Source: Easton Schirra / Easton Schirra
We Ani’s melodic alto voice feels like a cool breeze on a warm summer day. The petite Harlem-bred songbird is a vocal powerhouse that immediately shocks you with her unique, high-pitched talking voice. The contrast is intriguing, setting her apart from other singers. In fact, her convivial spirit made her a fan-favorite on American Idol. Not to mention, she kept the judges talking during her stint on The Voice. And while she ended her AI journey rounding out the top five contestants, her quest to make good music continues.
We Ani wants to add variety to the songs about sneaky links, lick backs, and shade-topping streaming playlists. “Where I’m at in my journey as an artist right now, I’m really excited to be able to show the music that I make because, as a songwriter, that’s all that you want,” she told HelloBeautiful a few days before her show with Monica at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
We Ani is now going from upstart to center stage
“I’ve always been like a guest singer or somebody to kind of step in, but I’ve never had the chance to really, you know, show my music,” she said.
The singer is in “a period of transition” not reflected by the resentment rotating steadily on social media. Everyone is crowing about rosters and missed texts. She has another message on her mind.
“There’s a lot of expressiveness happening in the songs that are in the playlists rotation right now, but they seem to be expressing similar sentiments,” she said. “There’s not as many vulnerable records.”
Vulnerability is usually associated with sadness or potential heartache.
She wants to tap into what it’s like to be “vulnerably happy”
Source: Lee Jaffe / Lee Jaffe
Joy appears dangerous to a generation deeming everything cringe. “It’s rare because we don’t allow ourselves to feel as happy as we should,” she continued.
“I feel like people are itching for somebody to be raw when it comes to their pop music.”
People dismiss earnest energy as corny. She gets that temptation.
“When they see other people be happy, they can either feel like they’re missing out on something or feel jealous or resentful. And so, sometimes that can come out like, Oh, dang, I don’t feel like listening to this because I don’t relate to this right now. It’s like, I don’t feel this, and I want to be able to feel this,” she said.
“There’s other people that are just like, ah, there’s too much. It’s too corny.”
She finds happiness in “little things”
A vegan burger is all We Ani needs to smile.
“I know in that moment when I’m eating that burger, I’m going to be so happy. That’s going to be my small nugget of joy.”
She expresses confidence in grasping for her definition of success in a track called “The Standard.”
“The standard is kind of, like the moment where you’re like, dang, you know what? I feel like I’m making my own blueprint,” she said.
We Ani has a standard self-care routine
She uses Aveeno to soothe her eczema and sunscreen to ward against solar rays. She weighs her luscious brows down with whipped shea butter. “It’s smooth, so I don’t have to do too much,” she explained.
Her massive curls are a part of her signature, but she switches her style up with the cold like the rest of us. “I love the fall; I like winter. I think it’s part of cleansing, so it prepares you for the upcoming year,” she said.
The Sagittarius loves to pop out with straight strands on her special day.
“It’s braids season, it is twists – it’s silk press season,” she said excitedly. “I always do like a silk press for my birthday,” she revealed.
She shared her hack for a flawless roller set. It stems from refusing to fight nature. It could double as life advice.
“After I have the three pins in there, I’ll make it real tight. And then what I’ll do is I’ll flip the knot to the back like I’ll slide it in the direction that the doobie is going. And then I take out the pins. The pins won’t really do too much fighting because your hair is already set. It’s already in place,” she said.
“Just take the pins out in the direction that it’s going in; you’re good.”
DON’T MISS:
‘Donyale Luna: Supermodel’ Shows Grace To Black Girls Forced To Choose Survival Over Solidarity
KenTheMan Wants Men To ‘Shut Up’ About Women’s Sexuality
<Gallery>
