Exposed Vocals Interviews Wanya Whitfield
-Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Wanya Whitfield: I grew up in Aurora, Colorado with my grandparents. My father walked out on me and my mom was in and out of jail trying to take care of me. Living with my grandparents saved my life but I always seem to think about who I was supposed to grow up with and how my lifestyle wasn’t normal. That’s what made me decide to start writing when I started high school in 2011. It helped me get everything off my chest whenever I needed to. Then I just started turning it into music. Here’s a link to my SoundCloud page: https://soundcloud.com/wanyawhitfield/tracks
-Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Wanya Whitfield: Well, so far I just use my actual name. I’ve put some thought into what my artist name should be but haven’t been able to come up with anything. Maybe the fans could help me out! Until then, Wanya it is.
-Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Wanya Whitfield: The internet is a wonderful place! Using sites such as SoundCloud has really helped me get off the ground and find fans. I’m still growing my fan base and it just gets larger and larger by the day. So far I offer free downloads on songs that have beats used by more famous artists, but the songs I’ve made with free beats will be up for sale on my website soon.
-Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Wanya Whitfield: Social media and music sites. That’s the route I’ve gone for so far and it definitely has worked to my advantage. Also put some money into your studio equipment. The better you sound the more people will be interested.
-Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Wanya Whitfield: If I’m alone…I’m writing music. Whenever I’m by myself I always get to thinking about myself, my life, my come up, my hard work, everything. From there I pick a subject that seems to be bothering me the most, find a beat, and work countless hours on my lyrics. After that I record it, and rerecord as many times as I need to make sure I’ve got everything right. The process is long, but it’s best the way for me to calm myself down.
-Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Wanya Whitfield: I have a website set up with all of my music and contact info. Some songs are free to download, others are up for sale. SoundCloud is the core of everything I produce though. Here’s the link to that: https://soundcloud.com/wanyawhitfield/tracks I also use YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-LpaIFK_pdV6iU0sAxrH1w since it is such a popular website today. Along with Facebook (Wanya Whitfield Music), Twitter (@WanyaOW15), and Instagram (musicbywanya). All of them have helped me create a circle of fans.
-Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Wanya Whitfield: Buy myself new things to help with my music producing, pay off my student loans, give a portion to my grandparents, and go full time into music. I’ve been told to always follow my heart and that is exactly what I’m doing. We can all dream, but it takes hard work to make them come true. Money too, I guess!
-Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Wanya Whitfield: Social media is the best way to promote music at this level. Building a fan base online has been easy for me and has exposed my music to a very high level. SoundCloud too of course. There are groups on there where you can share your music and gain your fan base. Other than that you can make flyers and talk to people.
-Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Wanya Whitfield: I’m working on my first album at the moment. It will be called “Generic” and will be up for sale on my website, and of course on SoundCloud. Hopefully I’ll be able to get it up on iTunes and the Google Play Store also.
-Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Wanya Whitfield: If I weren’t making music I’d honestly be a wreck. I’d still be attending college and working towards my degree, but life wouldn’t be the same.
-Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Hard work. That’s the only way anyone will ever get anything done. I go to school, do my homework, go to work and find time to make my music. You don’t just become a famous artist out of nowhere, so I’ll just keep doing what I do and until the day comes.
-Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Wanya Whitfield: My newest album “Generic.” After that, I’ll see where my pen and paper takes me. Thanks to my current fans, and all my future fans for the support!
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/wanyawhitfield/tracks
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-LpaIFK_pdV6iU0sAxrH1w
Facebook: Wanya Whitfield Music
Twitter: @WanyaOW15
Instagram: musicbywanya