They said she wouldn't make it…but she did

Mika Lucio’s latest single “What You Need” was released by Island Def Jam Digital Distribution. The track demonstrates her ability to morph into the moment. “At this moment, I don’t feel like doing hip-hop” says the songwriter. “I think whatever I feel the need to get out just comes out on paper and paired with an awesome beat, it can only create a single moment in music” she continues. “If I feel the need to record, then I will, If I feel the need to write, then I will, but if the feeling is not there, I simply don’t do it”. Mika has been working to develop her sound over the last two years but has yet to find her “niche”.

Having been approached by numerous artists, producers, record labels, and management teams for collaboration, Mika has taken a step back and has cranked out her singles at a much slower pace over the last year. Her single “Starr”, produced by N8 Beats & RobYoung proved to be her most well received track to date; and sent her up to the number 10 spot on the ReverbNation charts for Virginia Beach Hip Hop Artists for several weeks straight. “ReverbNation is a great marketing tool, but there is a massive ocean of rappers, hip-hop artists, and r&b singers all over the net hoping to be discovered, so it’s like you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.” she muses. So, what makes Mika stand out? As DMMCompany wrote in the VENT, “her confident, youthful voice” combined with clean hooks and relevant content is typically what separates Mika Lucio from other aspiring female artists. While she ponders another single, check out the latest, now available on iTunes.

BellaDulce "Lush" Cosmetics

BellaDulce Clothing is launching the signature “LUSH” cosmetics collection. The new make-up line will feature an array of eye shadows, lipstick, blush, and lip gloss. Scheduled to be updated seasonally, the latest BellaDulce collection will compliment current merchandise. The latest assortment of make-up will be available starting mid-July 2011.

Originally a conceptualized as a source for promoting local models and talent, BellaDulce clothing has since evolved into a stylish boutique featuring flavorful fashions including the official line of t-shirts and tank tops for women, inspiring the slogan “Live Lush”.

Congratulations to Jasmine K. the new Official Model for BellaDulce Clothing, receiving the most votes since the contest launched! Best of luck to you Jasmine!

We are excited to announce that the 2011 BellaDulce Clothing Model Search is coming to a close and a winner will be announced very soon! Stay tuned.

Splashin' for Fashion

Today was the second rainy day we have had this week in the normally sunny and temperate Virginia Beach. While I hopped over puddles and avoided being splashed by passing vehicles, I noticed something strange. 1 in 3 females on campus had on rain boots. Yes, I often have free time to people watch. A trendy fashion and rocked with such fury, I had to guess that this style was nothing new. Generally it seems that if something is the hype here, it was the hype 2-3 years ago in a larger city. Definitely a recycled look, reminiscent of my days as a toddler, I had to wonder…how is it that a single trend like rubber boots could become so popular that everyone looked exactly alike? From plaid to polka dot, leopard print, to stripes, pink, yellow, purple, and every color in between, it’s as if every one joined forces and declared today “Rainy Boot Day”.

This whole experience reminded me of an episode I watched on Sunny with a Chance, a popular Disney Channel Show (totally hilarious). One of the characters designed a pair of “skinny jeans”. The jeans were “all the rage” until all of the fans literally could not walk. The “designer” ended up with a disease called “Skinny Jean Syndrome”. The show was totally hilarious and although it was staged, I remember all the hype about Skinny Jeans. I have a few pairs and I really love them. I’m not too sure how I feel about the rain boots. I mean, my whole thing is, since they come in all different types of patterns, more care should be taken with coordinating them with clothing options (something I did not see). Polka dot boots do not go with a plaid shirt. These boots really have me thinking…Imagine if people were so easily influenced about issues relating to tolerance, society, politics, community service, hunger, and humanity as they are so easily influenced when it comes to fashion trends.

Nevertheless, these boots range from about $30-140 for big name brands. They can be purchased at almost any shoe store, online, or even in bulk! Really, it is that serious. I am guessing that these boots will last quite a while unless they are worn year round, possibly resulting in a fashion faux pas. After all, how often does it rain in the fall and winter? Do the rain boot lovers hang up their boots and wait until spring to bring them back out? I suppose 140 bucks is a great investment for a single pair of rubber boots that will be worn about 3 times a  year.

ECSC Virginia Beach Oceanfront

As summer comes to a close I am grateful for the times of rest and relaxation that I did get to squeeze in during the season. I spent most of my summer in school and also working on several projects. I think it is important to make time for things that you enjoy like sandy beaches, and cool ocean spray. My favorite beach in the area by far is Little Island at Sandbridge in Virginia Beach. This beach is excellent for surfing, cookouts, and relaxing. There are less tourists at Little Island and there is ample parking for an affordable price.

ECSC Promotion August '10

I have brainstormed many a song while hanging at the beach and taking in the sun. My most recent beach events included ECSC known as the East Cost Surfing Championship where I worked a promotional project for a popular local restaurant and the Neptune Festival, which celebrated it’s 37th year. Both events were packed with locals and tourists. I am not sure if I have ever seen so many different vendors at the Neptune Festival in past years as I saw this year. The multitude of hand crafted art, jewelry, and handmade clothing was fantastic. I would highly recommend either event for guests traveling to the area.

Now that summer is officially over, it is time to get back to work and I’m feeling very focused. I have about four projects on my plate for which I am very excited about. the ‘My Diary’ project is moving along slowly and I am looking to get some new talent involved in some aspects of the album.  The blog will also be including a section for Artist Reviews. This section will feature some of my favorite underground artists, indie labels, bands, singers, and songwriters. The new section should be up before the end of this week. In the meantime, please feel free to support this upcoming event which stands against animal cruelty.

Last night I had the opportunity to audition for a chance to perform in front of some major record labels that are coming to our beloved city of Virginia Beach thanks to Z104′s Shaggy. The event is called Shaggy’s Music Expo and it will be a huge networking event for local artists, producers, and the like. This is an excellent opportunity for the Hampton Roads artist community since there has not been such an event like this in about 10 years. I know because I was at the last one with my former group.

Oh well

Although I’ve decided to describe my own audition as “hip hop horror” I must say that I was very impressed by the caliber of talent that exists here in Virginia. There are some very creative and gifted artists and musicians from all ages and backgrounds in this area and I really think they do have the ability to place VA on the map, and keep it there.

As a born again artist of sorts I was definitely not on my ‘A-Game’ and from my recent performance roster, it went down in history as positively the worst. From a bad recording of my track to tongue twisting up my own lyrics, racing heart beat and shortness of breath, it was like  a panic attack waiting to happen.  But, I went on despite 90% of the audience’s blank expression. The only thing that actually went right during the whole fiasco was my hairdo. Thank goodness for Herbal Essence. After spending approximately 4 hours whining about how horrific my performance was to my besties, producer, and cohorts I contemplated selling my lyrics to the highest bidder and trading in this hobby for something less weird.

This is how the song should have sounded.

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While I attempt to have the video footage of  my performance confiscated, and destroyed (just kidding bestie) I am excited to hear more from these amazing artists, wish them the best of luck and hope to see them do even bigger things.

As an independent recording artist, I am always looking for ways to maximize my income revenue through my websites. Through my research I have found that there are many ways to increase your website earnings. Let’s face it, maintaining a website can be a costly venture. Between hosting fees, domain names, and special features, the cost in running a website can be massive. The best recommendation that I have is to make your website work for you so that you can place your funds directly into developing your business as a recording artist. While these methods for increasing your website revenue are not guaranteed to make you wealthy, they are proved, tested, and will provide you with multiple income streams for your growing business.

In this first series, I will discuss five very effective methods for generating additional income from your current website.

1). Consider Affiliate Marketing as a method to earn additional income through your website. Many companies offer programs that enable a website publisher to generate commissions on sales channeled through what is called a referral link. The link can be placed on your website, blog, or can also be promoted through your social networks.  As long as the advertiser’s product relates to the content of your website and your market segment, chances are that if you have a high traffic website, someone will be interested in the products. Commission Junction is a great place to check out various advertisers who are offering commissions on the sale of their products. Affiliate Marketing can take a good amount of effort to promote but the residuals can often add up quite well.

2). Advertise to your friends and fans on Twitter. Believe it or not there are advertisers that are willing to pay you to advertise their products and services to followers in your network. With this method, you can actually be paid for each time that a person clicks your advertisement. You can determine the types of ads that best fit your niche. The best part is that sponsored tweets are easy to do and take very little effort.

3). Referrals are another great way to not only share your interests with your followers, but also go earn additional revenue through your website. There are several opportunties such as InboxDollars and Panda Research which offer a two fold earning experience including getting paid to complete surveys and also getting paid for referring additional members. Both sites can easily increase your revenue from at least $10-$50 per day.

4). Set up an artist page on Reverbnation. Reverbnation comes with tons of perks such as FanReach, an area for selling merchandise, and several other ways for earning a portion of advertising revenue. You can also earn additional percentages through referring other artists who may benefit from the site. I find that Reverbnation has been an excellent tool for keeping in touch with my fan base and also tracking my chart status. 

5). Finally, one of the best things that you can do to generate additional revenue from your website is to sell your own merch. Yup, selling your own merchandise not only helps spread the word about your awesome music, but it also is a great way to get your brand into the hands of your fans. Items such as T-Shirts, Stickers, Hats, and of course CDs are perfect items that can be sold through your online store. I host my online merchandise through my personal website and it has been very effective.

These are just a few tips that I have tested out and that have proven results. I have been building websites since I was 17 years old and the income possiblities are endless with a little time, effort, and creativity. Before you know it, you will have enough money to go towards aspects of your business that may not currently be funded. Best of luck and keep shinning!

Fall '10 Line

I will be launching the BellaDulce “Live Lush” brand this fall. The designs are fresh, simple, and girly. The designs go great with jeans and flip flops or sneaks which are my “signature styles”. The BellaDulce line is a diverse blend of urban flavor with a girly twist. This Hampton Roads clothing line will be available online through mikasloft.com and through special order. The line will also be availabe for purcahse at upcoming VA talent shows and events. The color themes are mostly pink and black or black and white. Later this year we will be introducing some additional accessories including totes, messenger bags, and boycut shorts. A special thanks to all the supporters of the current Mika Lucio collection of urban T’s as your zest has inspired me to continue with additional designs.

For a limited time, supporters and fans who join my social networks between September and October will be eligible for a chance to win a free custom-T as well as a copy of my latest CD. Join me on Twitter or Reverbnation

recording artist Mika Lucio is launching the BellaDulce line under the Mika Lucio brand in the next couple of weeks. “The newest designs are going to be really simple, but very grungy with a classic twist” says the artist. Look out for these upcoming designs.