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Kalilah Wright
Kalilah Wright, born in Jamaica W.I., migrated to the United States at the tender age of 4 and was raised in Brooklyn, NY. She is the Founder and CEO of expressive brand Mess in a Bottle.
As an accomplished designer and trained architect, she used her Master’s degree from Morgan State University and Bachelors of Arts from Penn State University to establish the brand in January 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. Mess in a Bottle allows you to put messages on t-shirts and are packaged in reusable bottles.
The Mess in a Bottle brand was established to evoke change, question Kalilah’s audience, and allow individuals wearing their messages to be vocal without saying anything at all.
Each item is designed and printed at her Baltimore in-house studio space.
Kalilah has participated in multiple pitch competitions and won the Wells Fargo Business Pitch competition at Blogalicious in 2016 and the 2018 iFundWomen pitch competition in conjunction with the Baltimore Ravens. Mess in a Bottle has collaborated with numerous brands and created limited-edition capsule collections with Warner Brothers Studios for their movie The Kitchen as well as Roc Nation artist Rhapsody. Celebrities such as Serena Williams, Luvvie Ajayi, Lena Waithe, Yvonne Orji, and fashion gurus Claire Sulmers and Ty Tyrone, are all proud supporters of Mess in a Bottle.
Lauralie
At just 17 years old, singer-songwriter Lauralie has already begun to define her sound. The artist draws inspiration from industry tycoons such as The Weeknd and Lana del Rey, but her sound is like no other. She walks the fine line between R&B and pop, infusing a subtle jazz-like undertone from time to time.
While Lauralie is currently a high school student majoring in musical theatre, her talent goes far beyond the classroom. She began singing at the age of 3 and gained confidence in her abilities through performing at Church services on Sundays.
Since then, her talent has shone plenty, including while singing the national anthem in sports stadiums and starring in musical productions such as Annie.
Music has always been an important part of her life. Instruments are as ubiquitous as chairs in her house. Everything from guitars and keyboards to mbira and hosho lines the floors and shelves of her family’s home, and the songs she creates are an extension of every part of her identity.
2020 was a year of true musical blossoming for the young artist. With a little more time on her hands and newfound inspiration, her role as an avid consumer of music turned into that of a masterful creator. The process was messy and emotional, but the result was exciting and rewarding. Lauralie’s first song Bully, which is ripe with emotion and powerful vocals, is only a taste of what’s to come.
Don’t let her sophisticated lyricism and complex sound engineering fool you though; she’s still a regular teenager. She enjoys TikTok, uses slang that only her generation understands, and plays Sims religiously. Even so, she gives 110% of herself to her musical craft. Lauralie is a standout talent in this next generation of young musicians who are reshaping the industry as we know it, and her journey is just beginning.
