It’s been dynamic but definitely not an easy one. I came from a pretty supportive family, but not one that fully understood the realms of the Entertainment world. I took off to NY from TN in hopes of igniting my career somehow but was totally naive and green to the BIG CITY! Many days and nights of discouragement & rejection took over quite a bit. Even when I got linked up with amazing music producers and artists like Jimmy Douglass, Timbaland, 'The Script', and got to work with them pretty extensively, something would always fall flat or not much would happen to catapult the career I’d hoped for. I just kept trucking even though I didn’t really know how I was going to make anything happen. I did have some breakthroughs with writing/singing jingles and a few music credits here and there, but again nothing that would support my dream of being a music artist. After having kids, I went through a huge transition filled with self-doubt, fear, and uncertainty, which I later learned was postpartum depression. I didn't know anything about this, so I was unable to communicate what was happening. I somehow transferred all my energy into creating songs to help me with motherhood and raising my kids. That’s how I started my kid’s company called 'Snooknuk'. That helped me tremendously through the process of being a new mother and I was able to still perform and sing music with children and families from all over. Though I love singing with the little ones, I still wanted to continue to write other pop songs when I wanted and sing in other genres when I felt it. But as we know, society and the industry especially had put limitations on what was possible for women past a certain age...so, I felt like I didn’t have a chance. After the pandemic forced me to close my business. I began feeling this darkness again. Ultimately, between seeing women really being celebrated for major accomplishments recently and the inspiration I’d had with my grandma and the Sojourner truth speech experience as a kid, I decided to finish and release my song “Ain’t I A Woman” because I felt that if there's a chance to inspire someone I should. Women from all walks of life have to celebrate their accomplishments no matter how small and not let someone else's limitations restrict them.
What were the biggest initial hurdles and how did you overcome them?
Moving to NY can be really brutal especially for a young girl coming from Memphis. I was a little intimidated by a lot of people in the industry. I think the more I worked on my craft and learned about the industry in-depth, it helped me to handle situations better. Confidence is key and whatever you have to do to get there, you have to make it happen. For me, at that point, it was more knowledge.
What books are you currently reading?
'The Many Faces of Josephine Baker' and actually just started reading 'The Meaning of Mariah Carey'. I love reading and learning about other artists. I love watch biopics and documentaries about their life. I feel inspired by learning about other peoples’ journeys because usually, you will find that no one had an easy road complete and clear of roadblocks and huge challenges. It’s all about how you deal with those challenges and whether you let them stop you or not.
Did you ever deal with contention from your family and friends concerning your pursuits?
How did you handle it? What would you do differently in hindsight?
I had a little bit of concern from my family about moving to NYC as I was young and moving on my own with no family there at all. I think they were skeptical about whether I’d made the right decision or not until I started booking gigs. But that’s the thing about non-industry people, they usually don’t get or understand that you can go on a million auditions and not book one gig for a long time. You just have to stay in the race. And also, if they can’t actually see it and what you're doing, then it’s really confusing for them.
What would you say was the single most influential factor in your success?
NOT QUITTING. Someone very close to me said, “Don’t get out of line before it’s your turn”. It always stuck with me. What do you know today that you wish you would have known when you first got started?
I wish I had known the music industry was going to collapse the way it did, but then I would’ve had to have been a psychic :-). No, but I think I would've taken more time to perfect my craft at a younger age and maybe stuck with learning more instruments.
What advice would you give to an upcoming youth or talents locally and internationally?
Don’t let rejection get the best of you. Try not to feed into the negative thoughts that go along with being rejected. No is not forever. It’s just temporary until the right situation comes to along. That future Yes, will be just what’s meant for YOU! Spend that time preparing and making sure you are ready!
