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

Ricquélle , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I first knew that I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally when I saw Brandy and Whitney Houston in Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. To see representation of myself in a Disney film but also portrayed as a Disney princess was truly epic and encouraging. I’ve always been a fan of Whitney Houston and Brandy vocally, but to also see them in lead and supporting character roles as African-American women was inspiring. I’ve mentioned before that growing up in church; participating in the choir and being a pianist on the praise team, performing became second nature. It’s always incredible to see how people can be moved by music. It’s such an experience. I was often told that if you don’t use the talents that God has given you, you can lose those talents. This is the very reason why I continue to create even when life brings about various challenges, distractions, and hurdles. I’ve shared before, life brings the best inspiration and writing material. Now that I’m older and have had a plethora of real life experiences, inspiration and writing material pours out of me. When I was younger, my mom used to take me to concerts and musicals where I had the opportunity to see artists and entertainers in their element. I remember on a trip to New York; we saw a production off Broadway of Rent the musical. I was in awe of the stamina, breath control, vocal agility, dancing, acting, and the way the performers captivated the audience. I knew then that this was what I wanted to do. I would watch artists like Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, Janet Jackson, Aaliyah, Eve, Shakira, Alicia Keys, The Clark Sisters, CeCe Winans, and Yolanda Adams. I would study them; their movements, eye contact, gestures, and visualize myself on stage in their shoes. I would then go home and practice to perfect my craft. What they don’t tell you about practice is that practicing is very humbling. You must be willing to accept imperfections and failure to build and grow. Nobody enjoys practicing however, everyone wants to have a flawless performance. I’ve mentioned before that my mom had very creative ways of encouraging me to practice. When I missed daily practice and when I thought I got over on her, she would wake me out of my sleep in the middle of the night and have me practice my lesson. Of course, in that moment I was livid, but when it came time for the performance or recital and I was able to execute a song without a missed note, the smile on my parents’ faces was well worth the late-night practices. I had the pleasure recently of working with my sons when they had the opportunity to perform at church for Black History Month as well as Easter. I warned them that during rehearsal time, they are not going to enjoy practicing and running lines repeatedly. However, the result of them delivering flawless performances allowed them to understand the importance and the value of practice. Since my boys are also involved in sports, I tend to frequently use sports analogies with them regarding practice. It’s amazing how you can relate sports to real life. You can’t just show up to a game without attending a single practice and know what’s going on. You need to know your position and your teammates’ positions so that there can be cohesion and solid execution. Like a performance, you can’t just show up without rehearsing with the band, DJ, dancers, sound engineers, lighting, etc. and think the show will go off without a hitch. Even with adequate practice, things can go unplanned in a show. What shows resilience and professionalism is that despite the unexpected, you keep going. As the saying goes; “When you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready”.

Ricquélle , 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 am an artist, singer, songwriter, model, musician, and actress. I released my first project Cover Girl Project in 2017. We kept writing, collaborated with dope and talented artists and released CoverGirl Project 2: Mind Over Matter in 2020. We continued writing had the opportunity to perform my music live at Miramar Theater, Milwaukee PBS, 414 Spotlight, and Cactus Club, worked with more amazing artists and creatives, had my music played on radio stations such as 93.1 Jamz, V100 Heat from the Street, as well as other Spotify playlists and released CoverGirl Project 3: No Magazine in 2022. We kept grinding and had the pleasure of my music being showcased in fashion shows for TSXDH at BSC Marquette University as well as LA Fashion Week and International Digital Fashion Week. We shot the promo for the highly anticipated SexEyecon web series make sure you check it out! I also had the opportunity to model for TSXDH in the SS24 collection KalabiYau as well as showcased in an art exhibition at the Nicoleta Gallery in Berlin Germany, we collaborated with more talented and amazing artists and released my fourth project BRB in 2023. The grind doesn’t stop because we continued writing and performing at venues such as Poetic Soul, and continuing to collaborate with incredible talent and will be releasing new music in 2026 so stay tuned! I’ve mentioned before the most exciting part about my work is the the opportunity to connect and collaborate with some of the most dope and talented artists and creatives. I learn so much through interacting and conversing with others and those very people push me creatively and artistically. Everyone from producers, sound engineers, artists, DJs, hair stylists, makeup artists, videographers, wardrobe stylists, choreographers, musicians, graphic designers and more I cannot say enough how thankful I am to have had the pleasure to work with each and everyone of yal. I truly appreciate you for contributing your time and talents to my vision and allowing me to grow on this journey. There has for sure been hurdles but I am a firm believer in God not putting more on you than he knows you can bear. I’m super excited for the expansion of my YouTube channel as well as my Patreon which gives my audience and supporters a more in depth view of the creative process such as BTS studio sessions, just random chit chats where I talk about the making of CP4: Uncovered or what I like to call “Quellez Quotables” and full live performances. I’ve also added something I call acoustic sessions which cover songs from other dope and talented artists as well as original works of mine. You can also find acoustic sessions on my instagram page as well. This is just another way for people to get to know me as an artist and see me develop and grow. I’ve mentioned before that only my supporters can say what sets me apart from other artists or speak to my work ethic. One thing I hope they can confidently say is that I value quality over quantity meaning that I would rather release art at a slower pace that makes a statement, is impactful, and shows my creativity and growth in the best light possible than to just be putting out BS to stay current or relevant. I know everything I drop isn’t going to hit the same for everyone, but my day ones who know my heart and have been watching my journey will be able to see the overall growth and hopefully enjoy the content. Deciding to push back the release of CP4 has allowed me to really tap into me as a woman, mother, artist, sister, friend, daughter and continue to evolve into the best version of myself to present to the world.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There have been many moments on my journey that have shaped me and made me the artist that I am today. One story that illustrates my resilience is the loss of my mom. She has and will always be one of my motivating factors as to why I continue this music journey. She instilled in me early on the importance of trusting my ear. I believe I have shared this story before; during rehearsals for praise team, my mom would have the musicians, run through a song and she would tell us something wasn’t right. Us being trained would ask her what was missing did she want a different chord progression or did she want something played staccato or legato. Now my mom was not classically trained in the sense where she could tell us what changes needed to be made. Her response though simple and eloquently put; “When I hear it, I’ll know when it’s right.” That would frequently be the most irritating feedback to receive because it gives no direction. However, it is also the best feedback to receive because it pushes you to keep going and not settle for mediocracy. On Sundays when we would perform and all the musicians would be in sync from the pianist to the guitarist and drummers, it just flowed and the congregation would be uplifted and ministered to. It made the frustrations well worth the result. I take that same mentality to this day with my own music, which is one of the reasons it takes me longer to release music. After a studio session, I’ll sit with the song and listen for areas of improvement. It may take me a few days, or it may take months for me to hear what needs to be added or removed from a track. These are the moments when I wish that my mom was here physically to provide me with the feedback I need to perfect my music. It’s in the moments of silence and solitude I hear my mother’s voice saying, “When I hear it, I’ll know when it’s right.” She still encourages me to rely on and trust my ear. My mom passed away in 2010 from lung cancer. I went from hearing her voice every day to watching her in videos and listening to her recordings when she co-hosted radio shows such as Speak Out and The Best of Gospel. Her work ethic motivates me to this day to continue to go harder. I’m eternally grateful for the values and morals she and my dad instilled in me and my siblings and honored to be able to pass them down to my own children. She would write songs, and I would accompany her on the piano by putting music to her lyrics. Those are moments that I will cherish forever. Two of the most emotional songs that I’ve recorded where I address the loss of my mother are “Something to Talk about” on CoverGirl Project 2: Mind Over Matter and “Dear Mama” from BRB. On “Something to Talk about” I speak on the chemo treatments that my mom had to undergo during her battle with cancer. I remember sitting in with her as she was hooked up to IV’s and even though physically her body was going through a toll, her mind and her spirit were bright. I cried recording that song, not because of her death, but because I know to be absence from the body means to be present with the Lord. I know I will see her again and that she is no longer in pain. “Dear Mama” is a special one for me for several reasons. It is inspired by Tupac’s “Dear Mama” but also, my oldest son produced the track. In the song I’m speaking to my mom reassuring her that even though she is not here physically, her baby girl is doing ok managing children and navigating through the world.

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

I really had to take time to think about the goal or mission driving my creative journey. The first thing that comes to mind is Aztonishing and if you know, you know. The fact that I have endured so much and am still standing is a testament to anyone who has been through trials and tribulations. We all go through hurdles in life, but what sets you apart and defines your character is your ability to bounce back ten toes strong and keep going. The second thing that comes to mind is authenticity. I’m always going to be me. People will either hate it or love it and that’s ok. It took me a while to embrace the fact that I won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Those who resonate with what I’m saying and what I stand for are who my message is for. It’s not my job to make you understand me if you don’t. For anyone who can identify with constantly being misunderstood, I encourage you to simply let your actions speak. People are always going to have something to say about anything and everything that you do. That being said; keep giving them something to talk about. I started creating and writing as a way to express my emotions. I would take my personal life experiences or the experiences of those close to me to give them a voice and encourage those around me. When you can find something relatable in a person, whether it be relationships, heartache, overcoming loss, trauma, resilience, confidence, etc. It can be empowering and motivating. When I look at artists like Beyonce and Rihanna who continue to reinvent themselves and still maintain their artistic integrity, it’s very inspiring. As an artist, African-American woman, and mother, I want my audience and supporters to know that they are not alone in the world. I go through things just as they do and am figuring life out daily just as they are. I want to encourage my supporters that regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, pronouns, religion, etc. we all have something special and unique to offer the world. We can all leave a powerful impact on the world once we identify our purpose. For me, I know my passion and purpose is to use my gift of music to not only heal myself, but also heal others who listen and can relate to being the doubted, counted out, misunderstood yet despite the odds against them, can rise above and walk in their purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/quellez
• Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbFphdnhPVU8wS0VOTTFOOF85OUE5cm8xSXpwUXxBQ3Jtc0trTURZMTc1azQ0SXJqUUdoNmctU256b2IybEpkMzVoTVdxNlkyUXhvbTg5d0llM3VVQXFPOVc3TXh4WlNmN0lKeXQwV1Z5MzJSVzdiZ09KbTN0d2w2cUVsYk1vZEpqZ1Vua2hVdU5tNVVPLVV6YUthbw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2F_quellez_&v=8nWDm0Lsz_M
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ricquelle.badger/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/me?trk=p_mwlite_feed-secondary_nav
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@quellez0313/featured
• Soundcloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/quellez_3
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/c/quellez/shop?view_as=patron

Image Credits

@bedsidenailz, @tsx_design_house, @pilgrimrestphx, @bridstylz