About this artist
Detroit’s self-styled “Queen of R&B Trap” Neisha Neshae overcame an abusive childhood and the incarceration and death of her mother to carve out a career for herself, eventually signing to a major label. A talented high school basketball player, she took solace in music after her mother’s death as a way to channel her negative experiences. After dropping out of school, she self-released a mixtape and an EP while working at Taco Bell. Hard work and self-belief finally paid off when, in 2016, at the age of 19, she broke out with the single “On a Cloud,” which chronicled her triumph over adversity. Produced by local figure Helluva, the spacy, psychedelic, heavily Auto-Tuned jam showcasing her smooth soulful vocals became a monster hit on Detroit radio and won her slots on two high-profile local showcase gigs. On later singles such as “Fuck U Mean,” “Boss Up,” “I’ma Go Crazy,” and “White Sticks,” she proved herself a talented rapper as well, with a taut, urgent flow and cutting, trash-talking verses. She lost out on a support slot with Beyoncé, but managed to network backstage, meeting fellow Detroit artist Big Sean, who became a close friend and mentor and took her out on his I Decided tour. In 2017, she signed to Virgin EMI, with a debut album, produced by Sean, set to drop later that year. ~ John D. Buchanan