Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Siobhan Monique . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Siobhan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Often vocal artist are placed in one specific category, to help better define their art and creativity to the masses. The need to categorize and compartmentalize my art by others was paralyzing. I grew up with a heavily influenced Jazz and Gospel background. This influence began the foundation of my vocal journey. After graduating from University of South Florida, with a degree in Music Studies, that influenced was expanded by the sounds of Debussy, Shubert and Beethoven. This classical background was essential to my vocal training and vocal growth. It was later sharpened and stretched by unforgettable off Broadway experience in New York City. Although acquiring this colorful musical palette along this journey was essential to my growth as an artist, I was unable to find a platform where I could share these genres simultaneously. This task became harder once I was also unable to categorize exactly what type of musical artist, I defined myself as. Faced with this challenge I decided to create my on genre of music and create my own platform, so that I could speak my own message and sing my own song. From this challenge, Ancestral Funk was born. Ancestral Funk, Inc. is an arts emporium that allows artists to be who they were purposed to be. Our tag line is ‘The Sound. The Community. The Movement.’ The SOUND is the alchemy of authentic rhythms passed down through generations of ancestral roots. The COMMUNITY consists of all artists and individuals who celebrate the goodness and value of their peace-loving ancestors. The MOVEMENT includes all artists, their followers, fans and individuals who believe that there is only one race, the human race. As responsible Descendants, we promote LOVE, UNITY and ENLIGHTENMENT… always!

Siobhan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Heavily influenced by her uncle, Buster Cooper, a ten-year member of the famed Duke Ellington Band, Siobhan has been dancing to jazz tunes well before she could walk. At the age of three she paired that dancing with singing in the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Her love for music blossomed when she was introduced to classical arias and American folk and traditional music at John Hopkins Middle School, under the direction of Music teacher, Stanley Butts. Encouraged by her music teacher to begin classical training and further her music studies, Siobhan attended the Pinellas County Center for the Arts. It was there that she began her classical training from voice teacher Dawn Eubanks. During her tenure at the center, she received numerous awards and accolades, including being named a finalist in the Walker Rising Stars scholarship foundation and being a featured soloist at the National Holocaust Remembrance project in Washington D.C. After graduation, Siobhan attended the University of South Florida in Tampa and received a degree in Classical Voice under the direction of Dr. Warren Jaworski. Currently, Siobhan is the lead singer of her band Siobhan Monique and “The Negro Ninja’s” as well as the current lead in the off-Broadway musical Freedom’s Song, playing the role of Sara. She has appeared in 1940’s Radio Hours, as Geneva Lee Brown, in Platinum Theaters Bella Voce, as Bess in Porgy and Bess, in Inertia the Musical as Summer Breeze, and in New York’s very own Cranky Cabaret. Siobhan has also created her own one-woman show at New York’s famous Duplex Theater, “Siobhan Monique and More.” Always expanding her vocal prowess, Siobhan has been the lead vocalist Duke Ellington alum, Buster Cooper and his jazz band, and she has sung lead for the jazz and funk band, The Groove.
Her artistic work is also influenced by her favorite singer and activist, Nina Simone who stressed
that it is the duty of every artist to reflect the times and speak truthfully on them to help mold a better tomorrow. Siobhan also lives by the words of her grandmother who told her to always remain gracious and grateful and to remember that who have helped along the way. Such influence and advice has been the catalyst for Siobhan’s growth as a performer.
From the roots of her ancestors, the souls of her predecessors, and the rhythms of her contemporaries, Siobhan Monique brings an independent and refreshing voice to center stage and is currently, the face of emerging record label: Ancestral Funk, Inc. Tag line: The Sound. The Community. The Movement.
Siobhan is love. Siobhan is hope. Siobhan is all people. She delivers songs that speak to the global human condition without regard for genre, color, borders, labels, or judgment. Siobhan is pure. It is accurate to call her sultry, funky, enigmatic, soul-stirring, smoky, or stormy because she embodies all of these characteristics. But most of all, call her the real deal.
Siobhan Monique is the ultimate musical experience for anyone who appreciates a performer who is fiercely committed and true to their craft. This visually stunning goddess beguiles audiences with her own signature style of storytelling through the art of singing.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Your artistry is the gift that keeps on giving. The more you create, cultivate and stay true to yourself, your gift will continuously pour into you and to others…. ENDLESSLY.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Expressing my art allows me to stay connected to the creator. This is a feeling euphoric and therapeutic.

Contact Info:

• Website: ancestralfunk.com
• Instagram: siobhan_monique_
• Facebook: Siobhan Monique: MoniQnation
• Twitter: siobhan_monique
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCcuSDYLQr3d_CchpTLxgneQ