It’s hard to say who Pia Mia is. So far, she’s better known for her famous friends than anything she’s done, and her music gives new meaning to the word “generic.” Nonetheless, her single Do It Again was a slow-burning hit, which made the UK iTunes top 10 with no radio support, and eventually reached no.8 on the Official Chart. Like most new artists with a shot at a serious worldwide pop career, she’s a celebrity, and the music is her merchandise. While just a few years ago, celebrities were made by tabloids and gossip mags, now it’s through social media. Instagram has taken on the role of Heat magazine or US Weekly, and Pia, like her friend Kylie Jenner, is the stereotypical Instagram girl. The Kardashians are the rulers of this era, and Pia has ridden their coat-tails into digital stardom and subsequently, the charts.
In interviews, Pia seems sweet, confident and highly professional, like the typical LA teen star. She’s certainly worked long and hard to make it in the music industry, which people may not know, as her success has been widely credited to the Kardashian konnection. Posting videos on YouTube since the age of 8, moving from Guam to LA to pursue a music career, and recording with various producers for years before she got her big break, Pia was clearly determined to make it. She associated with Sofia Ritchie, Willow Smith and Bella Thorne before she reached the zenith of celebrity friends with Kylie Jenner, and I’m sure she would have found another candidate if that hadn’t worked out. Being a pretty girl with a good voice isn’t enough to get a major record label to spend millions on you these days, so artists have to use whatever extra selling points they can get.
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Pia’s new single, Touch, is her take on the nu-Bieber sound, produced by her boyfriend Nic Nac. It’s a pleasant, very current-sounding track, which could be a hit if radio get behind it. Whether or not Touch is the song to outdo Do It Again, I wouldn’t bet against Pia having a super smash hit in 2016.
Click here to find out more about This Must Be Pop’s Stars of 2016 and come back on 18th December to vote for the artists you think, and hope, will be the biggest stars of 2016. The results will be announced in the Future Pop mailer on 4th January.