Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonya Williams.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sonya. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started singing at the age of three. I’ve always had a love for the arts. From singing to baking to doing hair but the one thing that stood out the most was my voice. Everyone was surprised when they heard me singing Whitney Houston greatest love of all on the karaoke machine around the house. Growing up, in a multicultural household my father is Nigerian and mother American. the expectations of myself and my siblings were to go to school and be a doctor or a lawyer. But I was always headstrong and chose my own path. I decided to pursue music regardless. Although my creativity was not nurtured by my parents it motivated me to seek inspiration from outside sources such as movies, plays, musicals and popular music on the radio. I reluctantly agreed to go to college where I majored in nursing but dropped out shortly after, to go to hair school instead. I am currently a licensed master cosmetologist. I am owner and operator of SW hairlines located in Decatur, Ga. Although doing hair and singing are two things that I love it is a real struggle to maintain both but hair has opened doors for my artistry by providing me with opportunities to perform on major stages such as; Bronner Brothers semi-annual hair show and the annual Talia Waajid world natural hair show. All while being in hair school I spearheaded my music career by participating in local showcases and auditioning for TV shows such as; American Idol(twice), Sunday’s Best, NBCs The voice, and more recently FOXs The Four. All with no success, which then pushed me to forge my own path. I began to create my own platform called miscellaneous Music box. This was a showcase that I created for independent artist of all genre to come together on one stage and put on the greatest show that indie Atlanta had to offer at the time. The event was held at the music room on Edgewood ave in Atlanta. Who knew that show would carry over into me getting my first management deal with Red Nation. This began the journey of Hood Soul. We began working on my debut project. It’s been a long journey but I wouldn’t trade it for the world . Hood soul is now available for download streaming and purchase everywhere. Currently I am lining up my own independent tour. Hood soul live coming to a city near you.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say that some of my struggles along the way as an independent artist are mainly financial. Not being signed to a label or having an investor has forced me to to be creative with my approach as far as fundraising. All of my other businesses have funded my artistry thus far. Another struggle I would say along the way is exposure. It’s really hard as an independent artist to gain exposure from major platforms such as editorial playlist on digital retailers such as Apple Music, Spotify and such… it’s also nearly impossible to reach major radio stations and stages across the nation, due to the fact that majors mainly only promote majors. So, not being co-signed by a celebrity or not having the attention of people of influence makes reaching the masses very trivial. But overall these struggles have pushed me to work very hard to make sure that my music doesn’t fall on deaf ears.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am the self-proclaimed “Beautician Musician” I own a beauty salon called SW. Hairlines. And I am also an independent artist. As a licensed cosmetologist I specialize in Cutting edge weaving, coloring, and precision cuts. As far as being an independent artist I’m pioneering a genre called “hood soul” which is a marriage of raw relatable lyrical content paired with soulful vocals. I would say what I’m most proud of as a cosmetologist is the marketing of my company. SW Hairlines is loosely based on an aviation theme. I am The Hair Craft Commander (hair pilot) my clients are my passengers and I fly hair via S W hairlines! What I’m most proud of as an artist is the recent release of my debut LP Hood soul. It is a collection of my life’s work as a musician thus far. Being able to see all of my hard work, struggles, and triumph finally come into fruition is a very validating accomplishment. I’m also very proud that I had the pleasure of performing on stages such as; the sweet auburn festival, 94.5’s streets fest, and this year Super Bowl Live. You can also currently hear me everyday on all local Atlanta radio stations singing the 1800 injured commercial “after you get hit Bethune”
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Strength and resilience are definitely required to reach the success that I am striving for.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.swhairlines.com , http://hyperurl.co/TheSonyaWilliams
- Booking: Sonyawilliamsatl@gmail.com
- Email: swhairlines@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/swhairlines , @thesonyawilliams
- Facebook: Facebook.com/swhairlines
Image Credit:
James Anthony, Pic style, RedReptar
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