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

Yannie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

As an artist, there is no separation between me and my work. It is the beautiful and costly blessing we get to carry. Therefore if I’m misunderstood, so is my work. I’d like to think that things are changing for the better, but I still experience sexism as a woman band leader in 2024. I feel it’s human nature to want to put people in boxes; categorize them in ways that are familiar to you so it feels safer, or more comfortable. So it’s taking time for people to understand my musicality; and in someways, it’s supposed to. But I think a lot of men feel threatened by a woman, doing it the way I do. and it’s not some convoluted thing, it’s real-life experiences I’ve had. One half of my heritage is Belizean, a small but mighty country rich in culture and history. And I love repping my culture by incorporating Punta beats into my songs, and mixing it with R&B/Pop. But I also enjoy experimenting and letting the music go where it wants to. Surrendering to the music has taught me that my art is bigger than me, or any genre I think I want to be a part of. Or how others perceive me. I hope that doesn’t come off pretentious, but rather the opposite. The time is now for us to live as truthfully and unapologetically as we can. Who am I to shut myself off to exploring certain sounds, in order to reach quicker success? I believe the people who get it, will get it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an artist and musician from Brooklyn, NY. Born in the Bronx, and grew up in Old Bridge, New Jersey. Born to a Belizean mother and Italian father, my soundscape consists of pop/rnb with sprinkles of Caribbean/Dancehall. Growing up, I started singing classically and through my mother discovered the sounds of Lucky Dube, Bob Marley, Supa G, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, and other soulful wailers. And through my father I learned of Red Hot Chili Peppers, AC/DC, and The Rolling Stones. You can hear these influences in the music. I’m a musician first, and the first instrument I ever touched was the piano. It’s my first love. From there I learned guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, and banjo. I had my start in film and TV, appearing on multiple “Sesame Street” episodes, along with “Dragon Tales; Let’s Start a Band” as my first feature film. I then pursued a career in Musical Theater, landing my Off-Broadway debut at 20 yrs old in “The Office! a Musical Parody.” After a few other theater contracts, the pandemic caused me to face myself as it did for many others, and I decided to go full force into my artistry. I have been releasing singles consistently since 2022.

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

I have the utmost appreciation for my parents and everything they’ve done for my sister and I. But I also grew up in an extremely emotionally hostile home. And as the oldest sister, it was a very conflicting experience to grow up in the spotlight, but also be parentified. My nickname was “consigliere”, which means advisor or someone who resolves disputes within a high- ranking family. I would struggle to stay awake in school due to staying up late, mediating my parents fights until 1 or 2 am. My earliest memory of this was at 9 years old. I struggled so much going through the ups and downs of performing and being controlled with what I ate, how I dressed and acted, and also being treated as an adult at other times. It was very conflicting, and caused a lot of internal hatred. In one aspect, everything I did was scrutinized, never good enough, skinny enough, talented enough, whatever it was. And in another, I was telling these grown adults how to communicate their feelings. I had to face myself and check my ego when I realized the pipeline to “childhood star” wasn’t going to happen for me. It was all I dreamed about. But dreams only die if you let them. I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. And I realized that if I wanted to do this for real, I had to establish hard boundaries with my family and others who I was living to please. I’ve come a long way, and yet this is just the beginning for me.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The mission driving me, is my love of music, and the joy it brings. It’s straightforward but true. Music heals, and brings people together. I think nowadays a lot of people are trying to be artists for the wrong reasons, but that doesn’t make them any less valid than someone who lives and breathes the craft truthfully. However, I have faith in my art because I know it’s genuine.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Thisisyannie_
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pWuLAJKoeP1STdyV3FweF?si=v36eDAsPQBWT4VO8DjBpJg

Image Credits

Isabella Rose Durante
Joseph Gentempo
Kaitlyn Soto
Melaner Quiroz