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When J. Cole ’s debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, was released this past September, the music world was abuzz with chatter; at long last, the Jay-Z run label Roc Nation had unveiled work by one of its most hyped artists. Meanwhile, a young female artist, who had been signed shortly after Cole, patiently waited in the wings for her proper coming out party. Because if early material that has emerged is any indication, Roc Nation’s Bridget Kelly is on her way to becoming Roc Nation’s definitive leading lady.
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With an old-time R&B vibe that incorporates elements of jazz, blues and soul–dashed of course, with pop stylings– Kelly, 25, is crafting a cross-genre sound that’s tailor-made for the urban game’s current dance-meets-pop-meets-soul mindset. But the singer, who is frequently compared to Alicia Keys –likely because she’s been known to sing the’ hook for “Empire State of Mind” during her boss’ concerts — was never deadset on pursuing a career in sensual singing.
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For Kelly, who grew up in NYC and attended the prestigious Fiorello H. Laguardia performing arts school– whose alumni list includes Nicki Minaj – a career in rock was just as realistic. “I thought I wanted to do very emo rook music,” she recently said, describing her feelings after initially being signed to Roc Nation. “Sort of like Alanis Morrisette or Pink .”
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But after joining Jay-Z on his Blueprint 3 tour, Kelly changed paths; she found her calling as a cross-platform recording artist. While her debut album won’t be out until 2012, she’s already cutting tracks with some of the game’s top producers, including Ne-Yo, The-Dream and Frank Ocean , who produced her first single, “Thinking About Forever”.
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While success is on the doorstep, Kelly remains humble, ready to accept advice from her peers; she acknowledges that it certainly helps having a mentor who is one of the music game’s most successful artists. Jay-Z recently gave her a bit of advice, telling her to ‘make sure, no matter what, you’re having fun.’” But that’s easy for Kelly. For as she says, “I’m the strongest most vulnerable, raw and unpredictable treat served up on a plate.”
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Check out a video interview and performance below by Kelly on “What’s Trending” and also watch one of her killer renditions of “Empire State of Mind” with her label boss Jay-Z.
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