Meet Meshana

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Meshana. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Meshana below.

Meshana, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I remember being 16 in high school and being very, very involved in the Arts during the rise of social media. I was a pro at navigating and expressing myself to more than just a local audience of family and friends, you know? Being able to develop a creative space for myself and seeing kids who were out of the ordinary—expressing themselves and being truly authentic, I knew I was a misfit early on. I wanted to change my image and sort of just magnify the “weird girl” persona I had growing up, dressing differently than my peers and doing the crazy things my friends wouldn’t do! Tumblr was my tool to self-confidence, collecting and curating an array of photos to create mood boards and express what I liked wearing. It all helped shape me into who I am today.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an artist who was influenced very early on by music. I come from a musical background, born and raised in Galveston, Texas, I grew up with a family full of singers and musicians. My Grandmother and her siblings would all participate in family musicals in church alongside my Great-Grandparents where my Great-grandfather was a Reverend. My uncles and their first cousins formed a band called The Stinsons when they were younger and they sung gospel music all over the island. I mean, their voices could blow you AWAY! I remember as a small child, maybe 3 years old, my family would have frequent gatherings over at my Great-grandmother’s house and she’d get us all piled up in her living room, you know? She’d burst out with her favorite song “This Little Light of Mine” and before you know it, soulful voices filled the room as her children, grandchildren and relatives would join in and sang! Even as a child, it’d blow me away every single time! That’s what music was all about to me: fellowship. I knew immediately it was something I wanted to do early on.

I could always sing, I mean, it was literally hereditary—not something I had to learn and train for. If anything, I grew up on Neo-Soul and RnB so there was a lot of Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Erykah Badu in heavy rotation in our house. Whatever my mother listened to, I loved it. 80s Pop, 90s RnB, Soul, Hip Hop—you name it, I knew it all. At some point I was becoming a music enthusiast, studying different styles and genres, listening to music even before my grandmother’s time! A true student of the game. I did choir in elementary and participated in multiple talent shows, I became a percussionist in middle school band and eventually joined the Drumline in college.

I started producing and writing at 21, taking it more seriously and released my first EP entitled A LONER’S ANTHEM. I’m influenced by abstract and jazzy sounds so I definitely incorporate a lot of interesting ideas into the arrangements of my songs. I’m a sucker for 80s synthwaves, riveting basslines and brassy horns. If the beat makes you go “WTF is this?” I’ve done something right.

Starting this Fall, I’ll be showcasing my music at festivals and events locally, nationally (and maybe even internationally!) so I’m very excited about that. My first show ever was at the House of Blues and since then, I’ve hit the ground running. I am currently working on more music and will be ready to drop my debut album soon. No signs of slowing down now!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Three important keys to being successful as an artist is: Be patient; things don’t happen overnight and it’s gonna take some time to see the results. Read everything; knowledge is the greatest gift you could ever have, I’ve learned to use it to my advantage. Authenticity; learning to be honest with yourself and to be yourself no matter what helps facilitate in your creativity. You’ll love yourself more when you allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Collaboration is such a scary yet beautiful thing—powerful too. I believe I hadn’t had much thought about who I could collab with because I’ve been definitely working on my own for so long that I’ll look up and realize I’ve zoned out and it’s just been me the whole time. If I had to put together a couple of dream collabs, I would definitely name Solange, Tyler, The Creator, Moonchild and even guys like Iman Omari, James Tillman or SiR. These artists are some of the most interesting people that has an energy about them that captivates you in a way that once you hear that first song, you’re hooked forever.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photos by @MeshanaMusic(@weird.television for 3D Artwork), @kamaracoma, @hperezphotography

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