We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Portauprincess a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Portauprincess, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Music has always been an escape for me. It has gotten me through some of the darkest times. It has guided me, it has molded me & it has given me light.

Growing up, Wayne was my favorite rapper. Everything that I know & love about music came from my obsession with him. Before Nicki came out, I thought one day if I practiced really hard, he’d discover me & id be the next female version of Wayne. I used to write rhymes in my composition notebooks every day after cheerleading or basketball practice.

It’s funny how everything came full circle & here I am now pursuing a dream I never thought would be a reality for me. Growing up Haitian you were taught the three al’s, leglez(church), lekeol (school), lakaey (home). No where in the haitian manuscript did it have room for error.

You have no idea how liberating this journey has been for me. Knowing what I know now, I would’ve taken the leap sooner. I would’ve still followed the Haitian manuscript, but I would’ve added in more time for music. I think diverging from the path set out for me & putting myself out there really taught me a lot about myself.

The only obstacle that stood in my way at one point was my own self-doubt. I didn’t think becoming an artist & pursuing music professionally was practical. After college, though I realized that now is the time to try new things, put yourself out there & do what makes me happy.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m just a girl from Naples with a dream. A dream that one day my music can make an impact & touch someone the way that music has reached out & grabbed me when I needed comfort most.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

From a very young age, I knew that life was hard. I knew that if I ever wanted to make it in life, be the person I was destined to be, that I would have to work twice as hard to get there.

I spent the most of my youth in foster care. From 3rd grade until sophomore year in high school, I was in & out of foster care. No one I knew at that time had experience anything like that so I always tend to keep my personal issues to myself.

I would go foster home to foster home, school to school & still maintain a smile on my face, perfect grades, a social life & also be an active leader in my community. I never let my problems define me. I always found a way to come out on top.

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

Seeing my growth. I’m putting myself out there in ways I never thought I would. I’m getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Pushing myself to my fullest potential. This journey just started but yet I’ve felt so much satisfaction from all the victories whether they are big or small

Contact Info:

• Instagram: portauprincessss
• Facebook: portauprincessss
• Twitter: itsmobucks
• Youtube: portauprincess

Image Credits
Lavonte Mcleish (Legendary Visions Productions)