25-year-old Cameroonian-native, Los Angeles-based singer/ rapper/ songwriter Lorine Chia grew up between two worlds: one her family’s deep ties to her native country of Cameroon; the other the years she spent learning and adjusting to the American way of life and its music. Her upbringing and musical influences would prove to be an undeniable talent today, garnering Lorine Chia praises from the likes of Complex, Fader, and Billboard, while Pitchfork describes her as “plucked straight from a different era, but…ultra-contemporary.” Her contribution to her collaboration with Bad Boy/Interscope artist Machine Gun Kelly has been called “fabulously rich” by Rolling Stone.

Born in the West African country of Cameroon, Lorine Chia was reared in an environment that was instilled with a strong sense of self-sufficiency and determination that would prove integral in her future. At the age of six, Lorine moved to the rough and tumble urban environs of Baltimore, Maryland. While life may not have been a facsimile of the HBO series The Wire, life in Baltimore was not without its unique set of challenges for the young immigrant. “My parents didn’t let me go outside too much,” she says. “I got made fun of in school because of my culture and accent. It was weird. I was confused as to why they were making fun of me.” Instead of succumbing to bullies, Lorine decided to learn the culture of the urban Baltimore community all while embracing her differences. It was then she discovered Baltimore club – a genre of hyperkinetic dance music native to the region.

Taking the next decade to develop her musical attributes, Lorine was inspired by artists such as Coldplay, John Legend, The Cool Kids, and Kanye West. Recalling the moment she taught herself to play the guitar, “That right there started everything,” she reveals. “When I started playing guitar, I found a way to piece together my music. That’s when I started writing actual songs because I found some type of sound to go along with those words I had been writing all along.” Garnering an overwhelming positive response after performing in her high school music class, Lorine had gained the confidence to move full speed ahead with her musical endeavors.

Since then Lorine has gone on to write, produce, and sing along side major artist such as The Game, Wiz Khalifa, Jeezy, Jim Jones, and more. Fortune 500 company Coca Cola named Lorine artist of the week and featured her on their website dubbing her as “sassy and soulful” and “a star for the future.” Lorine is currently working on her highly anticipated album titled “Sweet Noise” due out this year!