We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nia Monaé a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my latest EP, “Honey, I’m Home”, which just released on my birthday, June 27th, 2025. I created it while coming out of the hardest time of my life, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

In August of 2024, I started battling serious health issues that completely changed my life. I experienced constant dizziness, migraines, a racing heart, and weakness so intense I had to use a cane at one point. I wore a heart monitor, had 19 tubes of blood drawn in one sitting, and went through more specialists and medical workups than I even knew existed. There were days I felt like I was dying, like life was slipping through my hands, and I had no energy, no motivation, and felt extremely lonely and misunderstood. I truly had to fight to stay strong.

While creating “Honey, I’m Home”, I was in a storm of emotions. I felt angry, confused, anxious, determined, and desperate to feel like myself again. The process was deeply therapeutic. I poured everything into those songs. Every lyric felt like a declaration of survival, and the EP as a whole became a way to say: I’m back. I made it through. I’m still here.

The turning point came after watching the 2025 Grammys. I was still unwell, but watching those artists lit a fire in me. The very next morning I freestyled my intro track, “Honey I’m Home”, and that song became the heart of the entire project.

The final track, The Good Fight featuring Lorin, is especially meaningful. It’s a gospel/hip-hop record where I give God all the praise for carrying me through. It’s my “Thank You God / Mama, We Made It” anthem. Every time I hear it, I’m reminded of how far I’ve come…not just as an artist, but as a human being who chose to keep going.

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 Nia Monaé, also known as Pink Moni. I’m a dynamic, multi award-winning artist, dancer, and model hailing from PG County, Maryland. My creative journey began when I was just 3 years old, in dance studios learning tap, ballet, pointe, and jazz, long before I ever picked up a mic. Those early days taught me how to command a stage, move with intention, and perform with heart.

I started writing, recording, and mixing my own music at age 11, and then began choreographing every routine and crafting every detail myself. That creative independence shaped me into the artist I am today: bold, hands-on, and deeply intentional with every move I make.

In 2020, I won my first award; Best Lyrics at the Independent Music Awards in New York City, and in 2022, I swept the entire rap category at the Wammie Awards in Washington, D.C., which is DCs version of the Grammys, taking home Best Rap Album, Best Rap Artist, and Best Rap Song. Since then, I’ve opened up for some of the biggest names in entertainment, from KeKe Palmer and Billy Porter to Sevyn Streeter and Lola Brooke, and I’ve been featured in outlets like WUSA9, Big Break Magazine, Shoutout LA, and Shoutout ATL.

But my brand is more than music, it’s movement, storytelling, and empowerment. I’ve used my platform as a teaching artist to inspire young kids through music since I was just 8 years old when I first discovered my love for music. Whether I’m on stage, in a classroom, or behind the scenes curating content, I aim to uplift others through self-expression and authenticity. That’s the heartbeat of everything I do.

What sets me apart is that I do it all, and I always have. I rap, dance, direct, perform, teach, design, and build. But more than that, I bring my truth to everything. I’ve survived some of the hardest moments of my life, moments that tried to steal my voice, my health, and my purpose. And still, I rise. That’s why my latest project, “Honey, I’m Home,” means so much to me. It’s not just music, it’s a testimony. It’s me returning to myself after the storm.

At the core of my brand is this: I want to be known as the girl who did it all, and made it meaningful. I’m building a legacy that honors my resilience, my creativity, and my belief that there is power in being fully yourself. Whether I’m releasing music, launching my upcoming magazine “Behind The Pink”, or empowering the next generation, my mission is clear: To inspire through art, move through purpose, and remind others that their voice matters.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

There was a stretch of time where everything that could go wrong, did. Not just creatively, but physically, emotionally, spiritually. My health took a major hit, and I was forced to slow down at the height of my momentum. I remember sitting in silence some days, questioning whether I’d ever get back to being the version of me who lit up stages, who had the stamina, the voice, and the strength to do it all.

But I made a decision. If I couldn’t create at full capacity, I’d still create at full heart. If my body needed rest, I’d feed my spirit. I started healing from the inside out; journaling, writing new music, manifesting, and pouring into my vision like it was my lifeline. I stayed rooted in what I knew was meant for me, even when I didn’t have the evidence yet.

That season birthed some of the most honest music I’ve ever written. My EP “Honey, I’m Home” wasn’t just a release, it was a return. I dropped it on my birthday, June 27th, 2025, because that day symbolized rebirth for me. I didn’t just survive the storm, I came back louder, clearer, and more connected to my purpose than ever before.

Resilience for me isn’t just about bouncing back. It’s about reinventing myself with deeper intention every time life tries to dim me. And now, every lyric I write, every show I do, carries the energy of someone who fought hard to be here.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There came a point in my journey where I had to face a hard truth: my body was calling for rest, but my dream didn’t come with a pause button. I was used to running at full speed, choreographing every show, writing, mixing, and recording my own music, modeling, teaching, managing my clothing brand “$omethin’ Pink”, literally doing it all. But out of nowhere, my health forced me to stop.

It was terrifying to admit I couldn’t move the way I used to, rap the way I wanted to, or show up for opportunities I had earned, including being tapped for a major Netflix show. I had to step back from that moment and ask myself: “If I can’t do everything the way I used to, can I still be everything I am?”

But that pivot turned into purpose. In the stillness, I found space to reimagine my brand, my voice, and even my reach. I rebranded and relaunched $omethin’ Pink, this time with deeper intention. I created my very first digital product, “The Power of Purposeful Manifestations”; a manifestation e-book designed to help others align with their higher selves and connect with their life’s true purpose. I had long believed in the power of manifestation, and ironically, during this forced slowdown, I began seeing things I wrote and spoke about years prior come to life in real time. I wasn’t just healing, I was evolving.

I shifted from performing non-stop to pouring into my pen, letting my testimony shape my next era. That’s when I created my most vulnerable, most intentional project to date, released on my birthday as a declaration: I’m not going anywhere. I just had to come back differently, stronger, wiser, and even more aligned.

Pivoting taught me I’m not just a performer, I’m a powerhouse. Whether I’m on stage, in the studio, behind a brand, or healing in silence, my story still speaks. And now, everything I touch, from my lyrics to my visuals to the lives I impact, is rooted in a new kind of power: purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.PINKMONI.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IAMPINKMONI
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/IAMPINKMONI
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@niamonae?si=jArkznoIje8XGERy
• Other: Check out my brand new EP, “Honey I’m Home!” https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/niamonae/honey-im-home/

Image Credits

@sacredsensors
@capturedbywoodd
@caverimaging
@glitteeeeeeeeer