Niia

Niia Bertino (born July 11, 1988), better known by her stage name Niia, is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter.

Niia
Background information
Birth nameNiia Bertino
Also known asNiia
BornJuly 11, 1988 (1988-07-11) (age 32)
OriginNeedham, Massachusetts, US
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, pianist
InstrumentsVocals, piano
Years active2007–present
LabelsSomething Local
Associated actsWyclef Jean
Robin Hannibal
Jai Paul
James Bond
Tony Kaye
Websitewww.niiamusic.com
www.facebook.com/NiiaMusic

Early life

Niia was born in Needham, Massachusetts, and was trained by her mother in classical piano and began singing and performing at the age of 13.[1] Bertino's mother hails from Italy and is the daughter of an opera singer, while her extended family boasts many vocalists trained at the Juilliard School. She was invited to attend the Berklee College of Music summer program at age fourteen. After high school, Niia moved to New York City where she briefly attended the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music as a Jazz vocal major. She later settled in Los Angeles.[2]

Musical career

While living in New York, Niia met singer, songwriter and producer Wyclef Jean. After working with Wyclef and producer Jerry Wonda, Niia was a featured artist on 2007 single, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)," which also featured Lil' Wayne and Akon. The song peaked at number twelve on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 after fifteen weeks on the chart and was RIAA certified Platinum.

Niia has toured around the world and performed on programs such as VH1 Soul Stage, the Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, the BET Awards and MTV New Year's Eve in Times Square.

In 2011, Niia began performing The Best of 007 in New York. Backed by a 14 piece orchestra, Niia paid homage to the soundtrack of James Bond films including classics "Goldfinger", "Thunderball", and "The Spy Who Loved Me". She has also released covers of the classic track Mad World by Tears for Fears, Jai Paul's viral hit BTSTU, and Cher's Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).

In February 2013, Niia self-released her single "Made For You" and premiered the video, directed by famed American History X director Tony Kaye, on The Fader. In October 2013, Bertino was the presenter of a TED Talk titled Beauty Overcomes Fear at the annual TEDxOrangeCoast event. She has also performed for the likes of Google.

She teamed up with Robin Hannibal on music in preparation for her debut EP Generation Blue, released on October 28, 2014. In 2015, Bertino, alongside Josef Salvat, was featured on Tourist's single "Holding On".

Niia is currently working on a debut album, which details remain unknown. In June 2016, she released a new single "Bored To Death", which will be included on the record. Track was premiered by Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 radio show.[3]

Awards

In 2005, Niia was selected by the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts as one of the top 100 singers in the country, and the national winner in the jazz voice category National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Recognition and Talent Search.[1][4]

Discography

Albums
Year Album details Peak chart positions
US UK
2017 I
  • Release date: May 5, 2017
  • Label: Atlantic
 — —
2020

II: La Bella Vita

  • Release date: February 14, 2020
  • Label: NIAAROCCO LLC
 — —

Extended plays
Year Album details Peak chart positions
US UK
2014 Generation Blue
  • Release date: October 28, 2014
  • Label: Something Local
 — —
Year Title Chart positions Album
U.S. Hot 100 U.S.
Pop 100		 UK Singles Chart CAN Hot 100
2007 "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" (Wyclef Jean featuring Akon, Lil Wayne and Niia) 12 10 66 14 Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant
2015 "Holding On" (Tourist featuring Josef Salvat and Niia) – – – –

Music videos

As lead artist
Year Album Title Director
2013 N/A "Made For You" Tony Kaye[5]
Generation Blue "Generation Blue" Dan Monick[6][7]
2014 "David's House"
Year Album Title Director
2007 Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)"
(Wyclef Jean featuring Akon, Lil Wayne and Niia)		 Chris Robinson[8]
2015 "Holding On"
(Tourist featuring Josef Salvat and Niia)		 Holly Blakey[9]

References
  1. Donna Goodison (April 10, 2005). "17-year-old musician a winning jazz singer". Boston Globe. Retrieved November 22, 2007. Music, Niia Bertino confesses, is her whole life
  2. Wood, Mikael. "Why Niia took a slow route to soul-music success". www.latimes.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  3. "Listen to Niia's Alluring New Single, "Bored To Death"". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  4. "2005 ARTS Winners" (PDF). National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  5. VIDEO: Niia "Made For You" TheFADER.com. February 12, 2013.
  6. Check Out Niia's Smoldering "Generation Blue" Video Complex.com. December 10, 2013.
  7. Exclusive: Listen to Premiere of Niia's 'David's House' Billboard. September 18, 2014.
  8. Wyclef Jean – "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" MTV. October 2, 2007.
  9. Tourist – Holding On ft. Josef Salvat, Niia" YouTube.com. June 8, 2015.
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