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INTRODUCING Take a good look at the photo above. Appealing image, right? This female could be mistaken as the supermodel 'Iman'. How could a new artist pull off such an image as the picture above? We rarely see any new artists pulling off such a "fierce" image. Not to mention; an entirely different image from what you see in the industry today. This young female goes straight into the same league with the pop star Pixie; known for her "different image". And her name 'Sonyaé' happens to be unique and different as well. She is a 24 year-old singer that was born and raised in Queens, New York, a borough in New York City. We sat down with the upcoming R&B artist and asked and received questions, mainly about her early life, musical influences, and what she has to put on the table in the industry. Also, she spoke with us about how she feels about R&B music today, the R&B artists that are out in the limelight at the moment, and who she deems worthy of working with in the future.Getting to know her:Greetings. Who are you, what is your name, and what is your occupation?Greetings you too. My name is Sonyaé Taraji Johnson, and I am an R&B singer-songwriter.Where are you from Sonyaé? What is your age? Can you give us a quick overview of your childhood?I was born in New York City and I was there also. I lived in the borough known as 'Queens' and I lived with both my parents and my little sister. As for my childhood, I would say that I enjoyed it. I appreciated having the opportunity of living with both my parents and my sister, because I know that a lot of kids never lived with both of their parents. So I'm really grateful for that! Why and when did you begin to write your own music?I started writing my own music from a really young age because I always felt like I had a passion for it. For me, writing music was a way of expressing myself in a different way. I often wrote in my diary about how I felt, but I also had another notebook where I would write lyrics down and also express my feelings through that as well. Also, when I was younger, I used to take music classes when I was in a private school and it started from there.Who are your biggest influences in music?Oh, I can name so many (laughs). Pati Labelle, Whitney Houston - rest her soul, Mariah Carey, Madonna and Grace Jones are some of the names of artists who have influenced me greatly. I could name a whole lot of others as well, like Tina Turner, Michael Jackson - rest his soul, Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, and again, a whole bunch of other incredible and iconic artists. I hope that one day, I can influence other artists 20 years down the road the way the people I named have influenced me!How do you feel about R&B music today? Do you feel like R&B is where it needs to be?I definitely feel like R&B is where it needs to be right now. You have artists like Cassie Valentine, J'Marie, Aubrey Mikkel, and others doing their thing right now and I'm happy to see R&B in such a happy state. I feel as if last year and this year was the age of pop and dance music, seeing that a lot of R&B music was underrated and wasn't really paid attention too. However, I feel like 2013 will be the year of R&B and soul music. Right now, you're seeing a lot of new R&B artists coming out, I'm one of them, and so I believe that this specific genre will begin to reign once again.Would you want the pleasure of working with another R&B artist? If so, who?I would love to work with Cassie Valentine one day! She seems like a very humble person, and it would be my pleasure to be able to work with her one day! Also, I'd love to work with J'Marie. She seems like someone who I can picture working with one day. Also, she's not really of the R&B genre, but I'd definitely do the honors of working with Katie Coyle one day. I'm a fan of her music and I love how versatile she is and how much of an inspiration she is to women all around the world. She's definitely a great role model to many around the world. Also, I'd love to work with Mykaylah as well.People compare you to R&B star Aubrey Mikkel often. How do you feel about that?Honestly, I haven't really released anything official, besides demos and cover songs, so I don't really see how people can compare the two of us. However, I don't take that as a bad thing because Aubrey is a talented singer and she's doing her thing right now. So how do I feel about that? I feel great about that! Do you feel there is going to be competition among you two?I could honestly care less about any sort of competition, and that's the truth! You know? I don't care for the record sales, the publicity, or the drama or any of that. I'm doing what I do because I love it. I don't do it for my neighbor, for the lady down the block, or for anyone but myself. You should always do it because you love it. So the answer to that question isn't really on the answer sheet, and I don't feel like a 'yes' or a 'no' would be a valid response.What are your plans for 2013? Are you planning on releasing your debut next year?I'm working hard on some new material at the moment, and I plan on getting it out by next year. I can't really mark a date on a calender as to when my debut album is released, but I can certainly verify that it will be released sometime in the coming year for sure however! Other than that, I plan on elevating and taking my career to new heights. Hopefully, I can find a dependable and proper label before I release my debut and open doors. It was a privilege to be able to speak with you.It was a privilege to be here being interviewed by Culture Uncut! Thank you for having me. It's an honor and a blessing! Huge thank you to you guys for having me!
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