What made you want to pursue singing professionally? Since I was little, when I was about 6 or 7, I was singing in church. People would tell me when I sang that my voice touched them and inspired them. Ever since then I knew singing was something I wanted to do, especially if it made people feel that way. What about song writing? Do you put together your own lyrics and choruses? I do a majority of my own writing. I just branched out and got with a few different songwriters that are assisting me now. But my songwriting is inspired by things that have happened to me or my friends, or even from a fictional standpoint, things you wish would happen. That’s how I write my music. A majority of it comes from a realistic standpoint though. Out of all the songs you’ve written and sung, which ones have been the most special to you? Every song I write is important to me, but one in particular is titled “Guardian Angel.” I wrote it for my mother who passed away in 2002. That song has definitely been one that’s most personal to me. I have some other songs also, one is titled “Why You Didn’t Call” which got radio play in Tallahassee, Gainesville, and a few other areas. I guess a lot of people could relate to that song. It was one of those realistic situations in everyday life. When you lost your mother, how did you overcome that situation? It was definitely an obstacle I had to overcome because she was basically the closest person to me. I basically learned to channel those emotions into my music more. Music helped, but of course there’s that void that can never be filled. Was “Why You Didn’t Call” the first song you’ve had on the radio? Yeah, it was the first song I remember being on the radio. It was a great feeling because I didn’t really know it was gonna be on the radio. The program director here, Jay Blaze, gave me a call the day he put it on the radio. He was getting different responses from people calling in after they heard the record. It was great to hear the positive feedback in my local market for something I wrote. You have a lot of support in your hometown and Florida in general. How were you able to get people’s attention? I don’t want to sound like I’m cocky, but the very first thing was having talent that people
respect. The songs I sing, whether they’re original songs or cover tunes, for the most part, I’ve always gotten a good response because I sing positive music. Once people heard or saw me sing in Tallahassee and these other places, once people saw me out in the streets working my mixtapes and singles, they started supporting me and my situation. It just kinda snowballed from there. Have you been approached by any major labels yet? I have been approached by a few A&Rs from some major labels, and I was actually negotiating certain things with Plies and Big Gates’ Records. We were trying to see what we could do and what could happen, but at this point we’re still searching for the right situation. So you’re up for an SEA nomination this year. How does that feel? I’m up for two – one is for Best R&B Indie Album and one for Best R&B Artist of the Year. You put out an album? It was actually a mixtape called Skai is the Limit. We released that in late 2007. It created a lot of buzz for me. Myself and Exclusive J, who is the road manager for Tay Dizm, actually put it together ourselves. It was definitely a lot of work, but I want to do it again. With your look and sound, I’m picturing you in a movie like Dreamgirls. Is that something you want to do one day? (laughs) It’s funny you ask that, because I could see myself having different roles in movies. As long as they’re not scary I’m okay. But yeah, that’s definitely way down the line ‘cause the main focus is to finish a project. I’m currently working on an EP. We’re going to have it finished at the end of this year so it can be released first quarter. I know music is your life, but what are you like outside of the booth? I like everything that regular girls like. I like shopping, watching movies, hanging out with the girls, going to parties and different events. Aside from being Skai, I guess, I don’t want to say I’m the regular average girl, but to a certain extent I am. Do you have anything else people should be checking for? I appreciate everyone that has supported me thus far. People will definitely be finding out about me and hearing more from me. You can check me out on Myspace.com/kisstheskai and Youtube.com/skaichannel.
OZONE MAG // 13