7 minute read
RONISIA // Interview
Don't look any further for the new figure of the French Urban Pop, because she's here and there's no doubt that you have already met her. Originally from Cape Verde, Ronisia grew up in the Paris region, 91 department in Grigny, before getting into music 2 years ago and we can say that she made the right choice.
New muse of the Urban Pop, with a feminine touch, her songs keep on getting more and more popular from "Plus De Peine" (No More Pain) to the hit "Atterrissage" (Landing) that helped her win her first Golden single last April. A real turning point in her career, she talks about this event in this open hearted interview.
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Thanks to her frankness, appreciation and her willingness to embrace all the great opportunities that are open to her in the music industry, the bubbly Ronisia has everything it takes to be a true and passionate artist. With her unique and distinguishable voice, she tells A Rap & A Cup Of Tea about her beginnings and especially about her first album scheduled for release in 2021. Ronisia has everything to please and we are sure that she will not fail to seduce you.
I want to know everything about your career, how did you end up with Sony Epic Records?
It happened on social media. Pauline Duarte, the label's director, contacted me through social media and said that she liked what I was doing and that she wanted to meet with my team and from there, it all happened.
Do you think it was easier to have a female director too, and that she was able to better understand your artistic choices?
I can't speak for my team, but for me, yes, I think I felt more comfortable. I can't say if it's because she's a woman or if it's because we're both from Cape Verde, but I immediately felt more comfortable with her, I had a good feeling.
Has the fact of signing with a label changed a lot for you?
Yes, of course it changes a lot of things, but my team and I had already been working hard before signing anything. We had already worked on my identity and my career. But it's true that now, it's easier, more doors are open to us. Mainly in terms of promotion, media, etc. They have connections that we didn't necessarily have.
When you first started making music, did you always know that this was all you wanted to do?
Well, when I first got into music, I had a lot of doubts. I was 19 years old, I loved to sing and that's all. I didn't see myself having a career. But it's only when I realized that people liked what I did and when I saw all the good feedback I had from my audience and a lot of encouragement from my family that I said to myself "Well, I can turn my passion into a career."
Was your family always supportive of this?
Totally. My first supporters are my family. Together with my friends, they have always been the first to back me up to this day. They were always there to give me advice, guidance, etc... I think it's important to have an outside opinion because they are the ones who know me the best and it's obviously easier to judge what I do.
I heard that your first album will be released in 2021...
Yeah, it should be released in 2021... We still don't know what month, but we're working hard on the project.
You must be excited to release your album and hear the audience's feedback on a proper project?
Yes, I'm very excited about it, because every day I get messages like "When's your project going to be released?" I want to make new songs for them every day but I can't. (laughs) Well, I think this project is really going to show what I can do because I'm not planning to stick to one artistic style, and that's what I'm looking forward to sharing with my audience. I'm really going to push myself out of my comfort zone and try things I've never done before, or address topics I've never raised before. I'm really looking forward to people experiencing this.
Can you tell me more about the topics you will cover?
The main topic is love for the sake of it. (laughs) Then there's friendship and stuff about my background, where I come from etc. Then there are very personal topics where I speak about what I think and how I see things. It's already quite a lot, isn't it? (laughs)
Will there be any featurings?
I was expecting this question. (laughs) All I can say is that yes there will be featurings but I would rather keep it a surprise, it's always better. I hope my audience will like it.
When you write your songs, do you have a particular source of inspiration?
Honestly, I don't have a particular source of inspiration. I get inspired by things I see on social media or that my friends tell me or sometimes it can be inspired from my own life, who knows? I often talk about things that all women can relate to.
Is it hard for you to write a song or is writing something that comes naturally to you?
At first, it was quite difficult. I had to push myself hard to write. I don't know if it was shyness or maybe a lack of self-confidence but I couldn't do it. I'd write a sentence and I'd say to myself, "This sucks, this doesn't rhyme, this doesn't make sense." But once I finished my first song, I loved it and now I want to write all the time, I don't want anyone to write for me.
Did you set any personal target with the release of your first project?
I would like to reach out to as many people as possible. There will be a variety of themes, a variety of musical styles, and I want to show what I can do and show my music. Releasing singles is very different from releasing a project, it's a lot less intimate. I've never had a truly intimate single where I could introduce myself to my audience and with this project, people will get to know more about me.
Your song "Atterrissage" became a real hit in a few weeks, as did "Jolie Madame" featuring Joé Dwèt Filé. Did you expect such a huge success?
Oh no, not at all. The song "Atterissage" (Landing) was one of my favorite tracks and even when we filmed the music video for it, I felt that it had something special. It's like your baby, you know? But I didn't think it was going to be that big of a hit, I was even awarded the Golden Single! Never in my life did I think it would be possible. Just the fact that we got 2 million views was pretty good for me.
As you said at the beginning, you started only 2 years ago, and now your songs are everywhere on the radio, you even trended on TikTok with "Jolie Madame". Was it too hard for you to manage all this fame all of a sudden?
No, I wouldn't say it was hard to manage because personally, I find that unlike other artists, the audience has always been kind to me. Well, there must be 2-3 haters, but they're a minority, so in my opinion, everything that is happening is positive. It's really cool because I've been getting a lot of support messages and the community is growing too. I'm thankful to be where I am today after only 2 years of doing this.
In an interview, you mentioned that the success of "Atterrissage" changed a lot of things for you in your career, can you tell me more about that?
Actually, it's more about social media where I had to learn to be more active. There are more and more people following me and they are waiting for me to be more responsive. Before, I used to post one picture a month, which was already good for me because I was not active at all on social media. (laughs) Actually, I'm enjoying chatting with my community more and more, especially when I run into them on the street, it's always a pleasure.
Do you find it hard to establish yourself as a woman in the music industry?
I would say that it takes hard work. Maybe as a woman it takes more work because it's true that men dominate the music industry, but I never thought that it would be more challenging because of that. I believe that you have to work hard in every situation.
