Hector Diaz was a musician and had very little to show for it save for an great talent and big dreams. Kimberly Mills was the youngest in a family of ten and rooted in obligation from as far back as she could remember. Their meeting had been a happenstance event that occurred on the streets of Brooklyn one night in the early 80’s and the attraction had been instantaneous. He was a temporary reprieve from a hard life and he had dubbed her his muse who inspired him to write the love songs he performed on corners for tips. For approximately the length of one long summer, the two were completely swept up in one another. But as she seasons changed as did their perspective of one another and what they had once upon a time found to be charming quickly started to grate nerves. He had already had one foot out the proverbial door with her full blessing when she discovered she was pregnant as a result of their irresponsible passion fueled choices. The news of another mouth to feed was hardly met with that of elation but neither considered termination, perhaps out of a vague attachment to their shared Catholic roots. In a rare show of unity they decided to make things work if only for the sake of their unborn child.
He got a job as a mechanic and she secured an entry position with the post office and by the time their daughter Felicia Diaz was born they had a small one bedroom apartment to call their own. The little girl was doted on by them both though the distance between them as a duo continued to grow. Felicia however was completely ignorant to the strain of her parent’s union and would have only the fondest memories of her early childhood squeezed together in one bed. However when their inevitable split was announced shortly after her fifth birthday, she was understandably upset though it was taken in as much stride as the kindergartner could manage. Hector moved out but he didn’t stray far and his continued consistent presence in her life made the separation all the more tolerable. She looked forward to the weekends with her father where he educated her on musical greats and eventually taught and encouraged her love for playing the piano for which it proved early on that she had an undeniable talent for with a set of pipes to match.
By the age of ten, Felicia was writing her own songs to which would later refer to as therapeutic. Describing herself as ' an awkward little thing' who unfortunately seemed to be the target of other's adolescent aggression, she found peace in transferring her feelings of loneliness onto paper and then later turning it into music. It was after performing one of these melancholy melodies at a middle school talent show that her then music teacher encouraged her to audition for the highly competitive Julliard school. Though Felicia speculated her audition to be a disaster, it would result in her ultimate acceptance. She would spend the next for years perfecting what she hoped to be her craft under the tutelage of the best instructors in the country. However, if asked she will still cite Hector as the single greatest musical influence in her life.
Happenstance - or rather guidance from a higher power as Felicia is more apt to call it, would began to shape what would become a career. While most teenagers her age were contemplating what colleges to attend, she had already brokered a record deal with Columbia records using the pseudonym Felicia Black - a name she reportedly dreamt. No longer the shy scrawny youth, she now had the confidence to use her voice as the tool of expression it was meant to be. The initial road to success would be a slow one, paved with ups and downs as her deal with Columbia ended without much fanfare and unfortunately not much progress as well. In the two years since signing she would contribute two songs that would appear on soundtracks but was unable to garner much attention. It would only be years later and with a new label that Felicia debuted her first studio album, ' Songs in A Minor'. A critical and commercial success, the album would propel the young New York native into instant stardom.
Without any pretense for garnering fame, Felicia was careful with the moves she made in her career. Taking time between each album instead of becoming part of what she later describes as the 'music machine'. She would also explore an interest in other forms of art and would appear in her first feature film, Smokin' Aces in 2007. While she would go on to appear in a handful of other films, her true love and main focus would always be music. At least until early 2014 when she gave birth to her first and only child Marco and everything shifted to second place. He was result of three year long relationship with Italian businessman Angelo De Luca. The romance having caused unwarranted gossip throughout it's duration on account of Angelo being twelve years her senior and having reportedly left his previous marriage to be with Felicia. Regardless of the unfair speculation, Felicia would never comment for the sake of clarification. Even when the two broke up six months into her pregnancy.
Undeterred, Felicia would go on doing what she did best. Settling in Harlem with Marco after a brief hiatus from the concert jungle while living abroad in Italy, she continues to not only make music but is equally passionate about her philanthropy work. Dedicated to give back to the universe for all her good fortune.