# Bria Valente

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{{short description|American singer}}

{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Bria Valente
| image            = Bria Valente, 2006.jpg
| image_size       =
| landscape        = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt              =
| caption          = Bria Valente in December 2006
| birth_name       = Brenda Fuentes
| alias            =
| birth_date       = <!-- {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year unless the exact date is already WIDELY published, as per [WP:DOB](/source/WP%3ADOB) -->
| birth_place      = [Minneapolis](/source/Minneapolis), Minnesota, U.S.
| origin           =
| genre            = R&B
| occupation       = Singer, model
| instrument       = Vocals
| years_active     = 2001–present
| label            = {{ubl|[NPG Records](/source/NPG_Records)|[Purple Music Switzerland](/source/Purple_Music_Switzerland)}}
| website          = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}

'''Brenda Fuentes''', better known by her stage name '''Bria Valente''',<ref name="Allmusic">[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p974166|pure_url=yes}} Bria Valente]. [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic).</ref> is an American singer and model. A [protégée](/source/Mentorship) of [Prince](/source/Prince_(musician)), Valente released her debut album, ''[Elixer](/source/Lotusflower_(album))'', as part of a three-album set with Prince's ''[Lotusflow3r](/source/Lotusflow3r)'' and ''[MPLSound](/source/MPLSound)'' on March 29, 2009.<ref name="Allmusic"/> The collection debuted at number two on the [''Billboard'' 200](/source/Billboard_200) albums chart.<ref>"[http://www.accesshollywood.com/country-music/keith-urban-scores-first-no-1-album_article_16480 Keith Urban Scores First No. 1 Album]". April 8, 2009. ''[Access Hollywood](/source/Access_Hollywood)''. Retrieved on June 26, 2009.</ref>

Valente was born and raised in [Minneapolis](/source/Minneapolis), Minnesota. She stated in an interview with [Tavis Smiley](/source/Tavis_Smiley) that she first met Prince at the age of 17 at [Paisley Park Studios](/source/Paisley_Park_Studios) while working with keyboardist [Morris Hayes](/source/Morris_Hayes).<ref name="Smiley">[https://web.archive.org/web/20090502113436/http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200904/20090428_valente.html Bria Valente] interview.  ''[Tavis Smiley](/source/Tavis_Smiley_(show))''. April 28, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2009.</ref> She later moved to Los Angeles, California, and worked as a model and background dancer for [Usher](/source/Usher_(entertainer)).<ref name="Allmusic"/> She is credited with backing vocals on Usher's 2001 album ''[8701](/source/8701_(album))''.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}

Valente returned to Minneapolis, where she began her association with Prince, contributing vocals to his 2007 album, ''[Planet Earth](/source/Planet_Earth_(Prince_album))''.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Valente recorded ''Elixer'' in 2009; she sang lead vocals, with Prince on guitar, and Morris Hayes providing beats.<ref name="Allmusic"/><ref>Michaels, Sean (January 2, 2009) "[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jan/02/prince-plans-three-albums-for-2009 Prince to release three albums in 2009]". ''[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)''. Retrieved on June 26, 2009.</ref> Prince described it as a [quiet storm](/source/quiet_storm)-style album.<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/briavalente/albums/album/27136731/review/27314352/elixer] {{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The music review website [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic) rated the album 49 out of 100, labeling it as having "mixed or average" reception, based on 12 reviews.<ref>"[http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/valentebria/elixer Bria Valente: Elixer (2009)]". [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic). Retrieved on June 26, 2009.</ref> The album was released through the website lotusflow3r.com, as well as exclusively through American retailer [Target](/source/Target_Corporation).<ref>du Lac, J. Freedom (April 3, 2009). "[http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12038317 Prince's new three-album set includes some winners]". ''[The San Jose Mercury News](/source/The_San_Jose_Mercury_News)''. Retrieved on June 26, 2009.</ref>

{{As of|2010}}, Valente was Prince's girlfriend. She also became a [Jehovah's Witness](/source/Jehovah's_Witness) during this period.<ref>Willis, Peter (July 5, 2010). "[https://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/07/05/prince-world-exclusive-interview-peter-willis-goes-inside-the-star-s-secret-world-115875-22382552/ Prince – world exclusive interview: Peter Willis goes inside the star's secret world]". ''[Daily Mirror](/source/Daily_Mirror)''. Retrieved on July 6, 2010.</ref> Purple Music, a Swiss-based record label released Valente's CD single "2 Nite" on February 23, 2012, as part of a Prince club remixes package including the single "Dance 4 Me" by Prince.

==Discography==
'''Albums'''
* ''[Elixer](/source/Lotusflow3r)'' (2009, [NPG Records](/source/NPG_Records))

'''Singles'''
* "2nite" (2012, [Purple Music Switzerland](/source/Purple_Music_Switzerland)) – remixes by David Alexander and Jamie Lewis, produced by Prince

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valente, Bria}}
Category:Living people
Category:American women singers
Category:American contemporary R&B singers
Category:Singers from Minnesota
Category:American Jehovah's Witnesses
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century American women

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bria Valente](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bria_Valente) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bria_Valente?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.