We were lucky to catch up with Sonally Jean recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sonally, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Every day I have woken up for the past few years has been a risk, a risk on my personal life, my stability, and everything I was raised to believe, all so I could stand in my truth as an artist.
Growing up Haitian American means growing up inside tradition. There is a very clear path: go to school, come straight home, church on the weekends, and when it is time for college, the only acceptable majors are doctor or lawyer. My parents aren’t creative people themselves, but when it came to my brother and I, music was not seen as a future, just a hobby.
I was musically inclined from the beginning. I would sit in front of my computer for hours, trying to perfect whatever I was working on, and my parents noticed. Most kids with that kind of passion get nurtured or encouraged. I was met with scrutiny. My parents were scared that the industry would chew me up, and that fear manifested as control and criticism. So I hid who I was becoming. I would quietly sing to myself around the house and wait until everyone was asleep so I could write songs in secret. For a long time, I believed my gift was something to be ashamed of.
My family was well rounded, but I was not fulfilled by the circumstances around me. Growing up in Brockton, MA, I saw so many people settling, not because they were not talented, but because no one had ever poured into them. So I dreamed of college, not for the academics necessarily, but for the possibility. And when I finally got there, I made a choice: drown out the family pressure, the religious guilt, the fear, and live life for me.
That is when everything shifted. I joined an a cappella group called FenHarmonics, and out of more than forty auditions, only eight people made it. I was one of them. That recognition gave me my first taste of my own worth. From then on, people started hearing my voice, and with every step forward, the tension at home grew. There were moments when my parents would not speak to me, or they would lock doors when I’d return from evening performances or rehearsals, suggesting it was all a waste of time.
But I kept going. I spent late nights in the studio, fully aware of what I would come home to, pushing the boundaries anyway, because those late nights were when I created my best work. And all of it became worth it the moment I completed my first EP, GOOD4U, which ended up earning me a nomination for R&B Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.
Even as opportunities grew, new challenges followed. Posting my artistry online made jobs nervous. I would come home from a session at one in the morning and still show up to my corporate job by nine. Tired. Stressed. But determined.
Today, I am still navigating the tension with my family, but they are beginning to understand what I have always known: my talent is undeniable and deserves to be seen and heard.
The biggest risk I have ever taken is choosing to break generational expectations in real time, choosing the life I want even when it means standing alone. I always tell myself, if not me, then who?
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.
Personally, I’m an empath first; I enjoy connecting with people, understanding their stories, laughing, and sharing my God-given light with others. Professionally, I consider myself a singer, songwriter and performer. By day, I’m a Legal Assistant at a law firm, but by night (and on every lunch break) I’m building my purpose as a musician. I used to work in insurance, but last year during a trip to Barbados, I quit with no back-up plan because it was draining the life and creativity out of me. I remember thinking, “If I’m going to bet on anyone, it’s gonna be me,” and I’ve been running with that energy ever since.
My first official song, ‘Still Alive’, dropped during the pandemic and the love I received was insane. It was the moment I realized, “Oh, this is real. I can really do this.” Back in college, I’d go to local shows and that’s how I met my mentor Nate Nics, an artist who became my unofficial big brother in music. He showed me everything I needed to succeed as an artist: how to shoot a video, build a project, perform, write, create and more. He also put me on my first festival stage BAMS Fest and from there, people actually started paying attention.
I went on to win Master of the Chamber R&B, a community music competition, which meant a lot at the time because I only had a few songs out. Although most of my music was unreleased, people were drawn to my energy and drive. Since I was younger, I’ve walked into every room ready to learn, work, and grow. My voice has been called healing, and people tell me my faith shows up even when I’m not trying. I think that comes from my upbringing in the church and from staying grounded through everything.
Right now, what I’m most proud of is that I’ve built my career from scratch. Self-funded. No team. No manager. Just belief, hustle, and late nights. If I wanted a quality music video, I paid for it; if I needed opportunity, I found it. That attitude has earned me auditions for American Idol and The Voice, as well as in-studio performances for platforms like Major Stage, which I literally drove four hours to record. Some of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been acknowledgement by my favorite artists.
What sets me apart is that I don’t wait for things to happen, I make them happen. I’m building a legacy brick by brick, not just for myself but for my family. I’m a firm believer in putting yourself in the right rooms, taking care of your mental health, and being bold enough to chase the life you want even when the path isn’t traditional.
I want people to know that everything I create comes from a real place. I want my music to make people feel held, seen, alive, and unstoppable. And I’m just getting started.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Over the past year, I’ve genuinely fallen in love with content creation. It all started when a friend jokingly complained about how much I posted on TikTok. That moment made me realize something important: maybe my voice wasn’t meant for the people who already knew me. So that same day, I made what was basically a finsta and told myself, “Alright, girl, this is your little corner of the internet, be free.”
I posted a video singing one of Chloe Bailey’s songs, just talking about how obsessed I was with her vocals, and boom, I went viral that same night. Chloe even shared it a day later. Thousands of followers came flooding in, and suddenly people were like, “Who is this girl?”
I started leaning into the chaos and making these funny, slightly rage-bait videos under that alias. I had the internet in a frenzy, but none of it tied back to my music. So I gave myself six months to just… play. And it worked. I had posts hitting millions of views, but something in me wanted more than just a soundbite. I wanted to go viral *with* my voice, not just my personality.
So I shifted. I hopped over to TikTok again, but this time I kept it real. I started posting ten to fifteen-second clips of me singing literally anywhere: the work bathroom, echoey hallways, random corners where I hoped nobody would walk by. I wanted it to feel authentic, like you stumbled into a moment instead of watching something overly produced. People felt that. They saw the confidence, the vulnerability, the “this is me for real” energy. Within months, I grew past twenty thousand followers just off being consistent and singing my heart out.
Then came Facebook, the plot twist. I decided to take a chance and post there, and in 3 months I built a community of over one hundred thousand people who genuinely feel like family. They show up for me every single day, tell me how my videos help them, how my voice brings them peace. It still blows my mind that I get to be that for someone.
As for advice… it’s cliché because it’s true: be yourself, be consistent, and find the lane that feels like home. Trends are cute, but they die fast. Your personality is forever. If you feel pulled to post something, do it. If the video doesn’t resonate with *you*, don’t force it. And don’t overthink everything, sometimes the video you throw up without planning is the one that changes your whole life.
Most importantly, protect your peace. Social media is literally a made-up world. It can lift you up and tear you down with the same speed. Stay grounded in who you are, stay vulnerable, and never let comments shake your confidence. Somebody will always have something to say, let them talk while you keep shining.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is connection. My voice and my presence allow me to connect deeply with people because they can feel the emotions I am trying to convey. When I look out into a crowd and see people smiling or reacting to something I sang, it is the best confirmation that I added a little light to their day.
I also love the entire process of making music. I enjoy working through lyrics, piecing together a story, and living inside an idea until it becomes real. There have been songs that took me days, even months, to figure out and finally hearing the finished version is a feeling I cannot put into words. It reminds me why I do this.
I love that I get to create art and that I can pour so much heart into something that I know will pay off in its own time. Whether it takes five years or ten, the journey itself is beautiful. I celebrate every small win and find joy even in the smallest audiences. Overall, I am blessed to be on stage and share the gift God gave me. There is nothing more rewarding than that. I want to do this every day for the rest of my life no matter what obstacles come my way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisnahli/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573545034885&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=JuJ5BJWiTf8Z9Alz&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1ALZGT2NKp%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr#
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonally-jean-1438bb168/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCERnNeVn82BLkBAN9PFVdVQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-140077199
Image Credits
Cover Photo Courtesy of Major Stage (@majorstage)
Press 2 – Shot by Gold Onyenwe (@guttagold)
Press 3 – Shot by Marika Belamarich (@marikarosegold)
Press 4 – Shot by Adama S. (@noir_officially)
Press 5 – Courtesy of Sonally Jean (@thisisnahli)
Press 6 – Shot by Emmanuel Cazeau (@boogiesvzn)