Kayla Bliss “To music I owe my whole life, so for my whole life I’m dedicated to music” Ms. Bliss was born in Brooklyn, NY, in November 1987, as Ekela Dixon. She spent the earlier years of her life in Jamaica, West Indies, where she was first exposed to reggae music. She also spent some of her formative years, in Brooklyn, NY, where she learned to love Hip Hop and R&B. At the age of 13, she moved to Queens, NY, where she got her first taste of the mesmerizing sounds of Billie Holiday, blasting from her neighbor’s speakers. Through these experiences Kayla realized that music and singing was an integral part of her life, a dream she must pursue in order to be fulfilled. In pursuit of this dream, or destiny, if you will Kayla debut at her elementary school’s presentation of the Wizard of Oz, playing the part of Glinda the Good Witch. During the performance, Kayla unknowingly released her star quality. She dazzled the audience with her exceptional pitch and mature delivery. This performance was the first of many. To nurture this young star, her parents enrolled her in the Brooklyn, Youth Chorus Academy. There she was given the opportunity to perfect her craft through formal training, including but not limited to musical theory, sight reading etc. It was this experience that created the soothing, tantalizing sounds of Ms. Bliss. She took techniques synonymous with classical music, and applied them to Reggae and R&B, thus creating her own unique ambience. The chorus afforded her the opportunity to perform at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the famed Cipriani. These experiences, especially her performance at Cipriani, humbled her and fueled her to strive to become, one of the great artist, to have performed on those stages. She has performed in places that seasoned artists only dream about. This kind of dedication did not come without a price. In an effort to include her two best friends, who were involved in music with less dedication, they formed a group. Unfortunately, they didn’t stay together for long. She became alienated from her friends who couldn’t understand such blind dedication. During this tumultuous time in her life, her parent’s marriage fell apart. This was devastating blow for Kayla. She longed for a way to express herself. In her effort to cope, she perfected her art of writing. She learned how to obtain certain reactions using certain words. Her thoughts, her dreams, her fears, her love, and her pain all spilled out on paper in the form of songs. She learned to smile with ad-libs and to cry with the delivery of each note. Before she knew it, she was arranging and writing music. Her writing style is definitely against the grain! Her topics are controversial at times and her category is undefined. At only 19, you would never assume that Kayla Bliss has experienced as much as she has. With four (4) tattoos and occasionally bright locs, she has grown to be quite the rebel in more ways than one. Don’t mistake this budding star for a Neo-soul artist though! While she loves and respects artists such as India Arie and Angie Stone, her style is not like theirs. You can very well see her in a long wrap skirt, big amber pieces, an evening gown like Beyonce or just chilling in a Yankee fitted and some Timbs. “I’m not where I want to be yet, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy where I am.” She has worked with Reggae artist such as Gyptian, Mikey Jarrett, and JD Smooth just to name a few. She has been recording at the infamous Son’s Jr. Studio. She is also working with producer Faroah Black on her freshman album, scheduled to be released early summer on the No Joke Record Label. Ms. Bliss has developed a fan base throughout the country and in the Caribbean. Ms. Bliss’ conviction to the music continues to be strong. Expect big things from this budding star in the future!!