We were lucky to catch up with Monique Wilsonn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Monique , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I think I have started my career at the right time. When I was 19. Not only was it because I had a group of people that gave me advice and love along the way but I made my mistakes early so I would know better when I have progressed over time within my career.

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.

I discovered my voice at the age of 6. I had a speech impediment which caused me to stutter a lot. I was bullied because of my stuttering. My two speech therapists recommended to my mother that I start singing to help slow my tongue down to help formulate my sentences better. I started singing around the house, at school, and even in random places, and my speech improved over time. But I also realized that I wanted to do something with my voice. I always knew I had a gift. I was afraid to show it because of my confidence and thought my voice was not good enough. I was always singing in choirs and school choirs ever since middle school. In my last year of high school, I finally decided to go to school for music and see where my voice could take me. I first applied to Morgan State University, majoring in Vocal Performance, but I was not accepted. So I enrolled in the community college of Baltimore County for vocal performance and to obtain my A. A Degree. While I was in college, at 18, I was going through a very tough time emotionally and fell into a deep depression to the point of ending my own life. But I know God gave me a gift that I could not waste. So I began to write music again. At 19, I released my first single, “Too.” The song was based on heartbreak and knowing your worth when someone keeps taking you for granted and playing with your feelings. After releasing the song, I attracted a lot of traffic in Baltimore, and I gained the opportunity to be on a radio show called “Charm City Direct TV” with host Edigga to discuss my new single. I have also been gifted to be on the radio show “Vibing with Cynamin” on Power 4.4 radio to discuss my song and my musical journey. I performed at two pop-up events and was a sponsor for a small black-owned company. During this time, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of GrammyU of the Washington DC district, which has allowed me to collaborate with other artists in the DMV area and build a connection with everyone. I have spoken with R&B singer Ledisi, R&B artist Jacquees, and plenty more. Over time, I became a grammyu student ambassador to spread the word about GrammyU and its benefits for artists, songwriters, producers, etc.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the life lessons I had to unlearn was mattering what people thought about me and my craft. Ever since I was a child, I have always thought about how other kids and even adults about how they would perceive me. Which lead into my teenage years and some of my young adult years even though I am only 23. I thought that if I were to change who I am, as a human, an artist, and a woman, it would make people think differently of me. I would try and think of ways to change who I am and do things that were completely out of my character to be liked by those who would not even be in my life in the next year or so. Last year, I learned the concept of doing things that made me truly happy and surrounding myself around those with who I did not hide who I truly was and I could fully embrace my authenticity. But even before that, I had to love myself enough to understand that I am enough just who I am and what others think of me and my work is simply not my responsibility nor my concern.

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

In my eyes, I think society should spread the word more about what the artist is putting out. Especially if they are passionate about their craft. I know that when my friends put out music, poetry, dance videos, etc I instantly repost and tell other people I know about their projects because support can really go a very long way. Along with that, I feel as if society should promote them on social media, and even put them on to possible people who can help them get where they would like to go. Because think about it. One person could have numerous connections in the music world and they know someone who wants to have that breakthrough along with doing the work on their own. Why not help them out? Why keep those connections to yourself when you know someone is trying to become something and you see them as worthy? That’s not exactly fair. Another thing society can do is to just show up if able to. Show up at the art galleries, the open mics, the dance battles, the poetry nights, the musicals. Everything. That matters to the artist, The support matters and even if you are not able to show up physically, repost the videos. Show them to friends or co-workers and everything else. There are numerous ways to support art and artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Iam.moniquewilson
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iam.moniquewilson/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ sydney-wilson-7b3934187
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/melanatednique