We recently connected with Sonia Grace and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sonia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

Teach us to hold on on to our Kenyan culture.

Moving to a new, completely different world can be exciting but it is also easy to get swallowed up and forget one’s culture. Our parents only spoke to us in our native language, Gikuyu. The always told us stories about our history, made sure we kept in touch with our friends and relatives back home, and bought us books and movies from our country.

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.

Music to me is a road map to discovering different aspects of myself.
Each song I write tells a story of an experience, whether good, bad or meh. My latest song, ‘Work Yo Body’ is the journey of my struggles with body image. I grew up in Kenya where fuller, curvier bodies were celebrated but when I moved to the US, I found out that the thinner you are, the more attractive you are. For years, I was trapped between being thin enough to fit the American standard but also thick enough to not lose my African standard of beauty.

This was made worse by living in Los Angeles and using social media. I spent many dark and depressing years trying to achieve the “perfect look.” Diets, programs, excruciating workouts, lifestyle changes, and many more, but nothing made me look the way I thought I should.

It wasn’t until I fainted at a store that started to realize something needed to change. I needed to change.

And that change began with the kind of music I was creating.

Up until then, my songs pandered to an unattainable image that simply wasn’t me. I decided from then on, my focus would be accepting myself the way I was and celebrating that.

I wrote down everything I loved about my body. It was perhaps one of the most scary, yet empowering things I have ever done. I felt free and inspired. I turned the list into a melody of pop, rap and R&B and created my latest single, ‘Work Yo Body.’

‘Work Yo Body,’ which is available on all streaming platforms and YouTube, celebrates all beauty, flaws, and changes that my body has encountered. It is unapologetic, fierce and gives anyone trapped in a cycle of self-loathing permission to start loving themselves. If that’s not enough, the upbeat mood of the song is enough to get everyone on the dance floor this summer and be proud of their bodies.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Twitter.
Crazy? Yes, but it’s one of the best tools to connect with other musicians.

I was randomly wasting precious work time on Twitter when I received a message about a song collaboration from Flip My Beatz, a New York based producer. Even though the message was very polite, professional and to the point, I was skeptical because… the internet.

However, I was trying to get back in the swing of things after the pandemic so I figured I’d give this a chance. We discussed how the song would be split, the type of sound, release schedule, etc. Everything went so smoothly, after that initial song we’ve done six more.

Our latest one is called ‘Work Yo Body.’ It has a very up beat, early 2000s energy. It’s my most personal yet, sharing my own struggles with body image. Though doing that was difficult, it was also rewarding and cathartic. It resonates with the millions of people who struggle with body image. It is my wish that anyone listening to their song knows that they’re not alone in their self-love journey.

The song is available on all streaming platforms and the music video is on YouTube.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’m currently reading The Body Is Not An Aplogy: The Power Of Radical Self Love by Sonya Taylor Reese. The book examines how different intersecting issues, such as injustice and oppression curtail the love we should have for our bodies. It’s a tool for all of us to go beyond self-esteem, self-confidence and self-acceptance and instead focus on radical self-love.
As someone who’s struggled with self-image, this book is giving me a deeper insight on some of the circumstances beyond my control that affect my body image. It’s shifted my perspective on how to set goals and create the vision I want for myself.

Ms. Reese approaches her book with love, compassion and mercy, something we all need to do for ourselves and our bodies. This is not a one time skim-through type of book. I find myself re-reading pages, taking notes and making post-it reminders in my apartment. I think of the book as a GPS in my radical self-love journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://soniagraceonline.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soniagracemusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/soniagracemusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@soniagracemusic

Image Credits
Sonia Grace aka Grace Gathua