Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Funmilayo Chesney. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Funmilayo, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Funmilayo Chesney:

Absolutely, I feel more fulfilled and aligned as an artist and creative — it’s where my spirit breathes. But I’d be lying if I said I never thought about what it might feel like to just clock in, do a job, and clock out. The last time that thought crossed my mind was on a long night after rehearsals, my body sore, managing production calls for my album I Believe in Myself, sorting costumes, meal prepping, and still trying to finish up lesson plans for my youth wellness classes.

I remember sitting in my kitchen, lights low, sipping ginger tea, wondering — “Would it be easier if I just had a regular 9 to 5?” Something that didn’t ask for all of me. No late-night sessions, no hustling between gigs, no constant creative output.

But then I thought about what I’d be giving up. The freedom to move in rhythm with my own spirit. The power of being able to heal, teach, and inspire through dance, music, and art. The joy I feel when I see a student’s face light up because they finally nailed a beat or move. Or when someone tells me that my song made them feel stronger, like they could believe in themselves again.

That kind of connection — that transmission of love and light — it can’t be boxed into a 9 to 5.

So no, I don’t think I’d trade it. Being an artist, especially in these times, is not just about performance. It’s a calling. A responsibility. And for me, a divine assignment.

I Believe in Myself isn’t just the name of my album — it’s my declaration. Through every ache, every doubt, every moment I’ve questioned this path — I return to that belief. I’m here to give love, to shine light, to spark joy and healing — and art is my way of doing that.

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 Funmilayo Chesney, and I am a multidisciplinary creative — a dancer, drummer, singer-songwriter, visual artist, educator, and wellness practitioner. My work lives at the intersection of healing, cultural preservation, empowerment, and joy.

I was born into rhythm — movement and music have always been part of my life. My journey into the arts started early through dance and visual art, but it was when I began studying African Diasporic traditions, drumming, and movement as tools for healing and connection that everything aligned. Over the years, I’ve trained, performed, taught, and shared these ancestral gifts across communities, schools, and stages — both nationally and internationally.

My creative work spans live performance, music production, arts education, and wellness-based programming. I offer workshops, performances, professional development trainings, and now, with my latest project — original music that speaks to the soul. My upcoming album, I Believe in Myself, is a reflection of my evolution as an artist and woman. It’s full of affirmations, ancestral rhythm, and deep personal truths. It’s music for movement, healing, and affirmation.

What sets my work apart is the intentionality behind it. Everything I do is rooted in love, culture, and transformation. Whether I’m teaching youth financial literacy through rhythm, guiding adults through movement meditation, or performing on stage with a djembe in hand — my goal is the same: to inspire people to reconnect to their own power.

I’m most proud of how I’ve been able to merge art, education, and wellness into a life path that uplifts others. I’ve seen students find confidence in their bodies through dance. I’ve seen tears fall in drumming circles as people reconnect to something ancient within themselves. I’ve seen audiences leave my performances feeling seen and held. That’s why I do this.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

To truly support artists and creatives, society needs to first recognize the value of our work as essential, not optional. Art is not a luxury — it’s medicine, it’s memory, it’s movement, and it’s how we imagine and build new futures. We reflect the soul of a people. And yet, artists are often expected to pour endlessly without proper resources, compensation, or infrastructure.

One of the most powerful ways society can support a thriving creative ecosystem is through sustainable funding, visibility, and respect. That means investing in artists the way we invest in engineers or doctors — through grants, residencies, health care, affordable housing, and arts education in schools. It means creating more platforms for emerging voices, not just mainstream ones. It means paying artists fairly and consistently — for performances, teaching, consulting, or content creation.

It also means shifting the mindset around art from “entertainment” to “essential service.” As artists, we don’t just create for applause — we create for healing, for liberation, for education, for preservation of culture. When a child learns to drum, they are connecting to history. When someone dances freely, they are reclaiming joy. When someone hears a song like I Believe in Myself, they are being reminded that their life has value.

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

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is the way I get to touch lives through truth, rhythm, and love. There’s nothing like seeing someone light up — whether it’s a child finding their voice in a dance class, an elder moved to tears by a drum rhythm that reminds them of home, or someone reaching out after hearing a song like I Believe in Myself, saying, “That was exactly what I needed.”

As a creative, I get to transmute pain into beauty, silence into song, struggle into movement. I get to channel something higher — spirit, ancestors, energy — and watch how it lands in the hearts of others. That connection is sacred.

There’s also deep healing in the process itself. Every time I create, I heal a part of myself — and when I share it, it becomes a balm for someone else. That reciprocity is powerful.

But perhaps most of all, I love that I get to live in alignment with my purpose. I don’t have to pretend. I get to show up fully — as an African dancer, as a drummer, as a teacher, as a healer, as a storyteller. I get to be me — and in doing that, I give others permission to be fully themselves too.

That’s the gift. That’s the reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fushadance.com, www.fushakids.com
• Instagram: @fushakids, @fushadance
• Facebook: Fushadance
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FUSHAKIDS

Image Credits

1. Russell Frederick – Photo
2. LLoyd Crosdale
3. @agiraldo
4 Russell Frederick
5. Russell Frederick
5 📸 Illustration: @agiraldo
6. Vreni Arbes (Germany)
7. @agiraldo
8. @adelefournet
9. Lloyd Crosdale
10. Label: @frances.lakshmi.records
🗞️ Press: @waldmania12