Misha Amber Bryan (born 10 February 1992), known professionally as Misha B, is a British recording artist, singer-songwriter and rapper. Born and raised in Manchester's Moss Side and Longsight districts, she studied a Vocal Artist course at Trafford College, as well taking part in busking and open mic nights.
Bryan rose to prominence as a semi-finalist on the eighth series of the The X Factor, after which she signed a record deal with Relentless Records. Bryan subsequently released a free fifteen-minute mixtape entitled Why Hello World (2012). Her debut single "Home Run" was released on 15 July 2012, entering the UK Singles Chart at No. 11 and the UK R&B Chart at No. 2. Bryan released her second single "Do You Think of Me" on November 4, 2012, which was peaked at No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart.[2] A second mixtape Knock Knock[3] is projected to be released in early January 2013,[4] with a third single promised to be released in March 2013.[5] Bryan supported Nicki Minaj during the United Kingdom leg of her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour in October and November 2012.
Misha Amber[6] Bryan was born on the 10 February 1992. She is of Jamaican heritage,[7] and was raised in Manchester’sMoss Side and Longsight districts. Her birth mother Florence Bryan, a former heroin addict, gave Misha and her elder sister Monique (then 8) to her sister Lily to care for when Misha was only three months old.[8][9] Bryan spoke of her upbringing in an interview with The Daily Mirror saying, "I will always look upon Lily as my mum, I've never had that relationship with my birth mum... we don't know each other. But I respect the fact she carried me for all those months, but when it comes to my mum Lil...she's a great role model in everything she does."[10] She does not know her father,[11] as he disappeared shortly after Misha was born and has had no contact with her since.[12] As a teenager Bryan attended Trinity C.E. High School in Hulme.[13] While she was at school, Bryan played football for the Manchester United under-16s.[14] She began writing poetry, moved on to rapping and then progressed to singing. Bryan started singing seriously aged 14, and says that singing was 'my way of understanding myself'.[15] In 2010 she started the Vocal Artist course at the Manchester Music Base,[16] at Trafford College in Manchester.[17] There she was coached by Leanne Brown, who had a hit with Flowers in 2000 as half of the UK garage duo Sweet Female Attitude.[18] Before Bryan defeated her stage fright at 18,[19] she admits that she had sung with her back to the audience, being scared about their response. Prior to The X Factor, Bryan performed on the Manchester open mic circuit and took up busking in order to tackle her stage fright[19][20] outside Manchester's Arndale Centre on Market Street.[21]
American singer Kelly Rowland mentored Bryan during The X-Factor
Bryan came to prominence when she auditioned as a solo artist for the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011, covering Aretha Franklin's "Respect".[22]The Daily Telegraph picked her first performance as one of the highlights of the series, saying she "oozed star quality from the start... Like a 21st century Grace Jones or an urban Lady Gaga, the teenager seemed like a proper pop star already."[23] and noted her styling choices, describing it as a "frock made out of newspapers, teamed with a chicken-wire fascinator".[24]The Voice recalls 'a petite, confident, yet coy, Mancunian', delivered one of the more 'memorable auditions the ITV1 show had ever seen' ... 'with the ease and grace of a pro'.[25] A number of music articles have described Bryan as one of the more gifted singers to emerge from the The X Factor.[26][27] BBC 1xtra describes her as a "break from the traditional X Factor contestant" and that Misha B could be noted for her "show-stopping performances".[28] During the competition she was mentored by American recording artist Kelly Rowland, reaching the semi-final and finishing fourth.
Bryan was involved in a controversy during the third live show when judge Tulisa Contostavlos accused her of making "mean comments" and judge Louis Walsh accused her of being a "bully" backstage. Both later apologised. The other two panel members and several contestants defended Bryan during and after the show. Judge Gary Barlow later said he believed the wrongful allegations had ended Bryan's chances of winning the competition.[29][30]
Misha B during the Pink Friday: Reloaded tour, 2012.
Shortly after Bryan left The X Factor, she performed a live freestyle F64 for SB.TV on December 24, 2011. Directed by Jamal Edwards, her rap quickly gained one of the highest view counts on the SBTV F64 playlist.[31] Choosing a recording contract, Bryan said "[she] had various meetings with different labels but was able to go with the one she had an instant connection with".[32] In February 2012, it was announced that Bryan had signed a record deal with the Relentless Records.[33] In the same month, she participated in The X Factor Tour from February 25 to April 4, 2012.[34] Whilst on the tour, Misha spent time working on her first mixtape, Why Hello World, mixed by Manchester’s DJ Stylus,[35] and released for free to download on 27 April 2012.[36] The following week it became BBC Radio 1Xtra's mixtape of the week.[37] The mixtape received positive reviews and gained over 16,000 downloads and 25,000 streams.[38] Reviewing the release, SugarScape said "it's pretty darn awesome".[39] The mixtape features a collection of original material, as well as re-interpretations of her favourite cuts; including samples of five original songs, including "Big Dreaming", "Last Forever" and her debut single "Home Run", as well as covers of Rolling in the Deep, Mirror and Climax.[40]
On 2 May 2012, she announced her debut single "Home Run", co-written and produced by British songwriter MNEK.[41] A snippet of the single was first unveiled in May on BBC Radio 1Xtra[42]Flavour Magazine described the song as "being reggae-infused", features "jolting percussion and drum and bass influenced beats combined with Misha's soulful vocals."[43] "Home Run" is a fusion of multiple genres – R&B, hip-hop, grime, dance, pop and soul.[44] The single was added to both BBC Radio One[45] and BBC Radio 1Xtra[46] playlists, as well as the video being on the MTV playlist.[47] The music video for the single which was directed by Rohan Blair-Mangat, premiered on June 15, 2012.[48] Bryan cited her performance of Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun on The X Factor as influencing the single's creation.[49] The song was officially released on July 15, 2012 by Relentless Records and charted at No. 11, on the Official UK singles chart.[50] On the released EP the are several remixes including Kat Krazy, Zed Bias and Taiki & Nulight.[51] On 25 June 2012, she performed an acoustic version of the song live for i-D magazine at Red Bull studios,[52] for SB.TV on July 11.[53] "Home Run" received mixed to generally positive reviews from critics.
On 23 July 2012, Misha B was announced as the supporting act for the United Kingdom section of American rapper Nicki Minaj's second tour, Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour, which took place October 21 to November 7, 2012, performing in cities including Nottingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Newscastle, Birmingham and London and ending in Cardiff.[54] Apart from the X Factor tour, this was Misha B's first national tour as an artist. She was supported on stage by her tour DJ Manny Norté.[55] Misha B ‘may still have a small repertoire,’ but working the crowd, her ‘emotional and genuine’ short sets were well-received.[56][57] The Redbrick student publication reviewing Misha B’s performance said “It was great to hear that her voice, which sounds powerful on recordings and post-production, was just as good, if not even better, when performing live.” [56]
On 20 August 2012, Bryan announced the title of her second single, "Do You Think of Me", co-written by herself, Ayak Thiik and TMS and co-produced by TMS and Bryan.[58] On 7 September 2012, Misha B unveiled a Benny Page hi-tempo, dub-step and drum and bass influenced remix of the track that MTV described it as featuring "powerful and melodic vocals".[59] On September 14, 2012, Bryan released a lyric video of the original song,which has been described as an up-tempo R&B track that fuses urban and dance music, with its "90′s club-meets-tribal-flavour".[60]N.M.E said with this track she has been safely returned to pop radio, decribing it as "EDM-influenced mid-tempo ballad vibing heavily off Leona Lewis and Swedish DJ Avicii" and that her "stupendous voice is left mostly intact, triumphantly storming the middle eight."[61]Female First reviewing the track said "Opening humbly, its hidden depths are revealed as her exceptional vocals connect with instrumental rapture. Plunging even deeper as the dirty bass drops head first into the chorus."[62] The Irish Times selected it as the record of the week on September 21.[63] The official video to the track was also released on October 8.[64]Digital Spy reviewed the track as "refreshing to hear an artist spill their guts over a stomping club-thumper rather than the usual dancefloor and DJ antics; the result is a euphoric urban paean that places Misha as one of the most exciting acts ever to have come out of a talent competition" and gave the song five stars.[65][66] An acoustic session, which featured the Mancunian X Factor graduate with just an acoustic guitar by her side was produced, edited and directed by MOBO TV at the Soho Sanctum hotel on October 9, 2012.[67] She performed an acoustic version, featuring a cello, 'keys', guitar and drums for the 1Xtra Live Lounge for Trevor Nelson on October 29, 2012, together with a cover of Labrinth and Emeli Sande's "Beneath Your Beautiful".[68] On the October 30, 2012 MSN filmed her performing a Halloween-themed acoustic cover of Michael Jackson's Thriller, plus 'Do You Think Of Me'.[69] The track was release on the November 4, 2012 and was dedicated to Misha's birth mother.[70] "Do You Think of Me" peaked at No. 9 on the Official UK Singles Chart on Sunday November 11.[2] While the Official Charts Company recorded that the single reached numbers 3 and 2 on their 1Xtra Singles Top 40 chart and VH1 Urban Chart Top 20, respectively on 10 November 2012.[71][72]
On 13 November 2012, Misha B performed at 1Xtra Live 2012 concert at the Manchester Apollo for one of four BBC Radio 1Xtra gigs taking place across the country. For her set Bryan sang her two singles, Adele’s Rolling in the Deep and a new song Runway.[73] She also performed a duet with Daley on his single Remember Me covering for Jessie J.[74][75]VIVA Lifestyle Magazine described her performance as “A true entertainer...her stage presence, confidence and ability are all top notch.” [76] Before the show, Misha B joined a panel of music industry experts for a ‘Take It On’ 360 Session, to to an invited audience of local young people. 'Take it On", is a Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s project to inform young people interested in the music industry, based on Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s Academy in Hackney, summer 2012.[77]
An acoustic preview of '"Ride Or Die"' a duet featuring Misha B and Angel was uploaded to YouTube in November 2012.[78] The duo performed a medley of their singles, with Angel giving us a rendition of Misha's "Do You Think Of Me" and Misha taking on Angel's "'Time After Time'", before the pair sing "Ride Or Die".[79] 4music described the performance as “pretty impressive, pretty soulful and pretty darn emotional too!” [79] 'Ride or Die', as the B-side to Angel’s 'Time After Time', featured Misha B and was released on the 29th November 2012, with a music video published a week later on the 6th December.[80][81] The track was composed by Sirach Charles (Angel ), Kassa Alexander and Misha Bryan.[82][83] On 27 November 2012, it was revealed that Misha would feature in a series of ob-docs shorts on 4Music as part of a partnership with youth charity vInspired.[84] The Taking Care Of Christmas docs are due in December and will highlight the benefits of volunteering for a good cause and how it can make job applicants more attractive to prospective employers.[84][85]
Misha B informed Wales Online that “There’ll be a little batch of music around Christmas”.[86] Bryan is currently working on her debut album (due for release March 2013),[87][88] before that there’ll be the third single.[86] For her début studio album Misha B has been collaborating with various writers and producers, including MNEK, TMS, Naughty Boy, “I’ve been writing with (songwriter and producer) Iain James. I love Runway that we’ve written. It’s about models on a runway, and how they don’t care about what’s going on around them.[86][89] Talking about her forthcombing album to QX, Bryan said "I'm heavily influenced by where my family come from, Jamaica, so there's a dancehall vibe, but I’m from Britain so there;s pop, too. I started out as a rapper before I became a singer, so there's hip-hop in there and also Motown/soul vibe";[7] and speaking to SixtyNine Degrees it’s going be "fun, free and adventurous" and will take in "rock, indie, blues, pop, hip-hop, soul, R&B – bit of everything"[90] and to MTV "there will be raps on a few songs but it won’t be drowned in rap." [91]
Bryan spoke of the influences of growing up in Moss Side, Manchester, saying in an interview:
Music is just something that I grew up literally living as part of daily life... Like we have our carnival every year which everyone looks forward to. Plus in the summer as well we also have these big parades that go on from early morning to the end of the day where you hear music just blasting from so many different places! They have the soca, the dancehall, the pop, the reggae, the bashment - you know, basically just everything you can think of!... Then growing up in my household was very, very soul heavy. So when you add all that together, I guess that’s where my influences come from. Like right now as I’m talking to you, I’m having this very, very big flashback where I'm remembering watching the Jackson 5 movie as a child over and over again - which is probably why Michael Jackson is my greatest inspiration.[27]
Bryan told MTV "I just can’t wait for people to hear my other music and then to be able to say 'That’s Misha B’s style'."[96] Bryan has said that her music style can best be described as "free", and that she does not want to be boxed in by any one style. Bryan was nominated in the "Best Newcomer" category of the 2012 MOBO Awards, performing live at both the nomination and awards ceremonies.[97][98]The Telegraph has noted that Bryan delivers "impressive soulful vocals and a quirky rapping style" to the tracks she has covered; often injecting well-known songs with a "fresh UK urban twist", this has been noted in various performances including Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and Adele's "Rolling in the Deep".[99][100] On September 12, 2012, Bryan released a video cover of her rendition of Alicia Keys' track "Girl on Fire" on YouTube. SoulBounce commented that it was an example of an "awkward moment when someone sings your new song better than you...accompanied only by an acoustic guitar Bryan delivers a moving ballad full of soul and urgency."[101][102]FemaleFirst described Bryan as "a completely unique and diverse artist",[62] with EntertainmentWise commenting that her acoustic performances were "powerful" and "versatile".[103]
Bryan headlined the last day of Manchester Pride on Monday 27th, 2012 - one the UK's biggest pride festivals entertaining 150,000 over the bank holiday.[104][105] Bryan reflected upon her feelings towards performing live remarking, "I never had a band. It was me, my CDs or sometimes just my voice, my heels, the audience and a huge stage to fill. I loved that!” [106]
^"Misha B | Modest Management". modestmanagement.com. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 22 August 2012. Misha started singing seriously aged 14, and says that singing was 'my way of understanding myself'.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"Why we loved Misha B's fierce X Factor style :: Cosmopolitan UK". cosmopolitan.co.uk. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 6 August 2012. Loved by the show's stylists for her willingness to experiment and her own creative input, Misha wowed X Factor audiences with a series of statement outfits and hot hair looks{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^ ab"Misha B: B+". bluesandsoul.com. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 27 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"BBC - 1Xtra Live 2012 - Acts - Misha B". bbc.co.uk. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 5 December 2012. A break from the traditional X Factor contestant, Misha made waves with show-stopping performances of Respect, Rolling In The Deep and Purple Rain on her way to the semi-final.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"Singles Of The Week (16 July 2012) | So So Gay magazine". sosogay.co.uk. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 3 August 2012. 'Home Run' is a fusion of multiple genres that Misha showcased throughout her time on the show – R&B, hip-hop, grime, dance, pop and soul{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^ ab"Live Review: Misha B | Redbrick | University of Birmingham". redbrick.me. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 13 November 2012. the live performance was emotional and genuine. The energy of strutting across the stage and working the crowd can never be achieved within the confines of studio recordings.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"KISS Fresh! Misha B - Do You Think Of Me? | KISS". kissfmuk.com. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 14 September 2012. Uptempo R&B track shows of the vocalist's soulful voice whilst still being the kind of tune you can dance to{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"NME Track Reviews - Misha B - 'Do You Think Of Me' - NME.COM". nme.com. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 11 December 2012. she has been safely returned to pop radio with this second single. It's an EDM-influenced mid-tempo ballad vibing heavily off Leona Lewis and Swedish DJ Avicii. That stupendous voice is left mostly intact, triumphantly storming the middle eight.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"Misha B takes part in our 360 Session in Manchester - YouTube". youtube.com. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 21 November 2012. Misha B joins the panel of music industry experts for our 360 Session, on day 2 of the 1Xtra Live Tour, to inspire, motivate and give some insight into the music industry to the young people of Manchester.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"MISHA B TALKS X FACTOR AND TOURING WITH NICKI MINAJ | MTV UK". mtv.co.uk. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 31 October 2012. There will be raps on a few songs but it won't be drowned in rap. I'll be releasing a mixtape at the end of the year and that will have more hip-hop on there.'{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"Misha B | MTV UK". mtv.co.uk. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 21 July 2012. Eartha Kitt, Nicki Minaj and Grace Jones.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)"Cat Mcshane: X Factor: Is Misha B Too Black to Win?". huffingtonpost.co.uk. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 21 July 2012. drawing comparisons with Tina Turner, Grace Jones and Missy Elliott, some of the world's most powerful black women.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"Misha B confirms Missy Elliott collaboration - celebrity news (Glamour.com UK)". glamourmagazine.co.uk. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 24 July 2012. 'People do compare me to various different people,' she said. 'Like, I get Missy Elliott a lot, which I think is just a lazy comparison. She's great, she's one of my main inspirations, but our styles are different.'{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"VIVA does: Manchester Pride 2012 : VIVA Magazine". myvivaonline.co.uk. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 30 August 2012. however, we have to give the crown of the day to Misha B who absolutely brought the roof down with a short-but-sweet set.{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
^"Misha B - Manchester Pride 2012 - 17-27 August 2012". manchesterpride.com. 2012 [last update]. Retrieved 30 August 2012. 'I never had a band. It was me, my CDs or sometimes just my voice, my heels, the audience and a huge stage to fill. I loved that!"{{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
