It’s been said that the perfect recording artist has a solid grasp of vocals and lyrics, and in Lyrica Anderson’s case, she seamlessly has both. The Los Angeles native cut her teeth in songwriting for other artists, while acheiving her own success as she readies her latest project King Me 2. It’s clear that Lyrica Anderson was born to take center stage.
Growing up, Lyrica’s early years were spent in and out of the hospital. Born premature with her sister, Lyrica’s twin fell consistently ill, ultimately passing away when they were both just three years old. “I feel like I’m carrying on our story for the both of us,” Lyrica explains. Her mother is a singer/performer, who traveled the globe with superstars. “She named me Lyrica,” she says of her unique moniker. “She just knew.”
By 15, Lyrica was writing her own songs and performing them, but as time progressed, superstardom became more of a journey than a destination. “It just wasn’t taking off right away,” she recalls, and opted to sell her songs to major artists while she perfected her craft. In doing so, Lyrica landed placements with artists like Mya and Demi Lovato, along with doing backing vocals for acts like Jennifer Lopez.
"I've always been an artist at heart - I just knew songwriting was a great avenue to open that door." Lyrica has penned songs for artists like The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff, Keri Hilson, Young Jeezy, Jennifer Hudson, and she landed her first Number 1 on Billboard, penning the song “Pyramid” for Filipina singer Charice featuring Iyaz.
While in her journey as a songwriter, Lyrica met a friend of Timbaland’s who was familiar with her work. She was introduced to the Superproducer, and that same evening she jumped on Timbaland’s song “Mentally” as part of his #TimbalandThursdays series (that track had the best response out of all 20 songs released). “It was a dream come true,” Lyrica says of her first encounter with Timbaland. A few weeks later, she flew to Miami to write on Shock Value 3, and was later signed as an artist to Mosley Music Group. After almost two years of working on many projects together, she parted ways with Timbaland (while maintaining a close relationship with him) to pursue her solo endeavors.
In 2012, Lyrica released her debut project King Me, which she describes as a true R&B project. “I wanted to drop it for free to the fans that have been supporting me since day one to get an honest reaction from them. The response was so great I decided I’m going to keep going. Only this time I’m going harder."
Enter 2014, and enter King Me 2 -- the project that will ultimately leave no question that Lyrica Anderson is a star, and is here to stay. “We didn’t treat it like an EP, a mixtape, or even an LP,” she says. “We treated this like we were going to the Grammy’s the next day.” Flanked by co-writer A1 Bentley and producer Arturo Ayers, Lyrica has found her voice with King Me 2. The project boasts key collaborations – from Wiz Khalifa on the seductive “Freakin” and the anthemic “Bad” (with Ty Dolla $ign) to YG and DJ Mustard on the smooth “You Can.” Ty Dolla $ign also appears on the edgy torch single “Unfuck You,” a track that embodies the regret of tainted love. “It’s like a girls’ anthem for how we feel about certain situations,” Lyrica says. She also has street rapper on the rise Kevin Gates on the rhythmic “Feenin.” Gates hopped on the cut after hearing it while the two were recording in the same studio; that’s how much he was feenin for the track.
But it’s in the moments where Lyrica rides solo that you truly understand the depth of her lyrics and the range of her voice, as “Nikita” leans on a similar theme as Erykah Badu’s classic “Tyrone.” This time, however, Anderson suggests her man calls the woman he’s cheating on her with – a.k.a “Nikita.” Another favorite “La La” has a vibe reminiscent of the late Aaliyah. That’s no coincidence, as Anderson’s worked extensively with Timbaland and Missy Elliott and lists the late Static Major and R. Kelly as other sources of inspiration. “People do compare my work a lot to Aaliyah,” Lyrica says proudly. “I love her.”
As Lyrica begins her King Me 2 movement, her songwriting career continues to flourish. She is nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album, as a songwriter on Frankie J’s Faith, Hope Y Amor. She’s also continuing her songwriting and has upcoming releases with Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Keri Hilson, Machine Gun Kelly, and Young Jeezy -- all while preparing for her debut album. One way or another, Lyrica Anderson will be a household name.
“Timbaland always told me: ‘Make yourself hot,’ and that’s what I’m here to do,” Lyrica says. “I’ve finally come to the point where my music sounds how I want it to. It all fits perfectly now.”
