Tom DeNucci directed the film called The Collective, which will be on Digital and On Demand on August 4, 2023.
R&B vocalist Sevyn Streeter was enlisted by Mary J. Blige to perform at The Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit in Atlanta this past weekend. The show took place at The Tabernacle on Friday night, where she performed alongside Kiana Lede, Rubi Rose, Emotional Oranges and more.
In 2021, Sevyn released second album Drunken Wordz, Sober Thoughtz. On this project, she exercises a great amount of transparency and gives some insight on where she’s been these past few years. It has its introspective moments on songs like “Fall Back” where she speaks directly to the other half of a toxic relationship that is coming to an end. Then, there’s songs like “Wet Dreamz” featuring singer Jeremih and “Change My Mind” where Sevyn shows off her naughty side while delivering addictive harmonies.
The album is the perfect balance between sweet and sour and perfectly encapsulates how the singer has grown musically and personally.
The catchy melodies and flawless vocals are what draws people in to the world of Sevyn, but it’s her duality that hooks you. And at the end of the day, Sevyn is just like us. She, too, has her fair share of problems and emotions to sort through. The only difference is that she used those emotions to create one of the best projects of the year.
We spoke with Sevyn to discuss the inspiration behind the album, touring and what it’s like working in the studio with music industry vet Jermaine Dupri.
The Knockturnal: How have you been?
Sevyn: I’ve been amazing and in a good space, just creating new music.
The Knockturnal: I saw you linked up with Jermaine Dupri, so were you guys working on something?
Sevyn: We are working on my new project. We just started but we’re having a great time. He’s the G.O.A.T. and such a legend and it’s such a honor to work with him. He’s super cool and so talented. To sit there and watch him make a beat last night, I was just staring like “yo, you really that n***a.”
The Knockturnal: How are you enjoying Atlanta?
Sevyn: I love Atlanta. I’m a Florida girl, I’m a country girl. So, Atlanta feels very close to home for me.
The Knockturnal: I have been a fan since your first project Call Me Crazy, But… You’ve came a long way since then and you’ll only get bet bigger. But, I have been waiting to ask you this: you released your EP Shoulda Been There Pt. 1 seven years ago… your fans have been been begging for a part two since then. Will we be getting a part two?
Sevyn: Listen, Twitter is gonna love you for this cause they be on my head about that! I mean, Shoulda Been There was a little moment. I don’t know if I’ll ever do a part two, I’ll be honest. I feel so bad because I was gone for four years and left you guys but I’m not gonna do that anymore. I promise to give an abundance of music. That’s where my head is, just to give you guys more music and more visuals.
The Knockturnal: You released your album Drunken Wordz, Sober Thoughtz last year. What inspired the title of that album.
Sevyn: When you hear drunken words and sober thoughts you think, “Okay, Sis had one too many drinks and is telling all of her business.” And it’s a little bit of that because I definitely had a couple of drinks and told some of my business. But, when I really think about it in my mind when I was creating it, I felt like you can be under the influence of a million emotions. Anger, heartbreak, jealousy, love, so many different things. I wanted to write from all of those different spaces. I just like that at any given moment, no matter what you’re going through, you can pick one of those songs off the album and if you’re under the influence of a certain emotion then you can play that record.
I started a lot of [the album] before quarantine and I finished it during quarantine. We were all under the influence of different emotions during that time. Some days, I was sad. Some days, I was angry. Some days, I was so at peace and happy to be home. I just allowed myself to not be afraid of those emotions and just dive right in to them, then write from that space. That’s really where the title came from.
The Knockturnal: You hit 5 different cities during your tour for this album and it was very intimate but will we be getting a bigger tour from you soon?
Sevyn: We’re in talks of doing a bigger tour. It was a little warm up for me and I hadn’t seen [the fans] in so long. So, I wanted to be able to be so close that I could touch them. To be able to yell at them and they could yell at me back, it was very close and intimate and I love that. But, we are going to do a bigger tour and have more fun. I love live shows and going tour because my Street Team is crazy. They be yelling at me, telling me what songs I should sing. I live for it, though.
The Knockturnal: If you could open up for any artist who would it be? And don’t say Beyonce because everyone says that.
Sevyn: Actually, my old girl group RichGirl opened up for Beyonce’s I Am Sasha Fierce Tour back in 2009. That was fun. But that’s a great question. I would have to say Rihanna. I would love to open up for Rih, I think that would be so much fun. Once she has the little baby, if she gives us this album that we’re dying for then I would love to open up for Rih.
The Knockturnal: As a woman, where do you find your strength from and what is your greatest strength?
Sevyn: I find my strength from a number of different things. The older that I get, I find that I get a lot of strength from what I call my trinity: my mother, my aunt and my grandma. The three of them keep me together. I will call that four in the morning if I need to cry or vent or talk or just get some knowledge on things. We’re talking about three different women who have obviously lived different lives but they have so much wisdom to offer from their experiences, the good, the bad the ugly. They won’t lie to me and that’s what I love the most. Even when the conversations are not so great, they always end up in a positive light. There’s always something to be learned.
April 3rd marked two years since R&B singer-songwriter Kiana Lede released her critically-acclaimed debut album KIKI. Despite dropping an album at the height of COVID-19, KIKI debuted at #30 on the Billboard 200 and #7 on the top R&B Album charts.
Releasing a major body of work during a fairly new global pandemic could be looked at by some as a risky move, but Kiana is fearless. Not only in her songs, but in the way she carries herself and how she speaks as well. She speaks in a way that is honest and transparent. She’s funny, quirky, a little awkward (but who isn’t?) and her confidence follows her in to every room, towering over her 5’2” frame.
Today, Kiana is still riding on the high of her first album, dropping new songs here and there and performing at festivals. Her most recent stop was in Atlanta, where we caught up with her before her performance at The Tabernacle during the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit. Organized by R&B legend Mary J. Blige, Live Nation Urban and Pepsi, the 3-day weekend included a Friday night concert with an all women lineup.
Before she shared the stage with Rubi Rose and Omerettá the Great, singer Inayah, pop duo Emotional Oranges and MK XYZ, we caught up with Kiana to talk about her love for Atlanta, the importance of therapy and where she finds her strength from.
The Knockturnal: How’ve you been? How are you enjoying Atlanta?
Kiana: I’ve been great, thanks for asking! I love it here. I always love it here. I can’t wait to see some titties.
The Knockturnal: Is that like, a normal thing when you come here?
Kiana: Yeah, what?!
The Knockturnal: At your shows?!
Kiana: Strip clubs. I hope [that happens] at my shows!
The Knockturnal: I haven’t seen you live yet but do your shows get crazy?
Kiana: I mean, I might have to tell [my fans] to show me their titties now.
The Knockturnal: I know you’re from Arizona, does the heat in Atlanta compare to back home?
Kiana: I love the heat here cause it’s humid and I love humid! It’s good for your skin. Dry is just… ugh! It’s like your face is cracking. I love when my hair is curly from the humidity, I just like when my hair is crazy.
The Knockturnal: You recently dropped a single titled “Unpredictable” with Destin Conrad, how did you guys link up?
Kiana: I’ve known him for a really long time, since I was 16. We’ve always kept in contact and he’s a really sweet dude. I saw he was taking music seriously and how incredible he is. He’s an incredible writer and an incredible singer. I think he’s, like a really rare singer that we have right now and people are just finding out. I just wanted to support him! He sent me the song, I loved it and we just went from there.
The Knockturnal: It’s been about 2 years since your debut album KIKI dropped. Are we getting new music soon?
Kiana: You… are getting new music before the end of the year.
The Knockturnal: Is there anything else you can tell us about it? We’re in Atlanta, there’s a lot of producers here. Have you been working with anyone we may know?
Kiana: I have…
The Knockturnal: Can we get a hint?
Kiana: (Shakes head) Mm-mm. The hint is that they’re from Atlanta. You can guess but I’m not gonna tell you, though!
The Knockturnal: Switching gears to a more serious topic, you made a post on Instagram back in December about people calling you underrated and how, in spite of where people may think you should be career wise, where you are right now as an artist and a person is enough and you’ll only get better. I think that’s something a lot of people can relate to so what do you have to say to those who may feel like their progress just isn’t enough?
Kiana: It’s hard because I’m still figuring it out every single day. One of the things that makes me feel good is what my therapist told me, “you are exactly where you need to be at the time you need to be there.” Something she told me recently was, “today, you are the person that you needed when you were younger.” So you’re always growing. No matter what it is, we are always growing and getting somewhere. We may not know where that somewhere is cause we don’t know where we go after this but it never ends. We just have to enjoy every single second and realize, wherever we are, we need to be grateful.
The Knockturnal: I think that’s very interesting because I’ll always see people on social media say “my therapist said…” and I wonder do I need a new therapist? Because mine just stares at me like I’m crazy for an hour.
Kiana: They’re important, therapists are really important. I ran away from different therapists that I was talking to. I got diagnosed with Bipolar [Disorder] during COVID, almost 2 years ago. I had that diagnosis before by a couple of people and I ran away from it because I didn’t trust it. I didn’t feel safe. But, I found a black female therapist and that is where I felt the most protected and safe. I felt like she would understand some of the cultural things I’ve been talking about, you know? When it came to family and just culture in general, and my experiences as a black and mixed woman. So, I didn’t have to explain shit, she just got it and that’s what made me feel safe enough to accept the diagnosis and move forward from there.
The Knockturnal: This is the Strength of a Woman Fest so I have to ask, where do you find your strength from and what is your greatest strength?
Kiana: There are so many things I work on feeling strong in. Even my work, even writing songs. That’s where I should feel the most strong and I almost have to convince myself to feel strong in those areas. But, I think where I feel the most strong is in conversations like this. Being open enough and opening up other people that probably wouldn’t be able to talk about these topics, by opening up myself. I think that’s something really beautiful. That’s actually a strength that I have and when I feel the strongest.