Meet Charm™️

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Charm™️ a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi CHARM™️, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

I’ve gotten quite acclimated to being effective if I am the only one in the room that looks like me.

The music industry historically has been predominantly male run.
I started my first album in 2003, I went commercial in 2008 and didn’t see any women on the production side until maybe 2020?

Considering that I’ve always been independent, I’ve had to negotiate all my contracts, handle booking, marketing, etc. so I’ve been very involved in every step of the music business process.

With hard work, maintaining professionalism and not compromising on my morals, I’ve learned to be eeffective in this business, even as a woman in a male-dominated industry.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Born in the outskirts of Charlotte, NC, I’ve always been very driven. I started working at 14 as a server at a restaurant and simultaneously was a cheerleader, on the track team, involved in clubs like the Spanish Club, in student government and would wake up at 5am in the morning before school to take step aerobics class!
I’ve always loved to read which really helped me to become a strong writer.
I began writing poetry very young and that lead to songwriting in my teens. I started singing in church and married the two in my teens as I began working on my first album.
Although my first album was lost due to a power blow out, the confidence from recording those first songs incited my debut album, “Check For Me” which was released in 2008 and picked up by major retailers like Walmart. The album release party was sponsored by Nuvo and the venue was filled to capacity!

Through my early start in step aerobics and fitness, I started teaching exercise classes as a freshman in college and by junior year in college, my fitness business was born!

I have built the Charm Works brand that includes music, fitness and lifestyle.

What’s cool is that every fitness class needs music 🎶, so I’ve promoted other music artists, including myself, in my group fitness classes. In 2015, one of my fitness classes was featured on NBC!

Now I’m interweaving the facets of the brand more and more which really broadens my reach and allows others to connect with the healing and love messages that I promote.

I’m always working on new music so super excited about that and I look forward to touring once The Love Project III is complete.

I will also be expanding with other artists on the label I launched within the next two years or so.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The 3 qualities that have been impactful on my journey are perseverance, determination and consistency.
As far as advice for folks who are early in their journey, I would suggest for them to don’t delay in starting, write down a plan and stick to it! To best develop these qualities it is absolutely imperative to be disciplined and eliminate distractions. In a world of social media and the World Wide Web, so much is at your fingertips! Being disciplined is key!

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

This is a great question! I don’t prescribe to staying in a box! I’ve always felt that I was a stronger writer than singer but through regular gigging and strengthening my voice, I feel that my singing and writing are equally strong now. I could’ve stopped there but I enrolled in graphic artistry and video editing in high school and college. I was not good at it or so I thought but after things went left close to a deadline with the album cover for “The Love Project”, I was forced to do it myself. I loved the results so much that I mostly do all of the graphic artistry for my albums and releases now. From music copyrights to my trademark, I’ve done it all and it has made me a stronger CEO and businesswoman.
Being well-rounded allows one to move more fluidly and efficiently in my experience. And the ability to outsource is always still there! Win-win!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Victor Amos (red and white outfits)
Kiana Wood (blue background/80s/90s look)
Yours truly (yellow outfit)

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