Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I am a Memphis native; I come from an ethereal realm though. Growing up in Memphis has influenced my music career immensely. There is a heavy spirit that rests in the city that almost has a very low vibration depending on your understanding of interpretation. Memphis is a city in need of healing & care on many levels, and I think finding my voice through music has allowed me to add to the healing presence, for myself specifically and for those that resonate with my healing sound. I’ve never had a desire to “start a music career”. In college, I was surrounded by an art scene in Memphis that was full of free minded creatives, musicians, writers/poets, intellects & more. Engulfing myself in an art scene like this always showed me that there is no capacity limit on who can be creative and thrive simply because they believe in themselves. The most spirit depriving life event that honestly started my “music career” was birthed out of straight grief. I was honored to volunteer myself to sing at my brother’s funeral, and even though many doubted that I would be strong enough to do so, I did it! It was the first time ever in my life I was in a position to sing in front of hundreds of people, and in the state I was in, it was a true outer body experience. The pain that belted from my belly and voice that day was a shocker to everyone in attendance. After the service, my uncle came up to me and said “girl I knew you had it in you, but I didn’t know you could do that”, and this sparked the beginning of my musical path as a solo artist & musician. For my uncle to see greatness and light in me in the midst of one of the darkest days of my life was a clear sign that it was okay to pursue something that only helped me grieve and release. I didn’t know it right away, but I know now that I was equipped for this journey.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I have no official formal training yet! I am looking forward to having a vocal coach one day so that I may strengthen and improve my singing skills on a professional level. I am self-taught in a sense that my voice is truly one of my many gifts from Jah. I’ve been singing ever since I was young, but it was never for or in front of anyone. I would sing out loud around the house growing up, but that was really the extent. My self-taught learning experience would include listening to soulful, raw vocalists and studying their riffs, breathwork & technique to form my own.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: Gospel music was definitely my first & strongest influence. I grew up in a household where the first thing I would hear waking up in the morning would be ‘Yes’ by Shekinah Glory or Tye Tribbet, Kirk Franklin, Yolonda Adams, Rance Allen & more. These artists and their songs were my first introduction to the feeling of freedom through expressing how much they love Jah and the freedom from everything that comes with that abundant love. Their skills as musicians have also influenced my love for raw ass vocals! I am amazed at how artists pull a sound out of the depths of them that can sound almost like a “belly grunting”, yet is rooted in such healing power. Over the years, I’ve loved being able to identify this specific sound & feeling in other genres as well. It’s the bridge that allows me to cross over into any genre I see fit whike remaining rooted in and connected to my unique sound. “I’ve never considered myself a Gospel artist, but I definitely know my music has sourced from the spiritual influence and is healing and full of love & freedom for sure. As I continue to define my sound, I am proud to showcase myself as a BluJazz artist, infusing smooth R&B vocals, sweet jazz melodies, & raw bluesy riffs into a contemporary sound.
Q: You have just released your new album, ‘TRANSMUTE’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Absolutelyyy! Soooo, TRANSMUTE is very literally about transmutation. My beloved best friend & big brother passed and transitioned from this earthly realm in 2019, and I’ve been transmuting my inner g ever since, and will be doing so until I too transition from here. I am forever grateful for the strength that Jah has placed in me to be able to persevere in this life without him. Losing someone so close to me and someone that had the heaviest influence on my life was literally like losing my soul. To truly not lose myself, my mind and my way throughout this grieving process continues to show me that I am my greatest intention and that no matter what obstacles and tragedies come, I will persevere. fThe definition of ‘transmute’ is tochange in form, nature, or substance, so since 2019 I’ve been watching myself and being present in myself as I’ve changed in form, nature & substance due to the daily balance I know must continue here without him physically. With this album, I have been able to transmute, and transcribe into words, daily life happenings on top of my daily grief, and this curation of intentional sound shows me how much I am able to balance myself and my inner g no matter what.
Q: What kind of emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners with this album?
A: I pray my album evokes a spirit of healing in listeners and the action to get to it. I definitely use my own music to self-heal. I’ll meditate, praise, cry, dance, jump and pray to my music flowing in the background. I pray immense love is shown to you through my music. I pray you find reasons to revisit gratitude through this album. I pray that if things come up & are shown to you through listening that you maybe were not ready to deal with, you embrace yourself with truth and not fear. Eye pray this music helps you break through and change in form, nature and substance. Pray it helps you become a better you, whether its through listening and dancing, crying, meditating & more. This music should be used for healing, the ultimate transmutation.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: Key elements in my music that will definitely resonate once you hit play & listen to the album in order, from the INTRO (Recycle Yo Soul) to the OUTRO: rhythm, form, pitch, melody, texture, harmony, tempo, chromesthesia (sound-to-color experience), & dynamics. If there is anything I haven’t isted, hopefully you identify with a new element of self-discovery in whatever way serves you and your highest self. Personally, I canbest describe my music as “Ether Sound”, as in a sound that may source from outside of this realm we call Earth. The intentional “inner g” you feel from my voice is the activation of my throat chakra. This intentional sound is the cosmic travel you didn’t know you needed until it’s heard.
Q: Were there any particular challenges or obstacles you encountered during the production of “TRANSMUTE”?
A: I think I can honestly say the production process was fairly smooth and amazing. I chose to record all the new songs on the album at one studio with the same engineer each session. There are only 2 songs on the album that were pre recorded and released as singles the year prior, and with those two I was at a different studio with another engineer for both. I love consistency in a sound, so I am all about connecting with an engineer, learning his or her mixing process, and falling in love with the outcome no matter what. I usually set an intention to be led to the right person, so by the time we are recording, I’m fully committed. The biggest obstacle for me honestly was closer to the end of the project’s completion date when the engineer hadn’t sent me my fully mastered music and it put a slight delay on me releasing it when I had planned. In the long run, this obstacle was just a test of my faith that all would work out, and I’d say I passed.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: My creative process can either start with the lyrics, usually just written as a poem, no beat, or the beat may be made or being made and I’m writing and flowing to the rhythm and tempo of the instrumental. With beats, I do like to have a go-to producer that knows my sound and understands my cadence so that the cadence is natural, while I also love telling a producer my ideas and then just giving them free range creativity. The top tier experience is sitting down with the producer at the computer and curating the beat with them. This to me is a form of intimacy that is an unspoken language stamped within the frequency of the song. Whether it’s an intimacy level of friendship, healing, or even love (the highest frequency) , with my music I am almost sure the listener will identify with what they are feeling or may not know their feeling. When beginning, I like to think “how can I make these words sound new with my rhyme scheme?” or “in what ways can I sing on the beat to mimic the instruments?”. These two questions are usually a good start for me. Now one thing I can admit is that I don’t always write a full song right away, and I may be inspired to just jot down a few lines and revisit. Once the song is written in full it’s time to book the recording session. I love texting an engineer to see what that schedule looking like to fit me in. It’s my way of honoring their time, skill and work by continuing to support their musical vision as a patron and friend. Once it gets to the day of the session, I’m fasting. It’s a must for me. I like to tap into myself to be able to produce something from the clearest mind, spirit & body. Live instruments are a must. Rain sticks, tambourine, ocean drums & more. I add holistic sound to my music with the intention of clearing out any inner g that does not serve me or the listener. In the booth, I’m vivid with the vibrato. Forgot to add, in between me writing & writing some more, I may have started on the cover art. I am also a graphic designer, so making all my own promo is a joy. Being able to tap into my knowledge & teaching of color interpretation, I intentionally use color to activate the viewers mind. I’ll probably then text the cover and mp3 to a few friends just to share the unreleased vibes. When that email notification comes with the nü song file attached, I’m instantly downloading, saving to my files & playing on repeat. When I come to the conclusion of when to drop the song, I just feel like “it’s ova with”, because here comes another divine banger! Music video ideas may coe right away or not, but I never pressure myself to just release anything just to say I’ve released “content”. I love to curate a vision with the utmost intet.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Honestly just learning myself everyday and growing and achieving so much at such a rapid rate and not being able to share this with my brother. I am still and will forever be getting used to doing life without him, but I know I am equipped! He always knew I was meant to be great, so that’s the commitment. With intention or nothing at all. “Let Me Be Great” as he would say.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: In my 9 years of artistry as a painter, I have been blessed with many significant moments such as my debut at New York Fashion Week 2021, being a Board Member of a nonprofit foundation with a mission to promote mind, body & spirit wellness through arts and nature, expanding and having interns, blessing a few well known musicians with custom, hand painted 1-of-1 pieces of wearable art, teaching art classes, and more. I am proud of myself for always in all ways putting myself in rooms and positions to network, grow and manifest more abundance. As a musician, I am about to experience a very significant point in my life with my first solo tour!! I was blessed to tour last year as GEMIN8, the neo-soul group I am a part of, and learned so much. With my solo tour titled “NASCENCE” I am celebrating the nü reality of ‘being born or coming into existence for the first time’ through my album TRANSMUTE. These divine 9 songs you will gravitate to are here to help you if you receive. I’m just the messenger.
