WHAT DOES MUSIC MEAN TO YOU?
Growing up in a musical home may seem like a struggle when it comes to finding your own voice, but when I sang for the first time, I knew exactly who I was, and from that point on I knew that music was always going to be present in my life. The collaborative art that my family creates in our cottage style home can be heard from down the street, as we belt out my father’s original music or our favorite artists’ songs together. Music allows me to focus my creativity, my passion, and my direction all in one place; it gives me purpose.
WHAT IS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE YOU'VE HAD THROUGH MUSIC?
For the past three years my father and I have performed live music at hospitals, addiction recovery centers, and elderly homes. We choose to give of our time rather than blindly donating money, because we can transfer our emotion and offer a connection through the power of music. As the singer, my lyrics must encompass poetic depth and an uplifting energy that travels through the rather somber room. This type of service that we’ve chosen to capture through music provides a therapeutic essence, as music is a healing art. By not only performing with the hopes of remedying the listener, I also hope to heal my own self. When I sing, I capture the deepest part of myself, the part that I may not want to face. The art pushes me to my limits and challenges me to take risks wholeheartedly whether that is musically or emotionally.
This gift to others that my father and I can generate through a musical common ground surpasses the dissimilarities we may all have ethnically, socially, politically, and yields an escape. While performing I glimpse the audience's struggle, and as they let the music into their soul for the briefest moment I feel that their health is resurrected through the melodic harmonies. In this suspended interval, their suffering has numbed, and everyone in the room is healed. That is the moment I believe justifies our existence and necessity for music.
CREDITS TO DISCOGS
CREDITS TO EMILY KING
CREDITS TO AMAZON
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
Some of my major musical influences were introduced to me as a young girl by my father; his list of musical influences is comprehensive considering he is a professional musician. Consisting of Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Leon Russell, Bob Dylan and Ray Charles, these artists have shaped my own identity immensely. In developing my own musical style and sound, I’ve begun to identify with artists within my own generation. These include: Alicia Keys, Emily King, Rachael Price, Anderson Paak and Lauryn Hill. With each artist I study and observe, I select aspects of their artistry that inspire me, incorporating their techniques into my own sound as a musician. Without these initial introductions by my father, I would not be the same artist I am today.