The Queens-born R&B/soul singer is nominated for Vocalist of the Year at the 2026 Josie Music Awards, marking a major milestone in her steadily rising independent career
For Bria Cheri, years of writing, recording and developing her own musical identity are leading to one of the biggest nights of her career.
The New York singer-songwriter has been nominated for Vocalist of the Year – R&B/Soul at the 12th Annual Josie Music Awards, taking place September 20, 2026, at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
Cheri joins fellow nominees Melinda Chervon Ulysses, Tracy Cruz, Nia Renee, Kristen Shores, Shy Perry, Corey Ronell and Mr. Talkbox in the category, placing her among a select group of independent R&B and soul performers being recognized this year.
For an artist who has spent years building her career on her own terms, the nomination represents more than another industry accolade. It puts the spotlight on the quality that has always been at the heart of Bria Cheri’s music: her voice.
A Musical Life That Started Early
Born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, Cheri’s relationship with music began almost as soon as she could remember.
Introduced to the piano by her mother, she began playing at just three years old. That early connection eventually grew into singing, songwriting, dancing, acting and radio, giving Cheri an unusually broad creative foundation.
She didn’t grow up listening to only one kind of music, either.
R&B and soul may sit at the center of her sound, but jazz, rock, house and hip-hop have all helped shape her musical perspective. Coming from a musical family exposed her to different artists, styles and generations, influences that can still be heard throughout her work.
Yet Cheri’s greatest strength isn’t simply the music that inspired her. It’s the identity she’s created from it.
Her vocals can move from intimate and vulnerable to self-assured and commanding without losing the emotional connection that makes a song believable. Relationships, independence, heartbreak, self-worth and knowing when to walk away have become recurring themes throughout her catalog.
She’s not interested in playing the victim in her songs. Even when the subject is heartbreak, there’s usually strength somewhere underneath it.
Finding Her Own Sound
Cheri’s career has developed gradually, with each project revealing another side of her as both a singer and songwriter.
Producer and recording artist Donnie Klang, known from Making the Band 4 and his work with Bad Boy Records, became an important early collaborator. Klang produced Cheri’s debut EP, Before the Music, and later worked with her on Silent Siren, Vol. 1.
The title Silent Siren captured something essential about Cheri herself.
Naturally quiet away from the microphone, she found that recording gave her permission to reveal a much more expressive side of her personality. Music became the place where the things she might not always say in conversation could be said loudly.
Her Phoenix EP continued that evolution, followed by singles including “On 2 the Next” and “Boy Toy.”
“On 2 the Next” explored the frustrations of modern dating and the decision not to remain in the wrong relationship simply for the sake of having one. It’s a theme that fits Cheri particularly well: romantic but independent, emotional but unwilling to surrender her sense of self.
That combination has increasingly become part of her signature.
In May 2026, Cheri added another chapter with the release of “Lie,” joining a growing catalog that includes “Boy Toy,” “On 2 the Next,” “Pumpkin’s Groove,” “Worthy,” “Get It Right” and “Protect My Heart.”
Taken together, the songs reveal something bigger than a collection of singles. They show an artist becoming increasingly certain about what she wants to say and how she wants to say it.
Independent — and Moving Forward
That makes recognition from the Josie Music Awards especially meaningful.
The awards were created to celebrate independent artists — performers, musicians and songwriters building careers outside the traditional major-label system.
It’s a world Cheri understands.
Today’s independent artists have opportunities previous generations couldn’t have imagined. They can release music globally, connect directly with listeners and control much more of their creative identity.
But independence also comes with responsibility.
Without the massive infrastructure of a major record company, artists often have to become their own creative directors, marketers, strategists and advocates while still finding the time and energy to make the music.
Cheri has continued doing exactly that.
Her career hasn’t been defined by one sudden viral explosion. Instead, she’s spent years developing her voice, expanding her catalog and growing as a songwriter and performer.
That makes Vocalist of the Year an especially appropriate nomination.
Styles change. Production trends change. Platforms come and go. The industry reinvents itself every few years.
But a great voice still matters.
And Cheri has spent most of her life developing hers.
From Queens to Nashville
On September 20, that journey will take her from Queens to one of America’s most recognizable music venues.
The Grand Ole Opry House has hosted generations of celebrated performers, and for the 12th Annual Josie Music Awards, it will become a gathering place for independent artists representing genres from across the musical spectrum.
Bria Cheri will be among them.
Whether her name is ultimately called as the winner is only one part of the story.
The nomination itself signals that people are paying attention.
Cheri is entering this next chapter with years of experience behind her, a growing body of music, new material continuing to emerge and one of the most significant recognitions of her independent career so far.
There’s something fitting about that trajectory.
She began playing piano as a three-year-old girl in Queens. Music became songwriting. Songwriting became recording. Recording became a career.
Now that career is taking her to Nashville as a Josie Music Awards Vocalist of the Year nominee.
Bria Cheri didn’t get here overnight.
She built her way here.
And on September 20, she’ll walk into the Grand Ole Opry House knowing she’s no longer simply working toward her moment.
She’s already in it.