Moxie Raia

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Born Laura Raia in Red Bank, New Jersey, pop-R&B singer Moxie Raia got her start as a professional dancer and songwriter before she was a teenager. Raised in a music-loving household on a steady diet of radio and Motown records, she took to the piano when her family moved into a home with one that had been left behind. At the age of 13, she enrolled in New York City’s Professional Children’s School, and after graduation she pursued jazz studies at Columbia University. Before completing her degree, however, Raia grew frustrated with the lack of time spent actually singing and moved to Los Angeles with a group of friends. There she hooked up with the Brain House songwriting collective and came to the attention of Capitol Records. She quickly signed with the label, and in the summer of 2013 released a cover of Big Sean’s “Beware.” It went viral, and the singer followed it late in 2013 with her official debut single, the poppy “Buffalo Bill.” Choosing to pursue a creative direction truer to her heart, she parted ways with Capitol and utilized her musical training to record what would become tracks for her R&B-tinged debut mixtape, 931 (named for her address). In the meantime, she released a collaboration with Steve Aoki, “I Love When You Cry,” which reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the spring of 2015. When 931 was released in early 2016, its featured guests included names like Wyclef Jean, Pusha T., and Post Malone. That year, she also toured the world as the opening act on Justin Bieber’s Purpose tour. In 2017 Raia returned with “Wheels,” the first single off her debut album with Silent Records/Def Jam. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Marcy Donelson