 Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Registered
Joined: 08/04/2012(UTC) Posts: 5,416   Location: Far away with Austin Mahone.. ♥ Thanks: 3017 times
Was thanked: 1998 time(s) in 1105 post(s)
|
  Whether you choose to believe it or not; rapper/singer-songwriter Sonyae, the Trinidadian native, is dominating the rap world. She's one of the very few female rappers that are popular nowadays, but Sonyae can arguably be the artist that's taking the lead role in the new female hip-hop/rap movement and also, the new hip-hop movement overall. However, the rap star didn't experience commercial success she's been experience as of late overnight. Maraj actually had to fight her way through many different phases of rejection, being told no, being told that she'd never sell, and being told that she'll never make it because she's a female - a woman. Sonyae's rise to stardom is a unique one. She certainly had to rise above the judgement of others and that helped her on her behalf - because now that Sonyae is on top, she's got all those who made bad judgement on her under her feet.
The rap star was born in the suburb of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago known as Saint James on December 8th, 1988 to parents Carol Maraj and Vincent Maraj. She resided with her grandmother, parents, and her two siblings all in a medium-sized home. Very often, the family would struggle to make ends meet. This contributed to the decision her parents made to move to the United States to begin a new life for Sonyae and her other little siblings. At age of 4, her parents moved to Brooklyn, a borough in New York, in order to make a better living and to start fresh - leaving little Sonyae and her siblings to live with her grandmother until the pair were financially stable enough for them to have Sonyae and her siblings to live with them in New York as a proper family. When Sonyae was soon to reach the age of 6, her parents brought both her and her siblings to live with them in New York.
There, she adjusted to the new environment quickly and greatly appreciated whatever she. She enrolled in PS 152 - an elementary school in the borough of Brooklyn. During that time, Sonyae's parents had an abusive relationship. Her father would often abuse Sonyae's mother whenever he became intoxicated. Soon after, he became an alcoholic. In hopes of nurturing Sonyae and her siblings in a much better environment, her mother Carol moved to Queens, another borough in New York, taking Sonyae and her siblings with her. There, she enrolled in another public elementary school before graduating and enrolling in a middle school where she learned to play various instruments such as the clarinet and the flute. After graduating from middle school and advancing onto high school, Sonyae enrolled in LaGuardia High School - a high school that's mostly known for it specialization in music and the visual and performing arts. Sonyae enrolled in the school and excelled in her classes. At the time, she wanted to become an actress and a novelist. She enjoyed arts and literature and ancient Greek mythology. She graduated from LaGuardia High School after enrolling for 4 years. After Sonyae graduated high school and a fail attempt at launching her acting career, she began to work as a babysitter and soon after - a waitress and Applebees in Downtown Brooklyn.
Sonyae was signed to many different independent record labels before her career took off. In 2008, she was signed to 'Dirty Money Records' before leaving the label in 2011. By then, she already established a name for herself in the underground hip-hop scene and already released several mix-tapes. She also started to gain a buzz in her hometown New York. That's when she began working with the famous producer Layla Raine, who has since been producing for Sonyae.
 Who She is and Her Early Life
For all those who does not know who Sonyae Martha Maraj is - can you tell the world exactly who she is?"Sonyae Martha Maraj is a woman who's been through hell and back, but is still standing strong on her feet. She's witnessed many things and experienced many different things at such a young age. However, she's still standing on her feet, she's still going strong, and she's got her shield ready at all times. And no matter what has happened to her, she never complains about it and she's always tries her best to remain in a humble and peaceful state of mind. Besides that, she's a wonderful and caring woman. So hello world! I'm Sonyae. [laughs]"You stated that growing up as a child, you often witnessed your mother getting abused and mistreated by your father. You also stated that your mother was struggling to keep your family together and sometimes struggled to make ends meet. What was your escape from all of this and how did you cope with it?"Well, I created different characters and personalities and lived through them in my imagination to escape all of that. I created so many that most of them I forgot about. The only ones I remember really is Scott Zolanski, Martha Zolanski, and a few others. That's why in my music and on my debut record, you'll hear me living through them in my music. And actually, the creation of all these different personalities was the reason why I wanted to become an actress and star in big time films - because when I would impersonate those personalities, I was acting and I enjoyed doing so. It became like a hobby a secret little hobby to me."Why did you choose to become a rapper then instead of pursuing a career in film?"Acting was always something I loved doing. I always loved drama and acting and when I attended LaGuardia High School - there I took drama classes and what not. At the same time however, I had a definite passion for music and for rap and hip-hop culture and believe it or not.. pop culture. Growing up, I listened to lots of female emcees such as MC Lyte, Foxy Brown, Missy Kim, and way more. Also, I listened to a lot of Madonna's music. So acting wasn't the only career that I wanted to pursue. I wanted to become a rapper as well! I wanted to do both actually. But when my acting career wasn't going anywhere, I decided switched lanes and try to start my rapping career. A career in music wasn't a second choice however." Tackling Obstacles and Breaking Barriers
Another thing that you stated was that people weren't supportive of your desires of starting a career in music. You also said that you had to barge through many barriers to get to where you are right now. Can you tell us more of those experiences in a bit more detail?"Yeah, I mean, I was pretty much on my own. People didn't support me and didn't believe in me. I was turned down and rejected countless amount of times just for being a female rapping. Females have been absent in hip-hop culture for years now and only recently the world started to hear the voices of female rappers. But even then, a lot of them basically faded. The industry have not had a consistent female rapper since Missy and Foxy B's time. So because of all of that, people just didn't think that any female rapper would begin to pop off. So... I was just shunned and rejected."Looking back at those times and those experiences; did it help you to grow in any way?"Oh yes, of coarse. It helped me to realize that you have to fight for what you believe in. You've got to be be a beast at what you do but most importantly; you have to remain true to yourself. After all those times I've been told no, I could have easily gave up and just said 'hey, you know what, people are right. I'm not gonna make it.' But I didn't and I'm glad that I have not. Otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here right now." [Laughs]So although you're a new artist, you've still come a long way. Correct?"Of coarse. None of this happened overnight. I've been trying to break into the industry for almost 7 years now. But you know what, I'm so grateful to be actually living my dreams and being who I've always wanted to be. None of this could have never happened without God so I am extremely grateful and I appreciate everything that I've got right now and where I am."You obviously take hip-hop culture seriously and you have a love and passion for it. What is your advice to all the other upcoming female rappers?"My advice is to just keep doing you. Stay true to yourself and learn from your mistakes and you'll be all set. Just don't give in to anyone's judgement on whether or not you'll make it or not. Your destiny is in your hands. I would love to see more female rappers out today. Urban music in general is starting to pick up again but still, there aren't that many female rappers. In pop culture you have Vanity, Stephanie Fierce, Isabel, Suzie, Michelle Green and more; in R&B you've got Aubrey, Barbarian, Cassie Valentine, 4U Girls, Chanel, and all of those females in all these other genres. But in hip-hop we're not seeing that and I think that it sucks. But back to answering your question; just stay true to yourself and rise above everyone's judgement." Her Take on her Recent Success
You've been starting to make waves as of late of coarse. You've been featuring as a guest artist on many different songs, you've recently performed at the 'Vegas Rock Festival', you've been attending fashion shows with the fashion world's top names, and so much more. What's your take on all of this?"[Laughs] I'm just really grateful as I've said earlier. I don't think that I would have made it this far without the help of God, the support of my mother, and just staying strong. It feels great to know that I'm making waves though. One of my dreams was to become a big female artist in hip-hop culture and I still think that I've got a long way to go but I'd definitely say that I'm getting a taste of that dream I've always had."You went straight to the top three on charts internationally with your promotional single 'Bordeaux'. Also, your first official single 'Alive' reached the number one spot in over 13 countries on the iTunes chart. How does that make you feel?"It makes me feel accomplished. Although I've got a long way to go like I've said, I'm still tasting a portion of my dream. But I have to thank my fans who I call Barbz. They've made all of this possible and I'm so grateful and appreciative of their continued support."With all of the recent success; do you believe that your upcoming debut album will be a success?"[Sighs] We'll just have to wait and see. Absolutely anything can happen and whatever happens happens. I do believe that this album will be a success though. I'm determined to be a success and to not be a failure. Success to me aren't record sales however. It's about the impact that an artist's material makes instead and I do believe that this album will make an impact in hip-hop culture. I feel like I'm bringing something completely new to the table. That's just my honest and personal intake on that matter."The more recognition you get, the more the media tries to mesh you into a rivalry with another artist. Do you ever feel the need to compete with anyone else in the industry?"Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I don't think there's any need for me to compete with anyone in this industry. It's not in me and that's not what I'm about at all and that's the truth. The only competition I have is with myself. I'm always trying to outdo myself. I'm always trying to find ways to make myself better and to grow.  Fashion
"I love fashion! I love it, love it, LOVE it! I love wearing different brands from designers such as Alexander Wang, Louis Vuitton, and so much more. I find fashion something unique because I get to express myself through what I wear. Like, when I'm feeling like being a weirdo, I'll dress up weird. When I want to be a diva, I'll dress up like a diva. I just love it."
|
 9 users thanked Walton for this useful post.
|
|
