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

Lyrically, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I went to school for theatre. Naturally you have 2 options after graduating, go to grad school or go directly into the working field. I was tired of the school system, so I devised a plan and I hit the ground running…

After graduating, it was my goal to move to New York to pursue broadway, then move to LA, transition to film and television, then move back home to build an empire, and plant seeds within my community. I guess God had other plans. I came back home to Albany, GA 3months after graduating college and moved in with my cousin. I got a bartending job at a local restaurant, I paid half of my cousin’s bills with my tips and used the other half to fly to NYC for auditions. I was determined to make it to broadway. After 5 months of sleeping on my cousin’s couch, I got a callback for this show called “After Midnight”, Fantasia had starred in the lead role on broadway. I was told to send a video recording of myself singing 2 songs “Stormy Weather” and Women Be Wise”, those callback submissions are still on my Youtube page today. My friend Woody connected me with this awesome pianist name Steven, we rehearsed the songs, recorded them, and sent them back after 3 days of receiving them. I got hired in less than a week. I thought they were bringing the show back to broadway only to find out that a cruise line company bought it. Sooo, my “broadway debut” turned into an international exploration lol. I had booked a job in my field in less than a year of me graduating with an amazing salary.

Lyrically, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up in a family of singers. I was raised in church so naturally, that’s where it all started for me. I’ve always heard stories about the healing my grandmother carried in her hands, in her prayers, in her voice, in every hymn she sing. My mother too has the gift and that fresh anointing has been passed down to me.

I took to the arts at a very young age, everything from singing, writing poetry, dancing, painting, musical instruments, you name it, I explored it. All throughout grade school, I was busy! Whether I was I performing in the marching band playing the Bb Clarinet, singing in the chorale, in dance class, acting in a play, or literally running around the school; I had every intent to water all of my gifts. I was the student class president, on the student council, president of Students Teaching Abstinence Responsibility and Self-Respect, I was an award winning public speaker for Jobs for Georgia Graduates, and most importantly, i ATTEMPTED to play basketball every year. I think the coach only let me on the team because she liked me lol. All through-out school I did hair, I mean, someone had to pay for al of those extra-extra curricular activities. When it came to deciding what to major in in college, I owe a big thank you to my drama teacher Lisa Love, she saw something I didn’t see and I chose to believe her.

After graduating Dougherty Comprehensive High School, I attended Alabama State University where I received my B.A. in Theatre Arts in 2015. While in undergrad, I learned everything about the world of production from center stage to backstage. At ASU, my creative capacity was stretched and sharpened. I learned the business side of the industry, the technical side of the industry, the creative and literary side of the industry, as well as the performance side of the industry. In undergrad, I held lead roles in just about every main stage play we did every season including The Color Purple, Rent, For Colored Girls, A Tribute to Whitney,, Africa to America, Crowns, A Song For Coretta, just to name a few. I participated and placed in national theatre competitions such as NADSA and Irene Ryan for KCACTF.

After graduating undergrad and performing internationally on ships for 6 years, Covid hit and I moved to Orlando for about 4 months. There, one of my friends from college, Amitra, taught me how to make waistbeads and I dived into setting clear intentions for my life, learned to focus, and tapped into my spiritual gifts more. This time allowed me to take a pause from the cultivation of my talents, skills, and abilities, and I watered my purpose. Since then, I have integrated my passions and purpose to be of service to not only myself, but also my community. So I started a business, actually, I started several business, Hippie Chains and Thangs, LLC which I retail handcrafted expressions of my creativity, I legitimized my stage name Lyrically True, LLC, publishing company True Train Of Thought, LC, and building artistically with a group of creatives in my home town.

I view life through a wider lens because of the traveling that I’ve done. I’ve been exposed to so many different cultures, people, practices, and land. Integrating all that I’ve come from and all that I have experienced cultivated a massive and potent seed of love within my tree; the fruit are rich.

My focus is to share what has aided in my growth and evolution as a black woman, creative, and entrepreneur in America. I am spirit first having a human experience and often times, life can seem, even feel like a blur if you haven’t tapped into your true train of thought. My focus is to help others focus their focus through the arts. It’s no secret that I’ve been all over the place ever since I was a child. I am a free spirited being to the core, it has been a blessing as well as a hiccup. However, I’ve learned that the more I help myself, the more my capacity expands to help others help themselves.

My mission is to master me, what I do, how I do it, and leave tangible yet intangible imprints on the hearts of many. I hope that my downloads conjured through writing makes you think, go within, and ask yourself questions that only you know the answer to. I hope that my outbursts of song and dance makes you more confident to join if you feel to. I extend my voice, hands, and presence to aid in the healing of spirits and the freeing of oppressed souls.

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

SHARE OUR STUFF! If you have an artist friend that is active on social media, sharing their content is the best way you can support aside from purchasing merchandise if they are in goods/services. Encouraging words are support. Plugging us in for various projects and events that you know of, participate in, or curating yourselves are ways to support. Come to our events and shows and if you can’t, send a donation or buy someone else a ticket as a gift. There are sooooo many ways to support!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It’s always about the journey for me. I consider this life a marathon, sometimes it’s on go going 100 miles per hour and then the pace slows down to catch my breath for a bit. The flow this creative journey is interesting to participate in and in reflection, watch my own highlight reels. Every song is a story, a piece, a chapter from my book of life. Every poem transmutes pain to healing to purpose. Every brush stroke of paint on my canvas is a memory I release to share with the world who my opinion are angles of my soul being reflected back at me. The release is always bitter sweet because letting go can ache sometimes. Nonetheless, I’m grateful for another day, hour, second, moment, breath to create again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.LyricallyTrue.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/LyricallyTrueOffiicial
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LyricallyTrueOfficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyricallytrueofficial/
• Youtube: www.YouTube.com/LyricallyTrue
• Other: http://linktr.ee/lyricallytrueofficial

Image Credits
Photos were taken by Evi, you can find and follow her on instagram @Evi_Out_There