Meet AIA, most commonly categorized as an R&B artist, but when asked herself, AIA describes her music as “new-soul;” a combination of jazz, funk, r&b, and neo-soul elements put together to create something new. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, AIA’s journey as an artist started at a young age. She discovered her passion for singing around the age of 11 and was classically trained for three years before deciding to study jazz at Howard University. AIA’s goal is to incorporate the traditional aspects of jazz, groove of funk, earthiness of neo-soul, and smoothness of R&B to create her own unique sound. On August 6th, 2021, AIA dropped her first project entitled “Intravenous” or “I.V.” for short. The EP is a journey to self love; it tells her story of accepting and loving herself, from being suicidal and full of self pity to learning to love life. I.V. is AIA’s exodus from self hatred and arrival to self love. When listening to the project, she hopes listeners can relate to her story and know that they’re not alone and it WILL get better. Follow AIA on social media @aiadamermaid and check out her website [https://msha.ke/aiadamermaid ] to stay updated on her latest releases and more!