We recently connected with Ceenami and have shared our conversation below.

Ceenami, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I have never been happier than I am now as a music artist. Music has always been my passion, it is one of the only things that connects with me deep in my soul. My first career was in the military, working on a submarine. I worked 100+ hours per week, made a consistent income, and had a predictable structure in my life. But I wasn’t happy. This was not a job that connected with me on a deep level and it was not something I was passionate about. When I got out I decided it was time to actually spend my short time on this earth doing something fulfilling. The difference is major. I work a lot now because I want to, because it makes me happy to experiment with music and grow as an artist. Not because I feel like I need to in order to survive. I will never look back now.

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

I am Ceenami. I sing, produce, dance and rap, but I would never describe myself solely with any of those individual titles. I am described most often as a “thoughtful artist with no boundaries”, I am not held back by any mold or expectations of a modern rapper, hiphop music, or pop music.

I started on this path after seeing first hand in the military what it is like to spend your youth doing something that is mundane and unfulfilling, that just puts money in the bank account and gives your life structure. The service members I met with 20+ years in the military always had regrets about not following their dreams and exploring their potential while they were young. Only in hindsight did they realize that they would have traded the comfortability of that life for the unknown of following their dreams, if only to know what they could have accomplished. I decided that I didn’t want to make the same mistake. I want to live my life knowing I explored all of the avenues I am most passionate about, in music in dance, and go as far as I can. That way there will never be a time where I look back with regrets about never taking risks and following my dreams.

Every song I produce is a manifestation of the positive emotions I have felt when listening to music from many diverse genres and locations, then molded into my own style. No song is made with the intention of fitting into any one specific genre or style. I might hear a song and say “I love this sound, but what if it was done this way instead?”, then I find myself on a journey into previously unexplored depths of the genre I started with.

What I feel sets me apart from most other music artists, is that one of my biggest goals is to make music that is creative and unique, that inspires deep emotions, thought, and active listening from anyone who hears it. My lyrics always contain topics that resonate with me on a deep level, and cover all ranges of emotions from the most positive and inspired, to the most depressed and discouraged. Combine these topics and the aforementioned instrumentals with unique rap design, difficult flows, unexpected rhyme schemes, wide ranging vocabulary, picture-perfect enunciation and an assured heartfelt delivery, and you have music that will be making waves for years to come.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

One thing I think non-creatives have a hard time with is respecting artists that are not yet “successful” in their eyes on the same level as they do artists they do see as “successful”. A lot of people forget that all artists had to start without fans and success, and then work hard to build that. People seem to think that it is only okay for “The Weeknd” or “Drake” to make music because they are successful. But someone like me who is starting from the bottom and working my way up, I am just seen as “someone TRYING to make music”, instead of being seen as an artist. If I fully believe in my path and my dreams, and I work hard, there is no reason I cannot be as successful as any other big artist. But it takes time, trial and error, and determination. I can’t be successful overnight. And what artists need most in this point of their careers is support from those close to them. Nothing hurts more than being told you can’t do it by the people you love the most. I don’t want to have to tell people “I told you so” when I am big. I want them to tell me “we knew you could do it”. That is one of the most impactful things.

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

Some of the biggest things we need from society are: 1. Support new artists with positivity. Be willing to listen to new music from unknown artists. You could be hearing the next big thing. Or you could hear music that touches you in a way mainstream music doesn’t. It doesn’t have to be heard by everyone around the world in order to be high quality. 2. Rally to hold streaming services accountable for their impact on the industry and how it has affected an artists ability to be heard, or be paid for their music. Essentially, you used to have to buy a song to hear it. The money went to the artist. Now you stream it on a service, and the money goes to the service, and they decide how much they want to pay the Artist, around $0.05-0.07 per stream. That’s a lot less than the $1 per song or $10 per album people used to pay. And we have no choice but to use these services regardless, because that’s the only way for people to listen to our music. Additionally, these services decide which music to push and which music to ignore. There needs to be a better system for new music to find its way into people’s ears, instead of being buried because the service does not have a vested interest in you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Ceenami
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/theceenami
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/theceenami
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ceenami
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ceenami?_t=8dHSVbuho8g&_r=1