Interview with Harmyni Starr

The Rising Star: MS. HARMYNI STARR

I have had the pleasure of meeting the very talented and beautiful Harmyni Starr, known to friends and family as Mrs. Sheka Arline. She is the most down to earth person I have come into contact with in a long time. She is definitely a shining STARR!

When I conducted the interview with Harmyni, she was very candid. She's been singing since she was 5 and said her grandmother even has early recordings of her singing. Her inspiration for music began with her father, who had a gospel group called the Gospel Twilights. "My father was an awesome singer". I loved the way she spoke about her family; and in asking about them, she informed me she lost her mom right before she actually decided to audition for American Idol in 2008. "It took so much out of me to lose her; it definitely affected my performance and believe that is why I didn't make it on the show." After losing her mom, she actually 'stopped singing' for a while; she tells me her mother began speaking to her telling her to start back singing. Her response below:

"I'm very spiritual...someone spoke to me and I feel like it was my mother telling me to get back into singing...so I did. I started making YouTube videos of me doing covers of other songs under "Aries Hummingbird" [link below]. One day I posted one of the videos on my Facebook account and that is when Ripp Ross contacted me. He suggested the name change so we could portray a different image." Mr. Ross was in the process of emerging from the underground himself when he discovered one of her videos, so he decided to take her under his wing and make her co-owner and partner of his company: City Slicca Entertainment (C.S.E.).

Harmyni Starr is a firm believer that "music should touch your soul before the lyrics even start". From the first note to the last, "it should touch you". I couldn't agree more because there are too many artists nowadays just putting something out to say they have something. I'm proud to say that Ms. Starr is far from your average...remaining humble, Mrs. Arline is on her way to becoming an international STARR! 

You can check out her website here: Official Site for Harmyni Starr

You can also check her out on the links below: 

Harmyni Starr on Facebook

Harmyni Starr on Twitter 

Before there was #HarmyniStarr there was #AriesHummingbird...you can see her before the name change here.

However, you can purchase and download her NEWEST SINGLE as the beautiful #HarmyniStarr here:  Waitin' by Harmyni Starr 

With influences such as Whitney Houston, Patti Labelle, X-scape, Keyshia Cole, K. Michelle, Tamar Braxton, and Aretha Franklin, Harmyni is bound to be playing through your speaker systems for a long time coming. Don't be shy: click the links in this post...visit and follow her on her many sites. Tweet a shout out to her! Tell her where you read her interview or just to say 'hi'! 

Thanks once again for reading...hope you enjoyed the content. It's an #IndieMovement and we all work together for one cause: to make an impact! Leave a comment; let me know what you think, give the artist a shout-out on their social accounts, and come back for more...for there's more to come!

Another site, but not just another blog...the home where we bring you artists with flavor and stories with substance: The Underground Artistry blog!

Until next time...

Yours truly, 

Rachel Marie

The Underground Artistry 

For more on the writer of this blog, visit her on Facebook or check out her website: Official Website for Rachel Marie, The Writer

The Rare Interview with @JesusGang Ali via #Twitter

First things first, I was told that this interview was rare due to the fact that this artist has turned down all other interviews...so when accepted for this, I was beyond flattered. So, let me start by saying:

I am utterly grateful to have been the “chosen one” when it comes to the interview with the exceptionally talented Jesus Gang Ali.

There I was one day, scrolling my Twitter when I received a mention from an individual wanting me to check out a Sound Cloud account owned by Jesus Gang; I must admit I was not jumping at the chance to check out another artist because I had been sent so many videos and links, videos and links, …did I mention I received a ton of videos and links?! I wasn’t busy at the time and I took a few moments to actually check it out. I was taken aback by the message in the song and the lyrical ability of this guy! I was surprised to say the least and extremely glad that I didn’t just pass on this particular mention. In the process of rebuilding my repertoire, I jumped about a million feet outside of my comfort zone and contacted the individual that mentioned for me to check out the song.

I reached out and replied to the mention: “Hi, I’m interviewing artists for my underground artistry blog and would love to feature @JesusGang” (paraphrased) and added the link. They replied and asked if it were print or video, “Print”, my coy response. “Great; I’ll let his management know”. 

Wow. That was easy! I stepped outside of my comfort zone for a minimum of 10 seconds to post a 140 character or less tweet and got a reply that was beyond what I expected. A couple days go by and I receive a direct message from his management asking me for details and we built rapport that I can honestly say I feel more secure in than some of those I speak to and see on a daily basis. Professional and prompt, I enjoyed our conversations and even more so the answers received to the interview questions. 

“Toying with the idea [of rapping] since the age of 16 or so”, Jesus Gang is more than seasoned. He has had time to explore his craft and hone it. He has taken advantage of the simple, yet all too real fact that being “normal” just “wasn’t going to work”. In ‘trying to ignore [his] calling’, he finally came to his senses and began listening to that voice in his head that told him this is what he was supposed to be doing. 

As I was sifting through his answers to the interview questions, the one that stuck out the most to me is his answer to “Who are your musical influences?” His answer below:

“None of my musical influences are musical really. Jean Michael Basquiat paintings make me wanna write music...the old people at old churches who sing old hymns in a way that give off that pure God-energy...not religious...pure, healing, God-energy; watching Project Camelot interviews, or I may find some obscure documentary that moves me to tears, like when I saw the recent Angela Davis documentary. Oh, and Louis Farrakhan speeches will always make something in me move creatively...even if I don't agree with everything he says...it's an energy thing..." 

I believe this is the most out of the box answer I have ever received. Usually, it's the name of another artist; the uniqueness from his answers made him a perfect interviewee for this blog. He is TRULY underground. For he stated, "I will never give control of the message and energy I have been sent to emanate...; these artists need to realize [record deals] don't exist anymore. The labels sign you to 360 deals that gives them control of your energy and of how you get your art to the people..."

"I'm careful with my heart and reckless with my art"... Jesus Gang Ali doesn't confine himself to genres (labels); in fact, he states he hates "labeling art". To him, "a song is an individual art piece, like a painting or a sculpture". I couldn't have said it better myself. Music is a craft, an artwork; and if someone is passionate about it, it will show. Dually noted, I asked what was his thoughts on today's music. In reference to today's #IndieRevolution: "It's become a tribal thing...completely independent of labels or rules. [I] love it. Technology has made it so the people that like what you do can get to your art with virtually no middle man; it's evolving into what it was always meant to be." And I can't agree more.

 I suggest you just press play: "HIGH PLACES" by #JesusGangAli:

For MORE on THIS artist, please don't hesitate to visit & subscribe to his #YouTube channel:
@ JesusGang Ali/YouTube 
Or his #SoundCloud account:
@ JesusGang Ali/SoundCloud
Also, be sure to check him out on #Twitter & hit the #FOLLOW button when you get there:
@ JesusGang Ali/Twitter


Thanks again for reading; hope you enjoyed the content! Please follow the links herein and check out the artist. It's an #IndieMovement and we all work together for one cause: to make an impact! Leave a comment; let me know what you think, give the artist a shout-out on their social accounts, and come back for more...for there's more to come!

Another site, but not just another blog...the home where we bring you artists with flavor and stories with substance: The Underground Artistry blog!

Yours Truly,
Rachel Marie
The Underground Artistry Blog
For more on the author of this blog, you can visit her website: Rachel Marie, The Writer: Official Website or find her on FaceBook: Rachel Marie, The Writer

Interview with Donna Jo

My second interview…wow…that’s all I can say: the VERY talented Ms. Donna Jo. She has a natural, God-given talent that is not tainted by the virus of the 'industry'. With musical influences such as Norah Jones, Etta James, Otis Redding, and Janis Joplin—just to name a few—she has been singing since she was two years old; her grandmother actually has a recording of her singing when she was two. 

With roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and hailing from Augusta, Georgia, Donna has a deep passion for Blues music. She blends country and bluegrass to create a style of music all her own. Though we talked about many topics, the most inspirational for myself was about her biggest fears as far as her music goes. 

Me: “What’s your biggest fear?”

Donna Jo: “My biggest fear is becoming stagnant. I want to always be better than my last show; I would love to make it. I guess my greatest fear is ‘what if I don’t’?” She goes on to say that she loves music so much that “What level of success would make me happy?” is a question she often contemplates. 

However, despite any challenges that may arise, she's surrounded with a huge support system like her friends, family, and band mates. They have really been her rock through her storms; breaking free from chains that once bounded her, she's now ready to set sail on a new journey and her new songs are showcasing her newly found sense of self. Stating she's writing songs that are "more her". Though she plays guitar and has “dabbled in writing” here and there, she says she recently became a more serious writer in the past 8 months. “I’m 31 now so I feel I have more to write about.” 

I asked her after all this time what made her want to focus on her music and her answer was priceless, and one I’m sure most musicians can relate to: “After years of jobs that I hated and not chasing my passion, I finally figured it was time…” With accolades from Columbia Country Amateur Series-2014, The Augusta Chronicle Amped Music Contest-2014, Local Country Showdown, and the Nashville Connection-2014, this is only the beginning for her on this journey to success.

Her most recent original “Pick Me Up” can be found HERE on Reverbnation. You can also view her on the following links: 

YouTube--Donna Jo

Facebook--Donna Jo

Twitter--Donna Jo Music

Reverbnation--Donna Jo Music

And you can also read more of her story at her website: Donna Jo Music.

I’m pretty sure you’ll fall in love with her voice just as I have; and when you get to know her story, it will only deepen your love for this beautiful soul. I urge you to take a moment to click on the above links to get to know Donna better and get a feel for her music. She is truly one of the most talented people I’ve come into contact with in a LONG time!

I’m sure she’s bound to break records beyond our imaginations (as well as her own)!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the content!

Leave a comment or shoot me a message; let me know what you think or give the artist herein a shout-out…even just to say “hi”!

Another site, but not just another blog…the home where we bring you artists with flavor and stories with substance: The Underground Artistry Blog.

Yours Truly,

Rachel Marie, the Writer

Double Aught Entertainment, LLC.

The Underground Artistry Blog

                                                                          Donna Jo