bleulilbaby is a whole vibe, and it’s hard to miss that bright, electric blue hair anytime she walks into the room. Born in New Jersey and based in Philadelphia, bleulilbaby is the newest recording artist via Mass Appeal Records, and she’s here to take over the music industry with her undeniable talents.
bleulilbaby states, “I’m a lot of things. I think my music describes me as a lot of things. I shake a lot of ass, I have a great time, but I also am a Leo. I’m a very emotional person. If I had to describe myself, I’d say I’m a work in progress. [laughs]”
Building an organic buzz and following on social media, garnering over 1.4 million followers on TikTok alone, the rising star shined bright and quickly shifted her focus to her first true love: music. bleulilbaby has been singing ever since she can remember, whether it’s talent shows reciting Mariah Carey lyrics, to joining the girl group Good Girl, which even competed on America’s Got Talent. Soon, she would be discovered by Starr Island Group music executives Donnie Meadows and Chase Fairbanks.
@bleulilbaby didnt feel like screamin this song today lol #fyp #singersoftiktok #phillytiktok #phillytok #practicemakesprogress
♬ original sound – megan
Fast forward to today, bleulilbaby has officially unveiled her highly-anticipated debut single, “Pride,” tapping Bay Area rapper Symba. The song is the perfect soundtrack to your summer romance, reminding folks to let go of their pride and let love in.
AllHipHop caught up with bleulilbaby to discuss her sound, roots in Philly, being vegan, going solo, how she got her name, how “Pride” came to be, signing to Mass Appeal, and more!
AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?
bleulilbaby: Honestly, it feels like rejuvenatingly sad, if that makes sense. It’s a mix of PARTYNEXTDOOR and Mary J. Blige vibes, you know? If you can put them together, that’s what it feels like.
AllHipHop: What was it like growing up in Philly and how does that play into your art/music?
bleulilbaby: I’m originally from Jersey, I didn’t move to Philly until I was 13, 14. I grew up with my mom, she raised me by herself for a long time so it was just me and her. A lot of my music represents women who’ve been doing things on their own. It expresses the energy of figuring life out as a woman, as a black girl by yourself. Working through traumas, working through heartbreaks… because we tend to go from heartbroken to heartbreaker, that’s the system that we all go through.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite cheesesteak spot?
bleulilbaby: Well, I’m going to say it’s Max’s. I know a lot of people are going to try and say it’s Ishkabibble’s, but my personal favorite is Max’s. I can’t really get down with Ishkabibble’s, it’s too expensive. The seasoning is not the same, and the grease is not the same. Of course I’m vegan now so it’s different for me, but I dream of a cheesesteak sometimes. [laughs]
AllHipHop: How long have you been vegan now?
bleulilbaby: Almost 3 years.
AllHipHop: How do you feel?
bleulilbaby: I feel amazing! I used to really lag in energy, I had a sinus infection almost once every two months. At the time I thought I had an allergy to dairy, because I’d be f###### up some cheesesteaks, macaroni and pizza. But as soon as I cut all that stuff out, my body was like thanks! S###, I gotta keep it that way.
AllHipHop: You were a part of a girl group, Good Girl. How was that experience?
bleulilbaby: It was a lot of fun! I’m an only child so I’ve never had siblings. It was really an experience of being sisters and growing up together, because we knew each other prior to the group. Growing up together and going through life together, it was an exciting time for us. We went through a lot of heartbreaks together, dealt with a lot of family deaths together. It was a relationship that ended, but it was an amazing time for all of us honestly. It was a really good time.
AllHipHop: How was it going solo?
bleulilbaby: Honestly I feel like I’m still lowkey transitioning. [laughs] I’m still getting used to traveling by myself, even doing interviews by myself, being in the studio without them. It’s one of those things like when you’ve been in a relationship a long time with somebody, because we were together for 7 years. Then you break up, you’re used to that person being there so you have to get used to it. I’m still going through those motions, but it’s been cool.
AllHipHop: Talk about when you picked up the name bleulilbaby and what inspired the blue hair.
bleulilbaby: Okay so, I had changed my hair color a lot. Especially in the group. My hair’s been fuchsia, I had been blonde, I had been green, I had been silver. Blue was just another color, because I get bored so quickly. Blue was one of them colors on a stop to another color. I remember, I forget who it was but somebody said “yo, we gotta figure out what your color’s going to be, because you can’t be a thousand colors.”
I said “Well I guess since I’m already blue right now, I might as well keep the damn color.” Because people like it, they’re like “oh it looks good with your skin.” I’m like okay cool, so I stuck with the color. My manager was the first one to start calling me bleu, so people got attached to the name. I added the ‘lilbaby’ to the end because I used to walk down the street all the time, and you know how when guys try to talk to you? They call you a thousand things, but it was always “what’s up shawty? what’s up lilbaby?” I said ‘”oh that’s cute,” so I just put that s### together.
AllHipHop: Are you always going to have blue hair now, or…?
bleulilbaby: You know, I don’t think so… because I’m really tempted to switch it up. bleulilbaby is a spirit, I don’t think it has to be attached to a particular color. It just so happens that my hair is blue, but it’s more of an energy thing for me. It expresses me becoming who I am on a day to day basis. The color blue is just me, it expresses who I am really well. I’m a switch it up at some point.
AllHipHop: You just released “Pride,” your debut solo single. How does it feel?
bleulilbaby: I’m excited about it. It’s always a little nerve-racking when you put something out that’s so close to your heart. Because songwriting especially for me, I wrote on all these songs. I’m really talking about my life in this music, so it’s hard sometimes to want to be that vulnerable and want to be okay with people. Because of course you put it out there for people to criticize, to love or hate which is cool, but it’s your heart still. I am really sensitive about my s###. I’m just excited people are getting the opportunity to get to know me, because people don’t really know. They see me having a good time or they see me singing some sad s###, but they don’t really know who I am. I’m more so excited to share that with people.
AllHipHop: Why did you decide to put “Pride” as your first single?
bleulilbaby: [sighs] Being in relationships, I feel it was a good conversation starter, especially as far as who I am. Just because I know a lot of my shortcomings in relationships have come from me having too much pride or me having not enough of letting go and feeling safe enough to let somebody love me. It was a good way to start the conversation of the chaos of a relationship or the beauty in a relationship. I thought it was a really good starting point.
AllHipHop: How did Symba end up on the track? That’s my guy!
bleulilbaby: Oh yeah, Symba’s the homie. We’re signed to the same production company, so it was only a matter of time that we did music together. I’ve been pulling up to Symba sessions forever, at the Trap. [laughs] I appreciate him for getting on the record. He really helped make the song, just because I wanted that girl/guy dynamic, I wanted to express myself, I wanted the other person to express themselves as far as how we see the situation when we’re fighting with somebody. Or in a relationship when you’re trying to figure s### out, trying to figure out how to love each other. He really did a great job.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from the music video?
bleulilbaby: I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s a vibe. That’s all I can really say, it’s vibey. The song is a segue into more of who I am and the video’s going to be a segway into more of who I am, allowing people to see me and understand me. Get a feel for how I felt in the moment of writing it.
AllHipHop: Have you written for any major artists?
bleulilbaby: I haven’t, but I can’t wait to. I’m excited to start. I know people talk about writer’s block a lot, but my writer’s block was really intense. It had lasted for years and years. “Pride” was the first song that I wrote coming out of that, last summer. After that, I was able to get into a flow. I’m just excited to work. I’m excited to work with producers, I’m excited to work with writers. I’m excited to get in the flow of being creative, sharing stories and experiences with people and making that s### go.
AllHipHop: What do you want fans to get out of your story?
bleulilbaby: More than anything, I want people to love themselves, accept who they are, and be okay with growing. Even if other people are not okay with them growing. Because we get stuck caring about what other people think, to the point where we build our life around it. Everything is dependent on how other people feel about what we’re doing, what we’re saying, how we’re feeling. It’s important to be accountable, because I understand. I spent a lot of time not being accountable. This first project is me trying to do that, because these are the first steps to self-love, growth, all that type of stuff. I want to help people grow and be better for themselves, not anybody else.
AllHipHop: How did you find your way to Mass Appeal Records?
bleulilbaby: Honestly, me and my team have known a lot of people at Mass Appeal for a while. You know when you’re an artist, you see people. You meet people. I’ve met certain people at the label, like Celeste [Marketing Director] before actually signing. We’ve had a back and forth prior to me signing last year. It seemed like the perfect place for me, and my team. We all love everybody there.
AllHipHop: Did you have any conversations with Nas?
bleulilbaby: Not yet, but I heard that he loves the project. [laughs] Which is fire!
AllHipHop: What’re you most excited for next?
bleulilbaby: Man, it’s gonna be a really busy year. A lot of work goes into the success of your music and your success as an artist. It’s a lot of work once you’ve put something out, or once you continue to put something out. I’m just really excited for the work part, then getting in front of people and being able to perform live. I can’t wait to perform in Philly. That’s going to be so fire and exciting for me, I can’t wait.
I really can’t wait to get back on stage, it’s been a minute. 2020 swallowed up everybody’s life, so I’m trying to come out with a bang. I really love meeting and connecting with people. Intimate spaces are my favorite, talking to people is my favorite thing to do. I’m excited to get out there and get s### going.
AllHipHop: What does your tattoo say?
bleulilbaby: Self-love! It’s everyday, you know?
AllHipHop: What would you say is your favorite thing to do for self-care?
bleulilbaby: You know what, I’m not the best at it, but I have started to take time to just be by myself. I’m not really a spa-y kind of person, massage-y kind of person. I’m really ticklish so that’s not a real thing for me. I love going to the beach though, it’s my favorite place. As much as I can, I want to be by the water, by the ocean. Sun and salt, just feeling peaceful and connected.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?
bleulilbaby: Follow me on everything @bleulilbaby. “Pride” is everywhere now, and the video will be out soon! I can’t wait for everybody to hear my music, I hope you guys love it. I hope you’re ready for me, because I’m coming b####!
https://bleulilbaby.lnk.to/pride
