Moxie Raia - 931 Reloaded (2016) FLAC

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. At the age of 13, she moved to New York City and enrolled in the Professional Children's School. After graduation, she fulfilled a dream by pursuing Jazz Studies at Columbia University. Before completing her degree, however, she moved to Los Angeles. There she hooked up with the Brain House songwriting collective, recording songs for her R.B.Y. mixtape, as well as a cover of Big Sean's "Beware." This caught the attention of Capitol Records. After signing with the label, she released her debut single, the poppy "Buffalo Bill," before ultimately parting ways with Brain House a few years later in 2015. Choosing to pursue a creative direction true to her heart -- in addition to new management under Scooter Braun -- she utilized her academic musical training and began recording what would become the tracks for her R&B-tinged debut mixtape 931 (named for her address). Over a '90s R&B beat, she channeled Lauryn Hill on "Rudimental" and contemporaries like Tori Kelly and Alessia Cara on the slick "On My Mind," featuring Pusha T. In 2016, she expanded her audience as the opening act on Justin Bieber's Purpose world tour. ~ Neil Z. Yeung