We recently connected with Ainae Nielsen and have shared our conversation below.

Ainae, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

Entering college, I was confident that my calling was to be—a singer-songwriter. I started at Howard university in the fall of 2017 and sought out every possible open mic and singing opportunity. I usually performed as a solo act, but I soon found myself auditioning for a talent show and realized that I needed to form a band to stand out amongst everyone I was competing against. I took to every group chat and friend to find a drummer, guitar player, and bassist. Within a few hours, I had found all three. Our first rehearsal was seamless, and we went on to perform. After the show, I knew God had been speaking to me and that these people would be a part of this musical journey. My band & I performed at so many free gigs and found so much success on campus. After a few months of gigging, a Canadian singer reached out to me to open up for her at Velvet Lounge. Velvet lounge, at the time, was a venue I SO wanted to debut. The lounge is the stereotypical venue for bands to perform; it had a lackluster interior, stickers, and graffiti everywhere and screamed, “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINING.” My band & I packed the room (mind you, we were the openers) and received our first check after the show. It wasn’t much money, but it was a message to all of us that we have what it takes to do this.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Ainae, an R&B singer-songwriter from Washington DC. I went to see The Weekend the summer before starting college, and amid my two steps in the crowd, I looked at the lights and felt so heavily that this was what I was meant to do- Perform. After the show, I made it my mission to make this my reality. I recently released a song entitled Numb available on all streaming platforms & was a contestant on NBC’s The Voice, on Kelly Clarkson’s team, of which I am proud to have been a part. I am a person who wears my emotions on my sleeve, and for the longest time, I saw that as a fault of mine. But as I got older and found my love for songwriting, I realized it is a strength that I pour into all of my music. I always loved to say that you can’t move past hurt until you’ve addressed it and have allowed yourself to let go. So I like my music to feel like a conversation that isn’t holding back on both extremes of happiness, sadness, anger, etc.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

It is very easy to feel like you are behind or not doing enough as an entrepreneur & There are so many books that have helped me realign and find my optimal work flow to reach realistic goals. Two of my favorite books are- 1. How to Make It in the New Music Business by Ari Herstand
2.It’s All In Your Head- Rus

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I have two goals! My first goal is to create an enjoyable, inviting experience that gives room for people to express themselves authentically. You can’t heal wounds without talking about them; I genuinely want to honor and create space for that. My second goal, one of most creative people, is to be able to quit my 9-5 job and work solely on my music career.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://ainaemusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ainaemusix/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ainaenielsen/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRourZq9J6VYUKPbcPek8cA

Image Credits
Ainae Nielsen [email protected]
Nyarre Hudson [email protected]
Khalil Edmondson, email: [email protected]