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

Tajonyx, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today 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.

I started out as a lot of us do in our young adult years; Going to college. Once I graduated, I did what everyone expected me to do. I started teaching music at an elementary school. I did that for 5 years, but I always knew I wouldn’t stay a teacher forever. Singing and making music was heavy on me, and I knew I could really do it. During those 5 years of teaching, I spent many nights crying myself to sleep, wondering how I got myself in this situation. To my family and everyone else surrounding me, I had made something of myself. However, I felt stuck and unfulfilled. I knew there was more for me. So during my 5th year of teaching, I saved up enough money to move despite my parents objections. I knew that I was meant to do bigger things. I resigned from my teaching job and moved to Atlanta to pursue my music career. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m so glad I did it. I took that risk 6 years ago and I’m just now starting to see the rewards.

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.

My name is Tajonyx. I am a queer Pop/R&B recording artist in the Atlanta area. I have been singing since the age of 5. I was heavily involved in choir during my time in the school system. I graduated College with a Bachelors in vocal performance and a minor in education.

The music I make is specifically inspirational but with a secular veil. I believe in making dance music thats fun to listen to, but with lyrics that speak to your soul and what you may be going through. I started making music professionally in 2008, and here I am 15 years later still doing it.

I am proud of my longevity, and my resilience. I am proud that I never gave up, despite being extremely discouraged along the way. I am so proud that my debut album entitled “Phantom Fire”, has been received so well. It has a grammy nominated feature, it has Tiffany Evans on the project, It’s been picked up by several Apple music and Spotify Playlists, and people are really enjoying it. As an independent artist, I am so proud of what I have accomplished over the past 6 years.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

For independent musicians, the best thing you can do is really INVEST in our art. Just because you grew up with us, or know us in some form or fashion, doesn’t make us any different than the artists that are in the major label system, and I think thats what really messes people up in the head. They see you as the person they know or knew and not the artist and brand you are becoming so its hard to support. Every artist that you see on TV or hear on the radio started independent. A lot of them had dedicated fanbases that invested in them early, and were able to create a local buzz that caught the attention of record labels. Although, being signed is not my goal, the principal still applies. I always tell my community, if you believe that I have what it takes to be a household name, then support the brand, even when you don’t necessarily like the genre of music at the moment. Artists change, and our sound changes all the time. It’s important to invest in that journey with independent artists the same way yall do anyone thats signed. Theres been a lot of artists who have switched up their sound and aesthetic and it might not have been my cup of tea, but I still support, because I believe. I invest.

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

This entire album process has tested my resilience in ways I never though imaginable. I wrote these songs 3 years ago during the height of the pandemic. I knew that I couldn’t release the project at that time, as an unknown artist to the masses. I knew I had to have a strategy before putting the music out.

I knew that I needed a feature that would legitimize the project to the music community. I searched for a feature for 2 years. I contacted every person you could think of . A lot of them were queer men of color who are doing it big in the music industry right now. I heard nothing back. That was very hurtful. After a while, I gave up on finding a feature. The rejection was starting to get to me.

Once I left it alone for a while and poured my focus into other aspects of the album, the opportunity to do a feature with Tiffany Evans presented itself, and I contacted her team to set it up. When it actually happened, I was so proud of myself for not giving up.  

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tajonyxmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tajonyx/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tajonyx/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tajonyx?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H29W3jYzjCc

Image Credits
Mackenzie Tyra Clark Kalev Carrow Raphael Lechner