GIFTED KEYS

SRI MAGAZINE FEATUR er E SPOTLIGHT H Story

This past spring, we had the opportunity to hear the soulful sounds of Gifted Keys. After listening to her voice, we knew SHE was someone our readers needed to know more about.

We reached out to her with a few questions we thought inquiring minds may want to know. She graciously welcomed the opportunity to share who SHE is with SRI Magazine.

SRI Magazine: When did you begin your singing career?

Since the age of 6, singing has chosen me. In my beginner years, I was a part of a girl singing group, “2 Apart” , with my cousins. We were all 2 years apart in age and I was the youngest. In 8th grade, I had a music teacher by the name of Mrs. James, who asked permission from my parents to take me to church with her to sing while she played piano. I also come from a musical family. Both maternal & paternal. As a young teen, I involved myself in church choir, school choirs and sang amongst my friends.

Photographer: Jason McCoy "I must have the same courage I had 7 years ago, to go deeper into the calling God has called on my life to be a vessel of faith, perseverance and most importantly grace" . GIFTED KEYS

I occasionally was asked to sing at funerals at this age as well. Singing had always been an outlet from experiencing hair loss due to Alopecia Areata (autoimmune disease). Having alopecia taught me to be empathetic towards people. I believe the gift of singing/performing requires an empathetic heart… To sing from soul to soul. Learning that aspect, started early thoughts on the idea of a singing career. So, I’d say 20+ years has cultivated the skill to be able to have a singing career. Professionally, I’ve been at this for 7 years!

In my early 20’s, I’d garnished over 1.3 million views singing Erykah Badu’s “On & On” , on Facebook within a week's time. I believe the online performance went viral due to my unique aesthetic, because I was bald. That was actually the first time I’d put any singing video out there with a bald shave. I knew God had shown me that this was where he wanted me. To sing but do it showing the effects of having Alopecia; To perform BALD. When people from all over the world wrote to me asking if I had music and where could they purchase/listen?!

I knew it was something there... Something in me said, go for it! I’d put out a project, “The Unknown Agenda” , not long after that. The Unknown Agenda was created from poetry, warm tones and scatting. I didn’t quite know what I was doing in the moment of creating but I wanted to at least try. I’ve performed those songs I created to many people online and in person over the years. I’m so grateful that people out there have taken the time out to listen, purchase tickets to shows, and continuously support me by cheering me along the way and providing opportunity! I’ve had opportunities like opening up for Chrisette Michele, Assembling Background Vocals for Lupe Fiasco, Roles in Musical Theater and even performed with a 16-piece orchestra!

Gifted Keys

Can you share your journey to becoming Gifted Keys?

The stage name Gifted Keys came from a few different ideas. My mom used to say that I had Gifted Hands. I’m a makeup artist of 12 years. She felt the way I applied makeup was gifted in a sense. My friends also called me “keys” for short because of my birth name. At the time, I wasn’t comfortable with my birth name as a stage name so Gifted Keys felt like the best option! The more I heard the name Gifted Keys, the more I came to the idea that I could be a vessel to help others through music and performance. To guide people into their own gifts and help them realize that God gives us the keys to the gifts he’s given us. As of recent, I’ve been going with my name Keya Trammell. I said to myself, when the Obama’s hire me to perform for an event one day, I want to be called on stage as my full name! I can’t wait for that day! I often visualize/hear, “And now presenting, Ms. Keya Trammell to welcome the 44th President of the U.S. Barack Obama & The Obama Family” . Keya Trammell feels much more classier to me. God gave me that name through my parents and I’m sticking beside it! I’d like to share the reminder of having grace with yourself. Dreaming and action are two different things but if you learn to have patience and faith, All things are possible. I’ve been singing practically my entire life. The more effort I put into vocal ability and relating to others, the more I’ve gotten closer to the idea of what purpose is in this life. Purpose is about forward progression through your truth & gifts.

I am now getting prepared to start a new journey of creating an Alopecia Organization to help others who experience the disease I’ve lived with since the age of 2. To pour confidence and a safe space for people suffer from hair loss of any kind. Although this is a new idea, I must have the same courage I had 7 years ago, to go deeper into the calling God has called on my life to be a vessel of faith, perseverance and most importantly grace.

INSPIREHer

Photographer: Jason McCoy

Photographer: Jason McCoy Photography

Where can the readers follow you and stay up to date with all that you have going on?

You can always see what I’m up to through my website www.keyatrammell.com or through instagram @keyatrammell.

Pretty Me Inc. Girls Mentoring Organization, currently serves the Chicagoland area and all surrounding suburbs. Based out of Bolingbrook IL, Pretty Me Inc. supports all girls grades 6th12th. Our program includes but is not limited to the following:

Group Mentoring every 2nd and 4th Saturday 1-on-1 Mentoring

Community Engagement

Mental Health Learning

Field Trips

HE StoryR

Shastina Pack Hunt

Sharing my truth of overcoming life's obstacles.

My name Is Shastina Pack-Hunt. I am the mother of 3 amazing boys; GeMari, Gavin & Grant, better known as the Hunt Boyz. I am also a wife to my high school sweetheart George. We have been together for 17 years and married for almost 7 years. I recently completed my master's degree in Business Management with a concentration in Project Management in Dec 2021. I maintained a 4.0 GPA while in school and graduated with a 3.9 GPA. After putting off grad school for so long, I was so thrilled to finally go back and tackle one of my goals. I also started my business at the exact same time I started grad school. It was extremely challenging trying to stay on top of my work in school, work full time, while working on my business and being a wife and mother but I am very proud to say that I made it look easy. Despite the many tears I made it through.

It is very odd how I even got into makeup. People ask me all the time how I started doing this and say that I must be a girlie girl. Ironically, it is the complete opposite. I was never a girlie girl. I never cared about none of the things a lot of girls I knew were into. I even hung with the boys. I didn’t start wearing makeup until I started modeling after I graduated and even then, I didn’t know how to put it on. I used to look at other girls and thought something was wrong with me because I didn’t wear makeup and didn’t have a clue as how to put it on. As I got older, I noticed that women my age were all about wearing makeup, so I started googling makeup tutorials and started practicing on myself and close family members.

My coworker asked me one day about my lipstick I had on, and I told her that I combined two lipsticks together to get this shade and she begin to tell me how good I do makeup and that I should start a lipstick line. I started doing research and realized it would cost too much to make my own and I wanted my business to stand out because so many people were selling lipstick, lip gloss or lashes so I decided I would mine a collection and started to research vendors and everything that I needed to get my business started. Starting my business wasn’t as easy as I thought. I didn’t have the money to do the things that I wanted to do, and I didn’t receive the support from the people the closes to me that I thought that I would which put me into a deeper depression.

I have been battling depression since I was a teenager, maybe even longer now that I really think about it. I never thought I was good enough for anything and was always trying to find my niche to stand out to get the approval that I wanted from people. I just always felt so misunderstood and like I never fit it. Even though I had friends, I felt like I was doing things that weren’t in my character to fit in. I also felt like whenever I had any major events in my life those same friends and even family were never around to support me. All these things made my depression worse. I think my depression started from my father passing when I was a child. I believe that all my kids came into my life when I needed that unconditional love the most. I always call them my reason, because they are the ones that keep me here, that keep me going. Without them, I don’t think I would be alive. I probably would have given up years ago.

Now I go counseling, which I feel helps with my depression tremendously. I also always set goals, both short and long term to make myself proud.

I would tell others especially mothers to always go after your dreams, just because you are a mother doesn’t mean your life is over. It just gives you another reason to go harder and to always make sure you celebrate yourself no matter who doesn’t show up. Also, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.

I have learned to celebrate myself and all my accomplishments no matter how big or small they are.