#FMSpotlight : GENIQUE

#FMSpotlight : GENIQUE

Hailing from Queens, New York, Genique is a 26 year old singer/songwriter. Her music is a beautiful blend of R&B, Reggae/Dancehall and Rap. The mixture of genres come from the merge of her upbringing in Jamaica and different parts of New York.

Genique is all about pushing “the limits and combines genres to bring a fresh and vibrant sound that the world desperately needs.”

                                Genique Music

Is  “GENIQUE” your name or is it a moniker you came up with?

G: It’s my actual name. I’m the only person [that] I’ve ever seen with that name especially spelled the way that it is. I was just like I’m going to use this as my stage name because I don’t see anybody else with it. People in Jamaica have the name but no one in America that I’ve seen.

What made you realize that music was your way of life?

G: I’ve been singing my whole life. I’ve been writing songs since I was 7 years old. But it wasn’t until I got to college that I was like, ‘Alright, I want to take this seriously. I actually want to sing and make this a whole career.’ So I would say college. College was definitely the point where I was like, ‘Alright, let’s get serious. Let’s do this for real.’

What mood/vibe do you want your fans to feel when they listen to your music?

G: Yo, I’m so versatile that literally they can feel everything they want. I do rap. I do dancehall and I do R&B. So, I have different goals for each one. So if I’m rapping, I’m most likely talking shit and I just want you to feel empowered and like you can do anything you want. If I’m doing R&B, I’m probably just trying to make you cry or get in your OD bag about a breakup or something. If I’m doing dancehall, its most likely a chill vibe, a slow wine type of thing.

Let’s talk about “Facetime”. What is the story behind the song?

G: I wrote it at the beginning of the whole quarantine. When we weree all really skeptical about going outside, and of course we still are, it was just like ‘I can’t even reach you. So just hit me up on Facetime.’ It was also in the perspective of I’m going to be traveling or my boyfriend is going to traveling. We are constantly on the road trying to do music and other stuff, so we don’t always get to see each other. ‘I miss you. Hit me up.’

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBT9brnjXbd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

You showed that you have rap skills too in “Lil Bish (Freestyle)”. 

G: Honestly, I think I was mad at somebody. I only write stuff like that when I’m heated. So I just felt like I had to talk my shit on that specific song. I wrote it over the course of a couple weeks. I was like, “this has to be high energy. Boss type shit. Just talking shit.’ I also wrote it to be a really good performance song. So I wanted it to be hyped up and everyone to love it and feel inspired. So when I hit the stage, it is supposed to be that song that everyone can jump up and down to and just sing back at me.

I love that you are thinking ahead to touring. If you could be on tour with anyone, who would it be?

G: See it was Tory Lanez but I can’t even say that anymore. So now I have to switch my answer. I love Kehlani. I do love Summer Walker as well but I will go with Kehlani.

With this quarantine, how are you staying in a creative space to create more music?

G: Honestly, it’s been hard. I’m not going to lie to you. With everything going on, sometimes I’m just nit motivated at all. I really have to search for inspiration. There are a lot of days where I’m just like ‘ I can’t focus on music right now.’ But to get that back, I watch performances of singers I like or Jamaican artists I like to get that motivation back. So I can write something down on paper. I’ll start going through beats that producers have sent me to see if it sparks something in me. It hasn’t been all bad. I have gotten a few song written, but for the most part, I haven’t been in the proper headspace.

For other artists who are feeling the same way during this time, what is some advice you have for them?

G: Listen to a whole bunch of music, not music you would normally listen to. Try to go outside of the box. Listen to things that your parents would listen to back then or different genres that you wouldn’t really drive into because its sparks creativity. It allows you to blend whatever you’re doing with whatever they’re doing. It serves as an inspiration. I would also say, if you have any performance videos or any old songs you’ve done, go back and see what kind of artist you were a couple years ago. See how much you have grown because that also inspires me when I’m feeling like I don’t want to do anything.

Any things you want your fans to be on the lookout for?

G: I have a song with my boyfriend, Aq The God, coming out called ‘I Like It’. It’s just so summer, cruising down the street type shit. That will come out with a video. The video for ‘Lil Bish’ is coming out soon. Then there is another freestyle coming out.

What do you want your new fans to know about you?

G: Genique is a versatile artist. You won’t know what you’re going to get, but what you get, I promise you are gonna love. Whether it’s rap, dancehall, R&B or a mixture of all of them in one, it’s just always something for everybody. I really my fans dear. Anything they love, I stick to it. I’m seeing ‘Lil Bish” get a lot of traction, so I cant wait to release the next few freestyles that are kind of the same vibe. So it’s always going to be different but it will always be something you love.

Listen to GENIQUE  on Apple Music & Spotify. 

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