Daily Inspiration: Meet Salyse

Today we’d like to introduce you to Salyse .

Hi Salyse, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a woman, an artist, and a vessel, rooted in ancestry, spirit, and creativity. My name is Salyse, and everything I do begins with a deep connection to self, community, nature, music, and something greater than myself. My artistry lives at the intersection of culture and cosmos: sacred yet playful, sensual yet deeply spiritual.

I’m half Italian and African American, raised by a single mother in Everett, Massachusetts, right outside of Boston. Sports weren’t my thing, but art always was. My mom, a disco queen and lover of soul music, filled our home with rhythm and light, and when I later found out my dad was a house head, it all clicked. Music was always in my blood.

I started dancing at five, then fell in love with musical theater, singing, acting, and performing. I attended a performing arts high school and studied theater, but that’s also where I discovered my passion for artivism, using art as a tool for social change. During my senior year, I attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, where I learned to bridge art and activism through dialogue, allyship, and community. Around that same time, as violence against Black people in America was rising, I began to understand that my purpose was deeper: to use my voice to uplift, to heal, and to move people.

I started college at Berklee, majoring in Music Business with a minor in Production and Engineering while studying voice. But as the racial climate in America intensified, I felt called to learn more about my own history and culture. So, I transferred to Emory University in Atlanta, where I earned a degree in African American Studies with a minor in Dance.

After graduation, my mom and I made a leap of faith; we packed up our car, sold our family home, and moved to Atlanta in March 2020, just before the world shut down. Adjusting to a new city during a pandemic was challenging, but it strengthened my resilience. My mom eventually returned to Boston, but I stayed in the A, determined to build the foundation for my artistry and purpose.

In Atlanta, I found grounding through my work with Music in Common as their Marketing and Development coordinator, a nonprofit that uses music to strengthen and connect communities. That experience deepened my belief that music is not just sound, it’s spirit in motion. Around the same time, I began releasing my own music professionally, starting in May 2021, and since then, I’ve been steadily building my catalog and expanding my sound, a vibrant fusion of soul, R&B, house, dancehall, and disco that reflects both my roots and my evolution.

Over the years, I’ve performed across Boston, Atlanta, and beyond, graced magazine covers, and been recognized as one of Massachusetts’ Top 10 R&B Artists by Kulture Vultures. But what means the most to me are the moments of connection, when someone tells me my music made them feel seen or free, even just for a moment.

At my core, I’m a storyteller, translating feeling into form through rhythm, presence, and platform. My work lives between past and future, culture and cosmos, where music becomes both movement and medicine. Now I’m stepping into a new chapter with the release of the “BARE (Remix)” out on all platforms 10.31.25. Reimagined by Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Sainte Francis, whose sound fuses deep house, disco, and ecstatic club culture, this version transforms the original’s soft, soul-rich intimacy into something pulsing, sultry, and transcendent, an invitation to open up, let go, and get lost in the beat.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not, but I wouldn’t trade the journey for anything. My path has been full of detours, lessons, and moments that tested my faith in myself and my purpose. I’ve had to navigate being an independent artist, funding my own music, building my team from scratch, and learning how to balance survival with creation. I’ve also had to find my footing as a Black woman in not only an industry but a world that often overlooks or undervalues us, while also standing firm in my vision and worth.

When my mom and I moved to Atlanta right before the pandemic, everything shifted. What was supposed to be a new chapter full of opportunity turned into isolation, uncertainty, and financial struggle. There were times when I questioned if I was doing the right thing, but those same moments shaped my strength and sharpened my purpose.

Through it all, I’ve learned that the “smooth road” doesn’t make the story; the bumps do. Every challenge pushed me closer to my truth, reminded me why I started, and taught me to trust divine timing. Now, when I create or perform, that resilience lives in the music.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At its core, my work is about storytelling through rhythm, presence, and platform. I use music as a language, translating feeling into form. My sound lives in SOUL, creating spaces that feel sacred yet free, nostalgic yet new.

What I love most about what I do is the connection it creates. Whether I’m performing live or in the studio, my intention is always to move people, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. I want my audience to leave lighter, freer, and more in touch with themselves.

I’m proud of how I’ve stayed true to my voice, creating from an honest place, staying independent, and trusting divine timing. My art bridges worlds: the spiritual and the sensual, the personal and the collective. What sets me apart is that I don’t just make music, I create experiences of energy and emotion.

For me, the work is bigger than performance. It’s about connection, healing, and remembering that music isn’t just sound, it’s spirit in motion.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think the next 5–10 years are going to be all about connection and experience. We’re moving past just streaming, people want to feel again. Live shows, intimate performances, and immersive events are becoming the heartbeat of the industry, and that’s exactly where I see myself. I want to take my music on tour and create spaces where people can dance, release, and reconnect, city to city, soul to soul.

Because I’m rooted in rich cultural heritage, genre‐fluidity and intentional storytelling, I feel these shifts give me a real advantage: I can lean into global sounds and cross-cultural fusion, tapping into more diverse audiences; I can build deeper connection with my listeners, not just through a song, but through community, experience, and real presence; I can embrace immersive/live formats (both physical and digital) to create not just music but moments. I’ll stay intentional about my own vision and voice so that, despite more tools like AI or VR, human and spiritual authenticity remains central, which will increasingly be what sets impactful work apart.

I’m preparing not just to release songs, but to create experiences, live, virtual, and hybrid. I’m leaning into my uniqueness, culture, spirituality, and genre fusion as a differentiator in a crowded field. I see my audience not just as listeners but as co-participants in the journey, because the future rewards deeper relationships. While I’ll use new platforms and technology, my work will always be grounded in connection and authenticity. I believe that will matter more than ever, and its what the world needs now!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.salyseofficial.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salyseofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Salyseofficial/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@salyseofficial
• soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/salyseofficial

Image Credits
First Purple one picture – hisimagesinc photography and JW4 One of me on stage for Juneteenth, both the green one-piece and the orange butterfly outfit- Jlee Photo One of me singing in a flower shirt – Corey-Jan Albert