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

Alright, Mani thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I think I realized I wanted to be a full-time creative when I was a kid. All of my earliest memories are centered around music in one way or another, and I never had to seek music out– it always managed to find me. In elementary school, I wanted to be the next Mariah Carey or Mary J. Blige. By the time I reached middle school, I had met Chrissy, was in PEAK Nicki Minaj obsession, and had decided I wanted to be the next Nicki. I was so committed to that idea that I started putting action behind it. I wrote songs (or pieces of them) every day and would perform them for my friends during breaks. After I got my first job in high school, I started buying microphones and other equipment. Fast forward several years later, and I have a day job as a data analyst, but music is all I can see myself doing. I use my day job to fund my dreams until they can fully fund themselves.

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

My name is Mani (like Imani), and I’ve been writing songs for as long as I’ve been able to talk. I got into music as a young child. Let my parents tell it– I had the Temptations 6-disc anthology memorized by age 2. One of my earliest memories is listening to Bootsy with my dad while sitting on the couch in our old apartment. Music has always been an integral part of my life. My parents and their respective tastes in music have shaped me and my tastes so much that it was always the most natural outlet for me to choose.

I was shy and bookish as a kid. I was always lost in my little world. Music was a way to pull myself into everyone else’s reality. I started writing songs and poetry intentionally when I was in middle school. I was dealing with a lot in middle school: grief, moving across the country, growing up, and getting heartbroken for the first time. It was roughfor me, and nobody understood me or cared enough to listen. My songs and poems were my way of getting people to listen to me because I wouldn’t speak voluntarily.

I started using music and poetry as a tool to help me find my voice. Now that I’m a little older and bolder, I want the world to hear everything I’ve had to say all these years. I’m proud of myself for finding a voice when I was told to be quiet to make everyone else comfortable.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is seeing my impact on people. Like, my last single, Jupiter pulled me closer to friends I had lost touch with. I’ve had people tell me how I’ve gotten them through heartbreaks and out of slumps. My art has brought me closer to people from all walks of life and has taken me on journeys I couldn’t have imagined. I’ve met my best friends (the ASBA and Amber) through my music, and they’re my soundboard. Their feedback and excitement make me excited to drop music. The excitement and hustle that comes with it. Everything is so rewarding to me.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission driving this is to prove that I can do anything. I’ve had so many people, especially people I considered close to me, tell me that I wouldn’t make it as far as I have. I did not think I’d make it this far as someone struggling with mental health. I’ve been figuring this out myself, and I want to show other Black girls that you CAN do anything you want. The whole mission is more extensive than just me; it’s for my daughter, cousins, goddaughters, and every girl told to be quiet and make herself less for others.

I want to make as much noise as possible for the Black girls who couldn’t.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.manidabrat.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manidabratttt/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manidabratttt/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/manidabratttt
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEDNyEeJHGpWMMfAjLuS0Cw
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/33Iobu6cniFzy75ektSDZL?autoplay=true
• Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mani-da-brat/1509383758