We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Akinsanya aka Arewa. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.

Arewa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Since I was a child there was always this fire inside of me that pushed me towards becoming something iconic. I just always wanted to become legendary. At the age of 4 I wanted to become an astronaut and I wanted to be the first person on Mars. That was my dream till I reached 11. I was always creative. I was always singing, dancing, writing, and drawing from a young age, but back then I only saw all of my creative avenues as merely hobbies. However I always spent my free time writing songs, writing stories, choreographing dances, and practicing my singing at just 8 years old. By the time I reached 11, I was in middle school and I was a vocal music major at Ronald Edmonds Learning Center. Being amongst a creative environment at such a young age lead me to sought out my dreams in creative entertainment. I knew at that age that I would become legendary and it would be on a creative path. It took a while to fully get on my path because I battled with very low self esteem. Overtime I eventually overcame it, and I am still overcoming it till this day.

Arewa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have many creative journeys. My professional music journey began in 2017 when I became consistent in writing and recording music to put out to the world. I released my first single “Standards” on August 1st, and that set the tone for the rest of my journey. From that point on people began to reach out to have me collaborate with them on a song, perform at an event, or be interviewed for a podcast. It was a beautiful start. I remained consistent and released my first music video at the very top of 2018 on January 1st, for my third single “Nappy”. I continued to receive great recognition for my work. I released my first project in 2019 and I had about 250 fans attend my EP release party. It was such a rewarding moment, and it gave me a peak of what my near future will look like.
I take pride in my unique sound, and I believe that is what sets me a part from others. I have a specific tone and cadence, and anyone familiar with me, listening to my music will know exactly who it is. I am pioneer of my own sound.
I am very proud of the impact my music has mad on others. My music has always had a message and many people have been able to resonate with the stories I share. I remember a friend of mine telling me that my song and video for “Nappy” inspired to shave off her relaxed hair and go natural. After releasing my first project, a fan commented stating the at the project brought then to tears because she could relate to my story.
I evoke emotion when I create, and I am able to touch every listener that follows my music journey.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My music journey has not been an easy one, but along my path I learned that I simply had to enjoy myself. I have spent a great majority working on my own to get to where I am today. My consistency, despite my lack of support is something that illustrates my resilience. It can be discouraging taking on such big goals on your own, but if you’re passionate enough, truly believe in yourself, and are committed to working, you can triumph. My team is made up of myself. I ask for help when I can, but I am the one pushing this entire brand forward. I am the one putting together projects, scheduling studio sessions, planning photoshoots, planning music video shoots, planning events, performing throughout NYC, creating/updating my website, going on interviews, getting blog/ magazine reviews, designing and distributing artist merchandise, networking, and remaining consistent in all of it. It takes a lot of tenacity, ambition, and patience. Soon enough my work will attract people to do majority of the work for me, while I simply direct others and create.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve wanted to be legendary since I was a little girl. Once I figured out what I wanted to do with my life, I set forth on this journey. I owe it to my younger self to fulfill this lifetime goal. I owe to my mother, who has been supporting me since day one, to fulfill this goal. I have overcome so much self doubt, self loathing, and insecurities, and I want to inspire others to do the same. There are so many people in the way of their own gifts. I want to inspire and uplift the world. I want to heal the world through my art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.everythingarewa.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/titiarewa
• Facebook: http://Facebook.com/foreverarewa
• Twitter: http://Twitter.com/foreverarewa
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/Arewa

Image Credits
@ax3cloud @japerasworld