ESSENCE.com’s “New and Next” column spotlights the brightest new talents we think you should know. This week we meet R&B pop trio, the EriAm Sisters. The teen sisters, whose name reflects their Eritrean and American heritage, were semi-finalists on America’s Got Talent where judge Piers Morgan hailed them as the “next Destiny’s Child.” Meet Lianda, 19, Salina, 18 and Haben, 15.
ESSENCE.com: How would you describe your music?
Salina: We like to say it’s R&B pop with a different twang to it because we try to incorporate our African and Eritrean roots into it.
Lianda: That’s a question that we sometimes struggle with because we started singing when we were in our pre-teens only knowing that we loved music but not entirely sure what we were as music. We’ve always written songs together and our younger sister Haben has recently started to produce so being more in control of our own sound has really helped us to develop it.
ESSENCE.com: Being that you grew up in an Eritrean household, did you sing and listen to R&B?
Lianda: Yes. Our family has tons of videos of us dancing to Eritrean music, along with James Brown, Mariah Carey and other pop stars. There was also always a mix at our house.
ESSENCE.com: What kind of music do you each love?
Salina: All of us are very different if you ask us what our favorite genres are. Mine would always be R&B and hip hop. I like some country, and I love pop. Haben likes rock, but I think at the end of the day we all share an essential love for R&B.
ESSENCE.com: Who are your role models musically?
Lianda: My role model would be Beyonce because she’s an incredible performer, vocalist and the most flawless woman to me. She just shocks me at every performance.
Salina: I’ve always loved Mariah Carey’s vocal ability. I love how with one song she can take you so many different places.
Haben: I also love Beyonce. Her music, her voice – she’s just awesome.
ESSENCE.com: What do you hope to do next?
Haben: Doing so much more music and reaching out to so much more people. We would love to be the next Destiny’s Child, with a little EriAm flavor.
Salina: The past couple of years we’ve spent a lot of time performing and we’ve realized that’s exactly what we want to do. That’s all we could ever ask for.
The EriAm Sisters are currently working on their debut album.