Today we’d like to introduce you to Envy.
Hi Envy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Our introduction to musical training in our high school chorale–Thee Lanier High School Superior Rated Choir, under the direction of Rose Ella McGee. ENVY originally started out of our high school choir room. I (Big Trouble) met Fait through Essence and I simply asked them if they wanted to be in a girl group and they said yes. We didn’t actively start creating music and performing until about 2017. In between those years after high school, we all went through college, got job and a lot of other personal matters that didn’t really allow us to focus on music at that time. Once we got more serious and active, we began with singing the National Anthem at football games and doing winter music festivals. All during that time, we began trying to identify our sound, image, music and the type of messages we wanted to send with our music. We changed directions a lot and ended up taking a break (again) in between the years but we ultimately regrouped in the summer of 2020. This is when the spark began towards us writing new material. One of the first songs we wrote together after regrouping was out of creative freedom. Fait introduced us to something intimate that she had written and from there, Essence and I assisted in finishing the song–this song was AUDACITY.
We are influenced by some amazing girl groups we grew up listening to and even some that we recently got put on to in the past few years– Destiny’s Child, 3LW, Brownstone, En Vogue, Blaque, TLC, The Cheetah Girls, Spice Girls, Little Mix, SWV, Xscape, just to name a few. We knew that we wanted to be able to capture our authentic sound, experiences, style and personalities through our music. Had we had our own Disney Channel movie original soundtrack for the young adults–our songs would definitely fit the bill for some of the things us as women and young adults feel and endure.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Essence: To be completely honest, it hasn’t been a smooth journey but they call it a journey for a reason. Being an artist has its perks but it’s also about facing those challenges and also learning yourself. You have to learn to be disciplined, take accountability and grow. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication and making sure we maintain our friendship in the process.
Big Trouble: Nothing in life truly runs smoothly haha there’s always a few bumps in the road until you reach smooth pavement. One thing I think that definitely presents and struggle at times is distance. We live in two different states so there is always those challenges about when we’re going to record new music, when we can perform, do appearances, create content, etc. Nonetheless, one thing about us is, we ALWAYS make it work! I also feel like as women trying to break into the industry, especially as Black women, that presents a challenge in itself especially in a world where light skin is seen as the “prettier” and “more comfortable/safer” choice when in the music industry. But I do believe that we have something special and have a lot of talent and a fresh take on our music.
Fait: The road has definitely been rocky however, we have been resilient through faith & perseverance. Creatively, it has been a healthy challenge to continue writing music, training our ears, learning to adapt to our voices at the current stage that they are in and learning the ropes of the music business in and out of the studio. We’ve had the pleasure of working with local producers/engineers as well as partnering with a Grammy award-winning producer to help us identify a more technical approach toward production.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
With a sound that is a breath of fresh air, ENVY (an R&B Pop Girl group) proudly endorses women empowerment and true authenticity. In a world that often deems women to fit a specific mold, ENVY defies the “rules”. Envy is raw, real, fun, unfiltered & seeks to bring back girl groups with their classic R&B but modern Pop sound.
“Music is not what we do, it’s who we are. Our music is about experiences and freedom of expression. Freedom of being who you are, saying what you mean and meaning what you say. It’s fun and also uplifting”-ENVY
We are most proud of actively going after our dreams and gradually crushing our goals. We were recently nominated for Group of the Year at the Southern Entertainment Awards, which is a huge deal for us.
We are different in that our group consists of most of the things people outsource. ENVY consists on songwriters, dancers, choreographers, vocal producers, music producers, a model, a makeup artist and a business-savvy leader. Everything we do is in house before we present it to others. We’ve written all of our own songs, arranged vocals and dabbled in production. One of the first original songs we ever performed was called “Here” which was written and produced by our good friend MARII and vocally arranged by us and LD, our Creative Director. Collaborating with like minds make possibilities endless as an artist.
Another thing about us is when we show up, WE SHOW UP and show out! We are authentic and true to ourselves whether it’s in the things we write, what we wear, how we act, etc and people truly gravitate toward us because of it.
Sonically, we are proud of creating music that is reminiscent of the late 90’s early 2000’s, but with reference to the modernized nuance of today’s trends. People often say that we are the “resurgence” of good R&B girl group music.
We all have that drive to want to own the stage every time we hit it and keep our audiences attention–which we usaully do 🙂
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
BET ON YOURSELF! You are only as good as you believe you are, so you have to know what you have to offer and actually take time to invest in your craft and trust your process because everyone’s path isn’t the same. You also have to be very honest and intentional with yourself; knowing your limits but also challenging yourself to overcome those “limits” and be fruitful. Most importantly, you have to actually enjoy what you’re doing. For us, we truly enjoy the creative process BEFORE we have to put our ideas into action. Though it can be challenging, when you have your mindset to do something, go hard for it and never settle for less that what you know you can offer. It takes time, but each opportunity can be a stepping stone to reaching the altitude you want to reach. Yes, the accolades, IG followers, streams, awards and public notoriety are nice but if you aren’t passionate or producing good, genuine and authentic content, you cant expect for it to be received.
We also want to say that it is very important to learn and grow within yourself before you grow into yourself as an artist. You have to be able to differentiate the two and know who you are deep down when the lights go out and you come off that stage or from in front of the cameras. Knowing yourself and giving the best version of yourself makes you relatable– somebody people can truly like and identify with.
All in all, never sell yourself short and never settle. Give it to God and see how you flourish!
Pricing:
- Features $350 (vocals only)
- Music Video Appearances $300 (does not include cost of travel)
- Features $450 (vocals and song writing)
Contact Info:
- Email: envythegroup@gmail.com
- Website: https://envythegroup.mystrikingly.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/envythegroup
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/envythegroup
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/envythegroup
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/envythegroup
Image Credits
Avery ‘Aaron’ Herron
