We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alicia Marie. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alicia below.

Hi Alicia, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve wanted to be an artist professionally since I was a kid. I would write songs and come up with music video concepts as early as 8/9 years old. I utilized music and poetry as a form of therapy as I was growing up. I moved from New York to North Carolina in high school and became engulfed in the spoken word poetry scene as a means of coping from the move which led into me having my first true experience making music on a serious note. The goal was always to make it through art but I would constantly become distracted by life struggles and mental health issues which prevented me from really taking advantage of my opportunities at a young age. I then became pregnant at 19 years old and decided to focus on building my resume in a 9-5 career to allow me to provide for my son. Years went by and I pretty much only wrote for personal release but the year of 2020 I became homeless and I started writing more than ever. I started depending on creating to get me through to the next day and unintentionally created a catalog for myself during that time. I was in contact with a friend during my struggle who kind of by fate showed up during that period of my life to specifically ask what I had been doing over the years creatively and. after showing some of what I had been working on, was really who pushed me to start taking myself seriously again as an artist. I continued to create as I was working like crazy trying to get my life back and became acquainted with dope individuals through another friend of mine I support in the music scene. January 2021 I was blessed to be back in my own home again and six months later took a few of the tracks I had written and dropped my first project Street Renaissance. I can’t even explain how grateful I am for how quickly my life has turned around.

Alicia, 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?

Well my name is Alicia Marie. I have been creating my whole life but got my start on a stage with spoken word poetry as a teenager with Sacrificial Poets. I then went on to rap and sing with the Carolina Music Award nominated group called The Big Chill. I’m now a mom with the dopest son on planet Earth and an artist living out of Durham, NC. I’ve been named the “Hood Amy Winehouse” due to my style of music and I like that. I think what sets me apart is I’m very raw and to the point. I’ve been high and low, abused and abusive, misunderstood and not understanding, I’m not ashamed of who I am. I’m no nonsense but I don’t judge anyone because I probably did it once too. I write about what I know, who I am, what I’ve lived, how I feel, what I wonder. My spirit takes so many forms, the only way it comes out right is on a beat. I love that I’m able to share that with anyone who cares to listen now. I’m proud of myself for never giving up and proving my power to myself. It’s a complete adrenaline rush. I’m only just getting started.

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

The most rewarding aspect is being able to resinate with people you don’t know on a personal level. I love having people come to me and tell me they heard a song or verse of mine and it brought them relief or peace because it directly connected to what they were going through or how they were feeling. I also really love how because it’s music and we can speak in so many different ways, I can create something based on one experience but based on how I processed that and decided to express it now someone else going through something completely different but processing their emotions similarly is gonna feel me on a level I never considered. Sometimes the things people say I was able to do for them lyrically blows my mind because it comes from me but I never considered that perspective on my own words. Art is wild. I love it for that.

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

I am very open on having been homeless and being an individual who struggles with mental health to give people an understanding on how I found myself in this place and to shed the shame on being accepting of your mental state and giving yourself grace. I have been through many trying, difficult and hurtful times but I am trying to be better about how I identify myself through my struggles. I try not to speak too directly on them because for one, anyone that caused me to struggle doesn’t deserve any clout and for two, the more I focus on how I have overcome something the more credit I give that situation for how I am today. Life is hard and you have choices. Typically the best choice is the hardest. It was a lot of directions I could have gone and a lot of people I could have been. Man, its a lot of people I have been that I had to stop being. I woke up and decided I was gonna keep going and I tell myself that everyday. Everyday doesn’t go how I want it to and I don’t always feel how I wish I would, but I keep going.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamaliciamarieofficial
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/iam.amarieee
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy7Nliy9CXhVzPkBxXehX3g