Today we’d like to introduce you to Precious Okoro
Precious, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey with music started when I began teaching myself to play guitar at 17. My mom had bought me a new acoustic guitar after I’d been begging for one for a while. I’ve always had a love for music all of my life, being inspired by artists such as Beyonce, Childish Gambino, and Mariah Carey. I started posting acoustic song covers to Youtube of popular songs and had a small crowd of people who tuned in for my uploads every week. In college, I was part of a band that performed many live shows on and near campus, covering artists like Anita Baker, Erykah Badu, and Sade. I started experimenting with putting out solo songs, and I began getting occasional large playlist placements. I also had my first afropop song playing at H&M, which meant everything to me. During quarantine in 2020, with too much time on my hands, I ventured further into pop music and created “homemade” visuals. I garnered a much larger amount of attention for my pop songs than I ever had before with sharing them on Tik Tok, since people love coming across “black girl pop”. I became a signed artist in 2020 to an L.A. record label, and went on to collaborate with amazing producers, songwriters, and artists in the music industry. In 2022, I became an independent artist again, and was able to once again start putting out the kind of music that I love to write and envision for myself. I’ve become a self-taught producer of all of my music as well. I released my first fully self-produced EP, “Babe, Come Outside” in Summer 2023, as well as self-choreographed dance visuals and pink aesthetic “glittery” full-length pop music videos. I’ve slowly restructured my listener fanbase of what I call “gumdrops” who like Y2K pop sounds. I’m currently partnered with sync licensing agencies, as well as a part of the Sephora Sounds music collective. Alongside being an artist, I’m a singer with the party band MegaFly, where we perform high-energy live shows across many different cities. This year, I also have been performing many of my own solo artist shows as well, having had my first “sold out” experience in April at Smith’s Olde Bar as a part of the “Indie Dreams” live independent artist show, coordinated by artist Naomi WAV.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road, but it is still a road that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Probably the hardest part of my journey took place while I was signed. I was extremely miserable at times, and felt as though I wasn’t doing anything I had loved music for in the first place. I often described it as feeling like a “singing vessel”. I am still grateful for having had that experience being signed to that label, because it showed me what exactly I want for myself as an artist, what is essential for me and non-negotiable. Creativity and being able to genuinely express myself through art is of the highest importance to me. Being able to be shamelessly queer, black, even slightly unconventional, and not exactly “broad” is freeing for me. There are also some slightly uneven roads for me now as a completely independent artist, and it all goes back to money. I have to fund everything myself, and that can often result in not having the financial backing to bring certain visions fully to life in the way that I want to. I like to have dancers, I like to do challenging choreography, I like to wear very “poppy” and detailed looks. It takes a lot of discipline to simply keep believing in yourself enough to invest so much, but that’s something that I don’t ever see myself wavering on due to my sincere love and enjoyment of doing music. I am also a graduate student currently in pursuit of my master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and it feels as though I am the busiest I have ever been. Since being an independent artist isn’t like being properly employed or anything, I have to force myself to squeeze the time in for being an artist, even when it is optional and I may feel like I just want a break in between internship shifts.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I like to say that I make “glittery” pop music. I am often told it has a refreshing Y2K feel, reminiscent of girl-groups from the late 90s/early 2000s. I really adore the use of harmonies and layers, and I like to approach my songs with personality and eccentricity. I aspire to push boundaries of what is expected in modern pop music, and am currently working on an album where I am trying to make that abundantly clear. I would say I’m known for being one of the sounds of what a lot of people online call “black pop music”. I am seen and express myself as a black musical artist that does not desire to be subtly pushed into the R&B lane just because I am black, when there are amazing and authentic actual R&B artists already there. I believe that black women are overlooked as the main pioneers of pop music, and I take sonic inspiration from artists like Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Destiny’s Child, and 3LW. My Nigerian background is also what inspires me to have my toe dipped into afropop a lot, and this year, I’ve been experimenting more with Y2K-afropop fusion sounds. I am most proud of the fact that I have inspired or moved anyone in any way through being an artist, since that would’ve been beyond my wildest dreams if you were talking to me when I was a high schooler. Getting messages from strangers about how my music got them through something difficult, or made their day, or inspired the art they made, is such a blessing that feels extremely rewarding. Knowing that I’ve touched anyone as an artist in the way my favorite artists touched me growing up is a big part of my dream, and I am already living it.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love the best about Atlanta is the abundance of black creativity. That is why I moved here from Tennessee in 2022. I knew that a change of environment and influence was needed for me artistically, especially as I was transitioning from being signed to being independent again in 2022. Since moving here, I have met the most colorful people, the most unorthodox creative minds, and have come across the most beautiful communities for creatives. There is black beauty everywhere, as well as endless spaces for queer folk to thrive and live their best lives. As a lover of live music, there is never a shortage of that here. Also, the dance clubs are amazing. I’ve had some of my favorite nights at MJQ, My Sister’s Room, and The Basement. What I like the least about Atlanta are the parking situations and the traffic. That’s it! Having to leave an hour in advance for things isn’t that fun.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beacons.ai/preciousxmusic
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/preciousxmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/preciousxmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW9FIzG9tGUKKYrTfyFHpLA
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/preciousxmusic
Image Credits
Image Credit for Personal Photo: Ariel Lelonek
Image Credit for Stage Photo: Quvilo Sherrod
