Whitney Chantél

Identify a product of your industry. Create a project around said product.

My project would be to turn a poem and a song into a visual piece for viewers.

Can you give me some more details about how you will use this "proposed product" to collaborate with at least one classmate?

My classmates Darryl and Dayna will be collaborating with me to create and promote the video

How will you produce your "proposed project" remotely with the restrictions placed on us due to the quarantine?

We will be communicating through zoom and phone and me and Darryl will be meeting to shoot the video

What are some iconic hip-hop related projects that inspired the one you want to create? (Research)

Beyoncé’s lemonade film

Every Michael Jackson music video

How long is your final project in length? Does it have visual aspects? Can it be blogged?

About 7-10 minutes and yes it will be blogged on YouTube and tumblr

What platform/website will you use to present your final project?

YouTube

Will you promote it and publish it to other websites beyond your own?

Yes

How will you complete this project within the next 5 sessions?

Communicating with my classmates and being active in creating the film

Do you have a mentor yet? What role will they play?

Yes. They will be over seeing my vocal ability and stage presence

Where does the inspiration for your music come from?

•The inspiration for my songs came from past experiences and things that happen to and around me on a day to day basis

Who inspires you?

•Strong black women bosses inspire me

What genre of music is your favorite?

•R&b

Did you play any instruments?

•No but I know my way around the piano I just didn’t take the time to get super good at it

Do you think playing instruments are vital for singers?

•I think that playing instruments isn’t vital but it definitely helps. If anything it’s more important to me to have basic ear training and auraskills so I can always be in key. Other than that it’s up to the artist if they want to play or not.

What’s your view or broadway and would you ever take a job on broadway?

•I’m open to broadway, the funny thing is I use to do theatre in high school and grew up performing in plays so theatre always has a place in my heart but in present time my focus is to be an international recording artist

What is your goals and aspirations in life?

•my goals and aspirations scare me but at the same time they are attainable. First and foremost I just want to have good mental health and happiness from within those are my daily goals and aspirations are to be internationally known and a household name in the music industry and later branch off into acting.

Do you still go to a voice coach?

•Currently I don’t but I’m looking for a new vocal coach.

Do you think having a voice coach is vital?

• I do think having some basic training is vital and if you can afford to have a vocal coach then yes it’s vital bc booze teachers help you hone in on your natural talent and give you skills to apply to keep a healthy voice especially if you sing a lot or tour through out the country.

What’s your favorite part about teaching voice while also being a touring artist?

•My favorite part about teaching voice lessons is the reactions on my students faces when they hit a note that they didn’t think they could hit or when they start noticing the control they are gaining within their voice.

Day 1209 in quarantine and yet I’m still being provoked by online music “managers” and “business people” don’t insult my craft when I tell you that I am not interested in whatever you are selling. I’ve been an artist all my life and a working artist since the age of 15 . I’ve decided to take a break due to working on my craft and learning who I am and what I want to share with the world. Let me do that in peace.

How can you be different in a school where everyone’s different? To answer this question is quite simple yet, complex. I went to a performing arts school. To most this sounds like an accepting place and for most cases it is, but remember it was still highschool. Between hormones raging, trying to find your purpose in life and juggling duel school programs being a performing arts student wasn’t easy by a long shot.

I didn’t quite fit in with my major which was voice because I loved to dance., so I’d often lack in motivation to practice my singing because I so desperately wanting to be a pop star, not an opera singer. Walking past the dance department with their beautiful leotards wishing I could join in for just one class, or walking through the theatre department wishing I knew what play that monologue was from just made me depressed and complacent. Not being able to express myself how I truly wanted to made me unmotivated to do it at all.

I didn’t have many friends but I had “associates” that occasionally criticized and talked about me behind my back but hey, you ain’t poppin if they not talkin bout you right?... so I frequently just stayed to myself , talked to the few close people I had or had boyfriend drama lol. With my art stifled I ventured off into the nearby boys and girls club and began to teach little girls dance to fill my thirst for movement , and Ofcourse avoid my boy problems. Singing and dancing on my mind heavy helped me to block out the hate and frustration coming from others in highschool which led to me writing and soon recording my first song “what happens from here” at my schools In house recording studio.

I skipped voice lessons to hide in the studio at school. I wrote the lyrics, sang it for the producer at school and later recorded the finished product . I still have it, it became my first ever single. I wrote about my depression and how I felt during this cloudy time in my life and this would soon turn into my passion and purpose in life. Spreading mental health awareness and confidence to young women like me.

I would love to sit here all day and continue my story but if I did this post would be really long so I’ll end it here and say. Stay strong through everything you go through. It’s okay to be different and never give up on your purpose in life that’s the whole reason you’re here. This post is definitely a continuation so please check back next week for the next installment . Peace and love ❤️ 🌹