It started off as a secret wish to become a better singer, a rockstar, a touring artist all over the world . I watched my friends and acquaintances standing on stage, performing their hearts out in venues of local bars, coffee shops, even churches, and I envied them all. Their power, their courage, their talent. Ever since I watched the movie “Chicago”, I longed to be on the stage, dancing and singing, acting, whatever creative endeavor I could follow.
I had played guitar since 13, and was always writing, even had a few songs, but I was always wading in the shallow end, dipping my toe into deeper waters, but backing out before a bigger swell took me in. I was always painfully on the edge of becoming a full on singer and artist.
I began taking voice lessons as a mild curiosity, just to see where I stood and how to improve. Then, I was offered an opportunity to create an EP, then I created a YouTube channel, and social media pages, and before you knew it, I was booking gigs at restaurants, house parties, bars, etc. In creating my EP, I decided to document the journey on YouTube. I had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles twice, and record with 2 amazing studios “Haskel Jackson Entertainment” and “ES Audio Recording Studios”. Although I was miserable at consistency and good content on YouTube, and the end of the journey only spelled out in to the release of my EP “Songs for the Authentic Soul”, and not a YouTube finale, I wanted to show to world that it’s ok to work with what you have, and more importantly, that I finished this project until the end.
I learned valuable lessons from the hardships and frustrations I endured in creating a 5 song EP, coordinating a band and release party, and those skills have made me stronger as an artist, a writer, and now even a music producer.
I’m in the midst of creating a second album, but this time I’m keeping it to a secret until I have enough “goodies” to share with my fans, then I will let the stream of good music, good vibes, and good times flow.
My music is mostly about following your heart, trusting yourself, and loving yourself. I hope my own journey embodies that message and encourages others to do the same, because shining your light is so important, and not enough of us in the world are doing it. I’ve spent countless years hiding in the dark, waiting for my chance to shine and be out in the world, wishing desperately to be the women I admired (Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Beyonce).
I still face many days that I want to shrink back in to my own skin, hide in a corner not to bother anyone or make them feel uncomfortable, but we continue to make people feel uncomfortable when we continue to play small and deny who we are inside.