INTERVIEW W/ UNIQ BEING
Q:Who is UniqBeing? Where are you from? How does this play a factor in your music?
I am a singer, songwriter, and producer from Newark, NJ. I think Newark plays such a big role in shaping my sound and my ear. Newark is one of these black renaissance cities; it has always been a city with tremendous culture and appreciation for the arts. For a kid like me it shaped how I view and show up in the world. It’s crazy because I am Latin american so the culture of community and music, dance and art are big institutions in my upbringing and growing up in a city that was predominantly black in the 90’s it was such a melting pot for me there was Hector Lavoe playing in my household as well as marvin gaye. It was a beautiful time to grow up in the emergence of hip hop culture was injected into everything i saw growing up from groups like DLG that merge hip hop, rnb and salsa i was just soaking it all up. It was an exciting time for me growing up.
Tell us what inspires you and helps with your creative process and how or where you find inspiration? And what makes your music “uniq”?
A: I think life is my main inspiration. I naturally have an adventurous spirit. I always say I feel like I’ve lived many lives and can pull inspiration from those experiences. I went through alot as a teenager in love and in my identity. I had many years of being suppressed by my sexuality and I think because of that now as an adult I am unapologetically queer and write a lot from my perspective.
My music is rare in the fact that all of my love songs are for women. My message is love unapologetically queer love. I have always believed that my joy was a radical act of defiance in the face of adversity. I believe my music reflects that point of view . I am motivated by the lack of visibility and fetishing of my queer experience. I am determined to break those stereotypes with my music .
What was your experience at the RNBPLYLST Creator Cyphr?
A: My experience at the RNBPLYLST Creator Cyphr has always been a place of love acceptance and a true celebration of artist and talent. I consider the RNBPLYLST a true allied community. It’s a space where an artist can be celebrated for their hard work and individuality. It really highlights the music, the love for making the music and all the hours of sweat equity we put into creating it.
Q: What makes RNB special to you?
A: RNB is home for me all of my memories as a child consisted of rnb music i remember my mother had this tv set that came with a cassette player and a vinyl player on top and she would play classic motown marvin gaye anita baker she really elevated my taste in music she put me on to the greats. That shaped my love of music. It helped me understand the impact black culture has had on music and I am forever grateful for that because my culture could have easily boxed me into one genre but her ear was so powerful she understood the universal language that is music and she passed that on to me.
Q: What are you working on and when can we expect it to drop?
A:I am currently working on a few things. I am dropping a new single in February and am launching a woman-led collective called GRLZ in the STU. It is a company dedicated to empowering and organizing resources for women in media, film and music across different genres and skill levels. We offer a platform that provides a supportive community, educational
resources, collaboration and networking opportunities for women professionals. Our goal is to bridge the gender gap in music, film and media industry and foster an inclusive environment for women to thrive. We are launching our first event in March in celebration of women’s Month! It will be Hosted by our partner Music Goals NYC a recording studio located on w32 street manhattan.
Would you like to leave a message for the people? Let the people know where to find you.
A: The only message i want to leave is “be you, unapologetically,’’ It took me a long time to figure that out, that authenticity is winning if you enter anything do it and stay true to yourself don’t compromise your integrity for what you think is an opportunity what is for you will find you you just have to stay open to receiving it.
You can find me @uniqbeing Beuniqproducitons.com
And follow the collective @GRLZintheSTU GrlzintheStu.com
You make the world so much more beautiful. You are a star that has come to us to brighten our days with your beautiful voice
We Love Uniq Being and this is a GREAT interview! Thanks, <3 Amanda & Elise