Vocalist and pianist, Brianna Brown, who goes by the professional name, Be.Be, always knew she wanted to sing.
When she was young, her mom knew Be.Be loved music, and felt that with her long fingers, being a classical pianist might be in her future.
“She put me in lessons, and I began to love playing,” Be.Be said. “My mom played a lot of old school R&B music, neo soul and jazz, while my dad played hip-hop, so my style grew out of a love for all of those mixed together.”
That melding of musical styles can be heard in her recently released single, the sultry, jazzy, “Air,” a track from her upcoming album, slated for release in spring 2021.
“I wrote the lyrics (for ‘Air’), while a producer friend of mine, Nick Chandler, composed the music, and his band played on the recording,” Be.Be said.
Last fall, she released a six-song EP, “Is That Alright?” which is available along with “Air” at officialbebecreative.com, as well as all streaming and social media platforms.
Be.Be writes the lyrics for all of her songs, while the music production is generally her hearing a track and writing around it depending on what she hears in the song and how it makes her feel.
“The song, ‘Air’ actually came as a melody first with the music coming after,” she said. “‘Air’ is the first single off of my first full-length album, ‘Elements,’ in which I’m recognizing the parallel in human feelings and emotion and natural elements: air, fire, Earth and water.
“Generally, when you think about air as a concept, it’s large and covers everywhere, so in this song I wanted to explore how intimate air can be,” she added.
Some of her other influences include Aretha Franklin, Amber Strother and Chrisette Michele.
Born in New York City, Be.Be and her family moved to St. Louis when she was a child.
She graduated from Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, and is currently pursuing a degree in psychology at Webster University.
She was awarded a position in the Kranzberg Foundation’s Music Artists in Residence program. She performs locally with the Lustre Lights and with the Neosouls band in venues like The Darkroom, Schlafly Tap Room and others, and also performs in New York.
“When performing with the Neosouls, we typically play a mix of covers and originals that generally center around a specific style or feel. Soul music and jazz are definitely favorite genres of mine” she said. “Between performing with the Lustre Lights and my own band, music is my full-time job, which I’m extremely grateful for.”
What does she like most about St. Louis?
“One of my favorite things about St. Louis is that it’s a city with its own culture,” Be.Be said. “There are things that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.”
And she loves helping others in the city she calls home.
Prior to COVID-19, she worked with Mentors in Motion as one of a number of instructors who worked with elementary, middle and high schools in St. Louis city, assisting students with team working, critical thinking and using their creativity to learn and make a song about their school.
She also gave piano lessons to students enrolled in Jazz St. Louis’ Jazz Academy.
“Working with youth and music has always been – and continues to be – a passion of mine,” she said.
During the shelter-in-place period of time, she participated in various live-streamed performances. She also offers virtual vocal lessons via bebecreative.com.
“But most of all, I’ve been using the time to work on my album and really feel out what I want my future with music – and in general – to look like,” Be.Be said.
