“I am an instrument and my voice is my medium.”
ShakoyahD. (Shakoyah D. Brown) hustles. She’s goal-oriented and talented. The RnB vocalist and musical genius released a new EP, ‘The Love Game,’ on September 17. Trained in classical and jazz, and working out her first sync deal currently, ShakoyahD. doesn’t boast many Spotify streams, but she’s making a big impact in music in her own way. ShakoyahD. got introspective for us. She recalls that a year ago she was asked a tough question: who is she, really?
Get to know ShakoyahD. below and you’ll definitely want to give a platform the star-in-the-making. She had a major realization when someone asked her a simple but oddly equally complex question: “who are you?” ShakoyahD. started to look beyond her goals for that answer. She remembers well that, “until it was brought to my attention, I had no idea that my answer strayed away from the true question at hand. It was so normal for me to define myself by my accomplishments and aspirations.” And many of us do, but ShakoyahD. was all in on the challenge to look deeper.
ShakoyahD. realizes, “This was simply how society taught us to introduce ourselves. You lead with your name and follow with your occupation or goal. That moment taught me that the truth of who I am is what is most important.” ShakoyahD. credits her college days for growing her into a more confident ShakoyahD. and teaching her practical things, like how to record in-studio.
ShakoyahD. thrived in a learning environment, especially snce she loves to improve, but she had some fears to face post-college, “Unfortunately, I still felt like I wasn’t truly ready to share my gift with the world. I still didn’t feel like I was good enough, but also dreaded the idea of being stuck in a mundane job making the bare minimum for the rest of my life. In 2019, I quit my job and released my first single, ‘Shakespeare.’” ShakoyahD. had high hopes, which like for many artists didn’t end up matching with reality: “I thought that this release would go viral and catapult me into stardom, but honestly I still wasn’t ready. I wanted to work on my sound, my vocal technique, stamina, and strength.” So, it was back to improvement for ShakoyahD., a process she never really breaks from: “I used this year to travel, figure out what I really wanted in life, started a business, started voice acting, and worked on myself and my mindset.”
“I learned that the voice in your head is the only one that truly matters.”
As she continued her growth journey, she followed opportunity: “My boyfriend and I even decided that we would take a leap of faith and move to Georgia. In 2021, the stars aligned and we made the move to Georgia where I began my journey of self-love and released two more singles, ‘Self Quarantine’ and ‘Are You Listening?’. In February 2022, I released my latest single, “Is It Me?” in which I was able to truly showcase my vocal ability and hone in on my authentic sound.” In making that art, and in making at that art move, come to life, and work for her, ShakoyahD. did achieve growth and a higher level of consciousness, a higher level of herself. She says with quiet pride, “Today, I recognize that I am like no other. I am still on my self-love journey, but I am ready to welcome all that I desire in the world and in my music. I am an instrument and my voice is my medium. I am here to share my authentic love and light with the world.”
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