Liana Bank$

From slinging lyrics to shaping a strong solo career, this rising r&b artist is all about the hustle.

- Ashley Monae

“I’m fearless, I don’t give a fuck, and I’m self-aware,” proclaims Liana Bank$ while perched on a bench overlooking New York City’s Battery Park. “This is who I am and whatever comes out, comes out.” It’s the kind of confidence that usually develops with age, but the 26-year-old singer-songwriter has already had enough experience with the fickle music industry to feel completely assured that her time has finally arrived. Born in Queens to a family of musicians (her grandmother sings on Broadway, her mother was in a jazz band, and her sisters sang in a gospel choir), conceiving melodies and composing lyrics have always come naturally to Bank$. At just eight years old, she wrote her first song and began to realize her knack for unloading her everyday thoughts and frustrations onto the page. People took notice, but her breakout moment wouldn’t arrive for at least another decade.