Joanna What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in music initially?
Since I was in elementary singing in the school choir I knew I wasn’t the best singer, but that I could sing. My music teacher Ms. Ware always pushed and believed in me and that helped. So seeing how the crowd, our parents, and others reacted in good ways to my singing and music in general, I knew I wanted to pursue it.
Was there a specific moment or experience that fueled your passion?
I was a competitive girl, so always trying to be the best and 1st pick was my fuel. Haha! As I grew up, it became my family and now my future.
Could you characterize your musical style and the genre(s) you associate with? Are there specific artists or musicians who have played a significant role in shaping your sound?
Music style is a mix of R&B, Soul and Contemporary pop. The artist I would say helped shape my sound would be powerhouse singers such as Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Chaka Khan and Lauryn Hill. Jill Scott is a part of that as well for sure.
Share with us the inspiration behind your most recent single. What triggered the creative process for this specific piece?
Reflection of my life dealing with a sense of shame and regret was the inspiration. Looking back at all the decisions I made to lead to where I am now was the trigger.
In what way do you anticipate your latest song resonating with your existing fan base and attracting new listeners? What message or emotions do you aim for listeners to glean from the song?
With my existing fan base to realize that through all the years you’ve watched me, we went through things together. You weren’t the only one that had tough times. To my new listeners, listen, you still have life to make a change. Yes, your past can hurt. Even sometimes slow you down or stops you. But don’t stay there. You have to have to find some way, some how to ask for forgiveness, forgive yourself, take those as lessons and move forward. The going may be slow at first, but just go forward.
How does this track contribute to the overarching narrative or theme of your upcoming album or project?
We have to understand what love is again. That’s to take in many avenues. With your lover, with your past and present self, with others who have hatred in their hearts, with the simple appreciations in life. We have to grasp that understanding again.
Maintaining creativity and motivation can be challenging. Do you have any rituals or habits that you find instrumental in sustaining your artistic drive?
As of now, I just have a ball of emotions and songs that have been building and need to get out. So there is no lack of creativity as of yet. Just a lack of money to finance the projects. Haha! However if I want to calm my mind to focus on how I want the flow to be created in my work, I sit in a semi quiet place or go for a walk, reflect on my notebook of jotted ideas and feelings at the time of writing , look at places and positions I am inspired to be in… boom! There it is, my drive.
Do you have any upcoming projects or releases that you’re particularly enthusiastic about? Can you offer any teasers or details?
Yes! After just releasing my latest single “Can I Be Born Again”, I am gearing up for the next single and EP to be done along with visuals. I’m ot sure about any teasers, but what I can tell you is that there may be a huge live concert following the release of this EP you may need to prepare for!
