE I DIDN'T HAVE THE TALENT TO DO THAT. I FIGURED WHY NOT DO THE NEXT BEST THING AND I STARTED RHYMING LIKE MISSY AND THEN EVE CAME OUT AND I JUST LOVED HER. I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA BE EVE WHEN I GREW UP. LOL I JUST LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND WHAT THEY REPRESENTED.

VALIDATED: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START AS A RAPPER?

LIA GIVENCHY: I ALWAYS KNEW THAT I WANTED TO BE A RAPPER SO WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE STATES I USE TO HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS IN COLLEGE THAT USED TO RAP AND HAD A FAMOUS COUSIN. I USE TO GO TO THE STUDIO A LOT WITH THEM AND I WOULD WRITE FOR THEM. ONE DAY I JUST FIGURE WHY NOT DO IT FOR MYSELF. THIS IS WHAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. I WROTE SOME STUFF AND THEY REALLY LIKED IT AND I JUST TOOK OFF FROM THERE.

VALIDATED: WHICH FEMALE EMCEES INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST EARLY ON? WHAT IF ANYTHING DID YOU BORROW FROM THEM?

LIA GIVENCHY: I THINK THE ONE FEMALE MC THAT INFLUENCED ME A LOT IS EVE. I FEEL LIKE IT WAS THE LAID BACK WAY THAT SHE RAPPED. PLUS SHE STILL HAD CONFIDENCE IN HER DELIVERY AND IN HER LYRICS. THE MESSAGE IN HER MUSIC IN GENERAL IS WHAT I TOOK FROM HER. I LOVED THE FACT THAT SHE WAS A GIRL THAT DIDN'T GET LOST IN RUFF RYDER AMONGST THE GUYS.

VALIDATED: COMPARISONS ARE INEVITABLE BUT HOW DO YOU STANDOUT FROM OTHER FEMALE RAPPERS?

LIA GIVENCHY: COMPARISONS ARE DEFINITELY INEVITABLE BUT THE WAY I STAND OUT IS IN MY DELIVERY, MY METAPHORS, MY WORD PLAY AND THE FACT THAT I'M AN INTERNATIONAL ARTIST. SO MY SOUND IS NOT JUST NEW YORK, MEANING I CAN TAILOR IT TO THE MARKET I WANT TO APPEAL TO. AND I ALSO HAVE A FANBASE OUTSIDE OF AMERICA. BEING SO CULTURALLY DIVERSE I CAN PUT A LITTLE OF REGGAE IN IT, A LITTLE SAMBA IN IT AND STILL BRING IT BACK ALL THE WAY HIP HOP.

VALIDATED: WHICH FEMALE INDIE HIP-HOP ARTIST ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW?

LIA GIVENCHY: I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW IS KASH DOLL. I LOVE HER CONFIDENCE, HER HUSTLE AND UNAPOLOGETIC BOSSED UP ATTITUDE.

VALIDATED: WHAT WAS THE DEFINING MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER THAT LEAD TO YOU STARTING YOUR OWN LABLE, BARTICA RECORDS?

LIA GIVENCHY: WHEN I REALIZED WHAT IT MEANT TO HAVE A LABEL. YOU OWN YOUR MASTERS AND OWN YOUR CREATIVITY.  YOU GET INTO THE STUDIO CHEAP AND SITTING DOWN AND WRITING MUSIC COMES FREELY. WHY WOULD I SIGN A DEAL WITH ANYONE TO DO THAT FOR ME OR TO FACILITATE THAT FOR ME? THAT'S WHEN I DECIDED TO CREATE "BARTICA RECORDS" AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT I CREATE HAS A HOME AND ANYTHING THAT LIA GIVENCHY TOUCHES IS A BRAND.

VALIDATED: WHAT ADVANTAGES DO YOU FEEL BEING AN ARTIST GIVES YOU WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT AN ARTIST NEEDS FROM A LABLE TO SUCEED?

LIA GIVENCHY: I'VE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN THE INDUSTRY BEFORE AND I SAW WHAT THEY DID. I'M ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'RE SO SUCCESSFUL AND I UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS PART OF THIS MUSIC BUSINESS. I DON'T SOLELY FOCUS ON BEING AN ARTIST. THAT IS NOT HOW YOU BUILD A BRAND OR SUSTAIN A BRAND. SO I PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY ASPECT OF MY CAREER.

VALIDATED: WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN ARTIST?

LIA GIVENCHY: wHAT I LOOK FOR IN AN ARTIST IS HARD WORK AND DEDICATION. FROM THERE I TRY TO FIGURE OUT THEIR MOTIVATION AND DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY TALENT!

VALIDATED: WHATS YOUR REACTION TO THE BUZZ OFF YOUR LATEST SINGLE, "HANDSTANDS"?

LIA GIVENCHY: "HANDSTAND" WAS A VERY FUN UPBEAT RECORD THAT I ENJOYED DOING. I'M DEFINITELY LOVING THE RESPONSE I'M GETTING FROM THE CLUBS AND THE DJS.

VALIDATED: TELL US ABOUT OTHER VENTURES YOU'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON. WHAT CAN THE FANS EXPECT FOR THE 2ND HALF OF 2018?

LIA GIVENCHY: RIGHT NOW I'M WORKING ON BUILDING AND SOLIDIFYING MY BRAND AND EXPANDING. I HAVE A FEW THINGS I'M DOING IN TELEVISION AND ALSO I HAVE MY MIXTAPE AND EP THAT I'M WORKING ON. ALL OF WHICH IS GOING TO BE DROPPING REAL SOON. SO IT'S JUST A MATTER OF MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE DROPPING OUR PROJECTS AT THE RIGHT TIME BUT 2018 DEFINITELY LOOKS VERY VERY PROMISING.

VALIDATED: WHERE CAN THE READER SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR MUSIC ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA?

LIA GIVENCHY: ALL MY SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES ARE THE SAME @LIAGIVENCHY OR GO TO WWW.IAMLIAGIVENCHY.COM.