A year and a half ago, Vivian Bolden, who performs under the name Baha Bank$, was just beginning her musical journey. Now, she is set to take the stage at the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash Festival in Douglass Park Friday in promotion of her debut project, “Big Bank,” which dropped Aug. 13. A lot can change in only a few months, but according to Bolden, this moment has been in the works since childhood.
Although Bolden is new to the music scene, she’s always been musically inclined. Bolden sang in her church choir as well as the Hammond Citywide Choir. Growing up, she played the alto saxophone and piano.
“(Music’s) always been a thing for me, and I think that once I started getting older, I caught myself trying to be more practical. Your parents always tell you, ‘You have this dream, but you need something to fall back on,'” Bolden said about her adulthood musical delay.
It was not until Bolden’s friends encouraged her to do the Chicago version of Casanova’s track “So Brooklyn,” that she felt the music itch again. After releasing her version, she received positive feedback.
“I really wasn’t expecting it. I always say I’m shy, but other people are like, ‘You are not shy.’ I think people think I like attention because I get attention. But when I got these good reviews back, it was like, ‘Hmm, maybe I can do this,'” she recalled. “It made me really trust in myself more and take this leap and really try this again and take it seriously. I was a kid before, but now I’m an adult and I can handle it.”
Bolden doubled down on her music pursuits, spending time recording in her friend’s studio using beats she often found on YouTube. Later, she’d share her work with other producers and DJ friends asking for their opinion.
“Literally, I would get up and go to the studio every day at 10 o’clock in the morning. And I know that’s different because a lot of people record at night, but I’d be up all night writing in my bed, finding the beats,” she said.
Her first single, “Need Dat,” quickly found an audience. Written in only 15 minutes (“on the toilet, at two o’clock in the morning,” she jokes), Bolden said the track is a reflection of who she is — brash and bold with an abundance of fun.
“A lot of my friends always tell me they can tell I write my own music because it’s how I talk. My mom always tells me I have a bad mouth,” she said.
“I want people to feel my music, so in order to feel what I’m saying, you’ve got to feel the beat too,” she said about selecting beats. Listening to tracks like new single “$pend It” and “Get It,” this much is apparent. Bolden’s music has a certain star quality woven within its construction. Nothing about her artistry is subtle, making her music all the more enjoyable. “I really like a song when I know I can sit there and listen to the beat with nothing on it,” she said. “If I can sit there and I can vibe and me and my friends can kick it and freestyle, then that’s the beat.”
“Big Bank” is a 12-track collection that features early releases like “Shake Dat A$$,” (a collaboration featuring hometown hero Chance the Rapper) as well as newer songs.
“I just felt like I had so much music to give out, so I really wanted people to hear me and feel me,” Bolden said about opting for a longer debut over a standard EP. Who is Baha Bank$? Well, she’s a lot of things — confident being the most apparent. And “Big Bank” serves as a solid introduction.
The collection traverses genres (hip hop, R&B) and production styles, but still feels cohesive. “I’m really kind of giving everybody a taste because I always tell people like, ‘If you don’t like one song, you’ll find at least another on there that you like. I’m going to pull you in somehow,'” said Bolden.
This weekend, Bolden will make her festival debut at Summer Smash. The accomplishment is a big feat for an artist who only launched her musical journey a year ago. But that fact hasn’t diminished Bolden’s excitement or her trust in her future within the music industry.
“When I get on that stage, ‘Big Bank’ is on and I’m just a completely different person. I don’t care about who’s in the crowd. I don’t care about who’s behind me. I’m just doing my thing,” said Bolden. “And it’s great for everybody to really see that we do have some female artists out here that are worth the look.”
Friday at the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash Festival, presented by SPKRBX in Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Drive; tickets are $95 and up at thesummersmash.com.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or negative COVID-19 test from the last 72 hours required for entry. Masks are encouraged.
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Britt Julious is a freelance critic.