By stufflovely
Become familiar with the name Angelica Vila. The Bronx beauty is poised for a meteoric rise with grown AF vocals that belie her 22 years of age. She has been singing for more than half of her life and managed to cement her career after a chance studio meeting with Fat Joe. The hip hop legend immediately signed and took her under his tutelage.
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The R&B songstress is now part of Roc Nation and dropped her debut album, Deception SZN 1, this past July. The 11-track project showcases her ethereal R&B vocal prowess while seamlessly blending her Dominican roots with ‘90s-inspired tunes and trap breaks.
“It took like two-and-a-half years to get that done,” she told Hype Hair in a recent interview. “It’s a process. Nothing ever happens overnight.”
But her career is showing no signs of stalling. She’s already garnered nearly 30 million streams and earned a songwriting credit on the song “O.V.E.Rr” for R&B vet Toni Braxton.
“I’m blessed!” she said of the songwriting experience with producer Antonio Dixon. “This is my first placement.”
Her songwriting approach is much like her approach to hair: she uses her experiences to shape her sound and outlook.
It’s what helped her revive and fall in love with her natural curls after experiencing the all-too-common drama of heat damage. “I used the flatiron on so much my hair, you know, it just turned into dead hair,” she revealed.
“I learned that I had to appreciate my hair,” Angelica added. “When I lost my curls, I was so mad. I actually cried a couple of times. You never know what you’ve got until it’s gone. So when I got it back, I learned to embrace and take care of my hair and take my time.”
Now, Angelica swears by a good bun and baby hair and is avoiding heat as much as possible. “I slipped up a couple of times, but you know…” she laughs.
But it’s all good because her curls, like her career, are flourishing.
Press play below to get into the full interview — including how she defines beauty and the products she used to help get her healthy tresses back.
