She is Inspiring

Happy Monday Family,

I had an AMAZING Christmas. I feel so blessed to have the fam and friends that I have!!!
I am excited to be featuring these talented emerging artists from Vitalize Entertainment. I LOVE that they are focused on making “real” music that is fun but also has a meaning to it. And I love that there single “Let Me Go” is a women’s empowerment track about women of all ages leaving abusive relationships…its the perfect song about letting go of negative people leading into the new year.

Kaylah and Shantel I wish you all the best!!
xoxo
Ally

She-blogs: Who is Nexus?
Shantel: Nexus is a female duo from Brooklyn, NY who can really sing. Our names are Kaylah and Shantel; we’re 18 and 17 years old. We’ve wanted to become entertainers our whole lives and will not be stopped. We have the mentality of men in three-piece business suits and are not to be messed with. Nexus will not conform to one genre of music; R&B, Pop, and Rock are just a few of the genre’s we cover. Last but not least…we’ve come to take the world by storm, one ear at a time!

She-blogs: As emerging artists what do you feel sets your sound apart and how would you describe your sound?
Kaylah: I feel that since our voices are so unique solo wise, when you blend them together it turns into something even more crazy. I’m more of a bold, louder singer where as Shantel’s voice is more of a smooth, soft tone. Our sound is something the world has never heard before.
Shantel: I think we really sound different from what’s out right now- solo and as a duo. Nexus has a very dynamic sound. Our voices are pretty unique and are the total opposite of each other. I think it’s amazing that we blend so well! We have a lot of upbeat party songs, but we also have mellow songs with a deeper meaning. We kinda pick up where 90’s female groups like TLC, SWV and Total left off, but with our own flavor that makes it relevant with current music.

She-blogs: what inspired you to be a singer and who are your musical influences?
Kaylah: I always knew i wanted to be a performer since I was three. My mom told me she had me in a competition when I was one year old and I walked across the stage waving and smiling at the audience like I’d been doing it for years. I was a natural and I loved being on stage ever since. My musical influences are Stevie Wonder (extreme fave), Chaka Khan, Selena, Jazmine Sullivan, Joe, Angela Bofill and so many others. I LOVE oldschool! (smiles)
Shantel: I’ve been singing since I was a toddler. I always wanted to be a singer, but I was shy. I discovered that when I sing with others, it brings something else out of me. My musical influences are Brandy, Dawn Richard, Beyonce, Aaliyah, Faith Evans, Anita Baker… there are so many!

She-blogs: Where did the inspiration come from for “Let me go”?
Kaylah: Well the song was written by our friend Rocko and once we saw the lyrics we knew we could seriously relate.
Shantel: People get tired of being toyed with when it comes to relationships. We thought it was a really good concept that everyone could relate to.

She-blogs: On this journey to pursuing your dreams, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received and who was it from?
Kaylah: Hmm..I think I get some of the best advice from my mom. She always tells me to let it come naturally , to always be myself and to stay humble which I think I am, naturally. She always has my best interest at hand.
Shantel: I think our manager, Rondel, gives us a bunch of good advice. Many people remind us to stay grounded no matter what, to be humble, and not to let what other people say affect the way we think.

My talented roomy and stylist Breena Bradford styled their old school photo shoot below…

She-blogs: Why are songs with a meaning is important?
Kaylah: Songs with a meaning are important to me because if they don’t have a meaning then I’m not going to be passionate about them. For example when I listen to Lions, Tigers and Bears by Jazmine Sullivan it brings me to tears because the song as a whole just makes me feel some type of way.
Shantel: Songs with a meaning are important because an artist should always want their fans to be able to relate to and understand the music that they produce. Real music can make you feel any emotion.

She-blogs: Kaylah I hear you are in school for audio engineering and Shantel for the music biz. Why education is so important to you?
Kaylah: Yes I am! Education is important to me because without education you will go nowhere in life. Yeah there’s always that saying “its not about what you know its about who you know” of course that works in certain situtations but you’re not getting hired for anything if you don’t have that degree. Plus my momma is not letting me do anything without my degree (laughs)!
Shantel: Education is important to me, especially if it deals with what I want to pursue as a career. I want to be educated on the business so no one tries anything crazy! I wanna know this business inside and out.

She-blogs: When can we expect the debut album?
Kaylah: Spring 2011 WOOOOOH (smiles)

She-blogs: Where do you see yourself in 2 years?
Kaylah: On stage at one of these awards shows workin’ the stage!
Shantel: On the MSG stage, with Kay next to me of course…and a sold out crowd. That place is huge!

She-blogs: Name one place that you have never been that you want to travel to and why?
Kaylah:I would LOVE to go to Hawaii!Its gorgeous there and the culture is beautiful. I love tropical environments.
Shantel: I wanna go to France. I love the language…I’ve just always wanted to go there.

She-blogs: What do you like the most about the way you look?
Kaylah: I love my skin! People tell me all the time that my skin is flawless so therefore I embrace it. I’ve learned to love my body period.OH and i love my smile.
Shantel: I like my legs a lot! And my eyebrows too.

She-blogs: What do you like to do for fun?
Kaylah: I love to laugh! Like please make me laugh and I’ll love you forever (laughs)! I also like to dance for fun.
Shantel: I like singing, dancing, chilling with friends, partying! I love partying.

Make sure you sign up for their facebook and support these emerging artists…
http://www.facebook.com/WeAreNexus

Tags: Emerging Artists, Nexus, R&B, Vitalize Entertainment

This entry was posted on Monday, December 27th, 2010 at 4:44 pm and is filed under Interviews, She is Inspiring. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.