We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ricquélle Badger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ricquélle , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Whenever you try something new you are taking a risk. Whether it is shifting career paths, trying a new hairstyle, relocating to a new city or state, it can be very scary because you have no idea what the outcome or end result will be. As of recently I ventured out to a new city/state and trying my hand in a new career path. And yes both have been equally scary and rewarding at the same time! As the saying goes, big risk equals big reward and I wholeheartedly agree. Now that doesn’t go without saying, I have had my fair share of challenges, rough patches, traumatic experiences and the list goes on, but I can honestly say every one of those moments made me into the woman that I am today. Transitioning from WI to AZ was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do because that meant separating from my youngins for a year to get things set up for them. There were moments where I was very fragile and was second guessing whether I made the right move because I had been around them since they were born. Thankfully I had the support of my family-immediate and extended family to help me get through the hard times. I would also fly to WI to visit them about every few months. There was also a huge difference in cost of living from WI and AZ and financially I experienced moments where I was drowning. My church family Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church as well as First International Baptist Church has been a tremendous blessing to me and my children since being in Phoenix. Also the support of my sorors (Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.) and frat (Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.) means more to me than I could ever put into words. Now I was prepped before moving that AZ was very different from WI so I planned on getting a second or even third job to stay afloat. When I was able to obtain a second job I thought, “ok we’re making steps in the right direction”. When things didn’t work out with the employer, it was my brother TR who helped encourage me and reminded me that if I have nothing to lose, I can always walk away. Which is what I did and I’m glad I did. My faith reminds me that when God closes one door, he’ll open a new one. Which is exactly what he did. Through my sister-in-law Beyauna, who is in the birth work field (Arizona Breastfeeding & Wellness – https://bfmedaz.com) , the opportunity to train as a doula was presented. Both my brother and sister-in-law have their own businesses (TRB Design Productions – https://www.trb-designpro.com)
and (Breast Practices). The thought of entrepreneurship outside of music had never really crossed my mind. It’s inspiring and motivating to watch them in their element and I’m grateful to them for giving me the encouragement and push I needed to try something new. I’m currently going through the process of obtaining my doula certification through South Phoenix Healthy Start and partnership with DONA International, as well as Community Health Workers through ASU. Being able to be a support to families through their birth journey and ensuring that they have a healthy, positive, and safe birth experience has been so rewarding.
Now just because I’ve found myself going another route with starting a business in the birth work space doesn’t mean I have turned my back on my music. We actually had to push the project back due to life stuff and unexpected circumstances. Having youngins who are very active in sports can be time consuming. My children always come first so if I need to support them in academics, athletics, or what have you, I shift my focus to make sure they are good before I can return to music. I appreciate my supporters for being so understanding and patient as they know I pride myself in putting out quality content that is not rushed, but created and produced right. I take my artistry and craft seriously just as I have studied and learned from watching the greats take their time in releasing timeless art, I aspire to do the same. One reward that came from taking the risk in relocating was that I was inspired to create CP4. Having the opportunity to connect with and network with dope, phenomenal, and talented artists at Poetic Soul and other creatives in the artist community online has been absolutely amazing! And I can’t wait for yal to hear CP4 Uncovered.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an artist, singer/songwriter/model/musician/actress. I released my first project Cover Girl Project in 2017. We kept writing, collaborated with dope and talented artists and released CoverGirl Project 2: Mind Over Matter in 2020. We continued writing had the opportunity to perform my music live at Miramar Theater, Milwaukee PBS, 414 Spotlight, and Cactus Club, worked with more amazing artists and creatives, had my music played on radio stations such as 93.1 Jamz, V100 Heat from the Street, as well as other Spotify playlists and released CoverGirl Project 3: No Magazine in 2022. We kept grinding and had the pleasure of my music being showcased in fashion shows for TSXDH at BSC Marquette University as well as LA Fashion Week and International Digital Fashion Week. We shot the promo for the highly anticipated SexEyecon web series make sure you check it out! I also had the opportunity to model for TSXDH in the SS24 collection KalabiYau as well as showcased in an art exhibition at the Nicoleta Gallery in Berlin Germany, we collaborated with more talented and amazing artists and released my fourth project BRB in 2023. The grind doesn’t stop because we continued writing and performing at venues such as Poetic Soul, and continuing to collaborate with incredible talent and will be releasing new music in 2025 so stay tuned! I’ve mentioned before the most exciting part about my work is the the opportunity to connect and collaborate with some of the most dope and talented artists and creatives. I learn so much through interacting and conversing with others and those very people push me creatively and artistically. Everyone from producers, sound engineers, artists, DJs, hair stylists, makeup artists, videographers, wardrobe stylists, choreographers, musicians, graphic designers and more I cannot say enough how thankful I am to have had the pleasure to work with each and everyone of yal. I truly appreciate you for contributing your time and talents to my vision and allowing me to grow on this journey. There has for sure been hurdles but I am a firm believer in God not putting more on you than he knows you can bear. I’m super excited for the expansion of my YouTube channel as well as my Patreon which gives my audience and supporters a more in depth view of the creative process such as BTS studio sessions, just random chit chats where I talk about the making of CP4: Uncovered or what I like to call “Quellez Quotables” and full live performances. I’ve also added something I call acoustic sessions which cover songs from other dope and talented artists as well as original works of mine. You can also find acoustic sessions on my instagram page as well. This is just another way for people to get to know me as an artist and see me develop and grow. I’ve mentioned before that only my supporters can say what sets me apart from other artists or speak to my work ethic. One thing I hope they can confidently say is that I value quality over quantity meaning that I would rather release art at a slower pace that makes a statement, is impactful, and shows my creativity and growth in the best light possible than to just be putting out BS to stay current or relevant. I know everything I drop isn’t going to hit the same for everyone, but my day ones who know my heart and have been watching my journey will be able to see the overall growth and hopefully enjoy the content. Deciding to push back the release of CP4 has allowed me to really tap into me as a woman, mother, artist, sister, friend, daughter and continue to evolve into the best version of myself to present to the world.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I had to unlearn is being so rigid and structured in my process. What I mean by that is when I was in WI, I had my team right there so if we needed to get together and brainstorm ideas, have listening sessions, photo shoots, etc. everyone was right there in the same location. I’m very protective over my art and selective with who hears and sees it before it’s officially released, so being thousands of miles away in AZ, I really had to let go of my anxiety and be more open with sharing more of myself to get the feedback I needed. I had to start utilizing social media more as a focus group to help me gauge what my audience likes and doesn’t like. I’m used to doing things in a more traditional way however in today’s day and age of the internet I had to let exposure lead to my expansion. I had to be more creative, innovative, enlightened, and speak my truth. I usually just let my work speak for itself when I release my music for my audience to know what’s been going on in my life. With long periods of time not being able to get into a studio to record and get my thoughts and emotions out, I had to turn to therapy to maintain coping skills to deal with life’s challenges and hurdles. I will say unlearning is hard but can necessary and beneficial for growth. Having to establish new connections, tap in to new resources, and learning a new system of doing things means you have to unlearn your old system or way of doing things. It really forced me to challenge myself. When I was going through my rough patches I had to remember the lyrics and very words I wrote to help empower and motivate myself to keep going.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is positively impacting someone’s life. When I’m in the initial stages of creating a body of work, I’m not thinking about recognition or streams. I’m thinking about how my story or journey can help the next person either learn from my wins and L’s. We all go through things in life and you never know someone could be going through the similar situations and knowing that you are not alone helps build a community or tribe. It’s very vulnerable for me to show my studio sessions before music is released and I lowkey feel like I’m violating my own HIPAA because I’ve mentioned before music is my therapy. I look at artists like Coco Jones, Kali Uchis, Tems, and GloRilla who channel life experience when writing their music and creating their art and I’m always inspired by the way they express themselves. Even artists in the podcast space such as Crystal Renee Hayslett (Keep It Positive Sweetie) as well as Drea Nicole and Lex P (Pour Minds) use their personal experience to help their audience on their healing journeys. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to these women and have had an epiphany or come to Jesus moment where I’m reflecting on my own life journey and encouraged to address whatever traumas in my life, forgive myself, and move forward on my road to elevation. Pastor Sarah Jakes Robert’s said in one of her sermons and I’m paraphrasing but she stated how we need to “marinate” before coming out and revealing to the world our evolved version of ourselves. Those of us who are foodies understood this analogy because when cooking meat, letting it marinate allows for all the good flavors to seep into the meat making for a delicious meal. I took that to mean when God is isolating you, that’s your marinating moment to let all the seasoning and juices soak in. Resulting in a flavorful presentation. I attended the PRBC 47th annual Women’s Prayer Breakfast and the keynote speaker mentioned that you need to advance through what you can’t avoid and not let what’s behind you, distract you. This was powerful to me because it reminds me in life there will always be something that pops up or triggers you whether it be from past or present that is unavoidable. God gives us the strength and tools to press forward and overcome whatever hurdle and can use our pain for purpose. When I’m creating my art, I write from life experience and sometimes it’s from a place of love, pain, heartbreak, humor, motivation, friendship, turn up, mellow moods, or just vibes. I’m constantly inspired by others and I love paying it forward and using my story to inspire others in return. When you hear the new project, you’ll definitely hear the growth in production, content, vocals, bars, etc. One of my favorite parts about the collaboration and creative process is being able to incorporate my youngins into my art. My oldest son has contributed to my past projects by producing tracks such as “Way Up Interlude” for CP3: No Magazine and “Dear Mama” from BRB. It’s such an amazing bonding and magical moment for me. They’ll be in the studio with me and when it’s time for them to record, seeing their faces light up putting on headphones and adjusting the mic is priceless. When preforming live for an audience who may not be familiar with my music, engagement for me is everything. Feeling their vibe and they are able to feel my vibe to where by the end of the performance, they are singing along with me makes what I do worth all of the blood, sweat, and tears worth it. When you bring in the social media aspect, utilizing the live feature and when people are able to actively listen to my music and provide positive feedback in real time to where they subscribe to my channel or start following me on other platforms also motivates me to go harder because I never want to disappoint myself or my supporters. My day one supporters know that I never want to rush the process and I’m a firm believer in if you build it, they will come. Well we’re continuing to build and the people are coming! Stay tuned for what’s next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/quellez
- Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=channel_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkdHTEtKQVhsT3BmZS1ZZlpBdS0xZmRQSG1Ud3xBQ3Jtc0ttS0N3NWEtdzlvRk5QSDdRbW0teHhiOTFwU0xmT2FhNGdrcGlLTGJIR2huMnlTQVFjLXNnMkgzLWduWDdLbHNlM2cxc1IzQ0R5bWNhY3EyYzh2elZQTnkteVNjSmZfRWlwc1VOdGdENGRqaTM5clVVOA&q=instagram.com%2F_quellez_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ricquelle.badger/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricquelle-badger-7163129b?trk=contact-info
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@quellez0313/featured
- Soundcloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/quellez_3
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/c/quellez/shop?view_as=patron
Image Credits
@bridney @quayology @bedsidenailz @prettyppleasurebox @tsx_design_house @fashionabledemand @shunpfilms
@pilgrimrestphx