We recently connected with Abeje TheAtre and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Abeje , thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am very happy being an artist. Honestly, in 2019, when the pandemic hit is when everything changed for me. I was working full time at a staffing agency. It was hard work before, but it became quite the headache after COVID went rampant. Expectations were unreasonable and considering there was a small number of us, the pressure seemed worse. Not only that, but I was the top staffer, so the most stress was always on me: be perfect, always fill spots, find the best candidates, and train the new comer. After a while, I realized, the stress to happiness ratio in my life was very unbalanced. So I had a discussion with my husband about quitting. I realized that after coming home from work I didn’t feel like doing anything. My musical creativity had really come to a halt because my job sucked all the life out of me. It was a mentally taxing job. So I put in my notice; I even gave them one full month to find someone and I was willing to take that individual under my wing to teach her everything I knew. Putting in my notice was actually very difficult. I cared deeply for my manager and knew just how much MORE stress she had. Leaving would cause more. So it took me some time to work up the courage to leave. I even procrastinated a few days (and had to edit my last day on my letter) because I thought about reneging. Plus, a stable income was about to be lost and I would solely be relying on my husband. But I again reminded myself of the stress to happiness ratio, the stress to peace ratio. And keeping that in mind helped me to leave.

So right now, I am not making the same amount of money as I was with my full time job, but I am content. My husband takes care of the bills willingly and I get to focus on my craft. I’d rather have little to no income (temporarily) and have joy, than to stress myself to death for a measly every two weeks check.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an Alternative R&B Singer/Songwriter. My focus as an artist is to always produce a message of LOVE. While I am able to write about anything, I want a clear cut message. We live in a world where music is so heavily focused on women being barely dressed in videos and talking explicitly about sex. Or there are confusing messages about love and hate. I choose to not be like many mainstream, female, American artists. So when you listen to my music, you will hear a pure and authentic sound of REAL LOVE. I also want to be as original as possible; so every song is individually produced with a 100% original instrumental. My greatest inspiration is none other than Jill Scott herself. My more young inspirations are Lianne La Havas and Jacob Collier.

Aside from being a Singer/Songwriter, I am a song instructor. The purpose of this is to help other artists to learn “how” to construct a song and to write one. I help people overcome writer’s block and come up with different methods for inspiration. We even get into the nitty gritty of creating melodies and harmonies. That is on an individual paid basis. My free service is working as a host with a live music review show on Instagram called DOPE OR NOPE SHOW. On Tuesday nights we listen to about 5 songs for the very first time and rate the song “dope” or “nope.” But what makes us different from many music review shows, is that we go into great detail on why each artist/producer received their specific rating. And each judge has a different background, from singer/songwriter to producer/engineer to rapper/lyricist. We also have paid services if people want an individual song, video or album review.

What I am most proud of is staying true to who I am as an artist. Although it had taken me a couple years to ‘find my sound’, the intent in my music has always remained the same. In fact, people KNOW what my brand is; they know that I am an expert in my particular subject of choice. I am me, Abeje TheAtre…and there is nothing changing that.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

One of the biggest things creatives struggle with is support. In fact, there are memes about it! It can be a little frustrating sometimes when your own people don’t help push you forward. Many people think that in order to show support means that you need to “buy the album”, “buy the song”, “always show up at our performance”….anything money related. But in all actuality, that is not necessary. While it is nice to know someone I care about bought my stuff, it is even more encouraging when people simply SHARE my content. Now I’m not saying to share something just because your friend did it. But if you truly support (and don’t just SAY it), give a share on social media. And don’t just share my posts, but say something. When I am on social media and I see someone shared another person’s content, I always look to see what the person who shared it has to say. If there isn’t anything extra written, I am less inclined to want to check it out. And this is a proven point that I’ve heard from many people. Also, we aren’t asking you to share every little thing we post, but it sucks when your friends and family SAY they support you, but literally DO NOTHING to show that support. Support is a verb, not just a word used in a sentence as a seal of approval.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the freedom. Music is not math; there is no absolute correct answer for anything. Music is not English; you don’t have to be grammatically correct. You simply just need to be yourself. I enjoy being an artist because it is where I am most free. There is no need to abide by any rules or stick to any norms. And while there may be a particular sound one area may prefer, the great thing about music is that it’s a universal language. There will always be someone who loves what you produce. And this is really for any creative, not just musicians and artists. In the creative field, how you go about making your product is what can separate you from the individual next to you. We all have something that someone else do not. And even if you share a particular quality with another creative, someone is still going to prefer YOU over that other person….Just like someone is going to prefer that other person. There is plenty of room in the world for creatives.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abeje_simmons/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abejetheatre
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXYRJpWGHQfZlawAp_T-feg