Photography © Urivaldo Lopes
Photography © Urivaldo Lopes
"As a woman in the music industry, I never thought
it would be more challenging. I believe that
you have to work hard in every situation."
"As a woman in the music industry,
I never thought it would be
more challenging. I believe
that you have to work hard
in every situation."
Don't look any further for the new figure of 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 Urban Pop with a feminine touch, her songs keep getting increasingly popular, from "Plus De Peine" to the hit "Atterrissage" that helped her win her first Golden single last April. A real turning point in her career, Ronisia talks about this event in this open-hearted interview.
With her unique and distinguishable voice, Ronisia is a true and passionate artist, ready to embrace all the great opportunities the music industry offers. In an open-hearted interview with A Rap & A Cup Of Tea, she shares her beginnings and the anticipation for her first album, set to be released in 2021. Ronisia's talent and charm will captivate you, leaving no doubt about her potential to please 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 wanted to meet with my team and from there, it all happened.
Do you think having a female director to understand your artistic choices better was easier?
I can't speak for my team, but yes, I think I felt more comfortable. I can't say if it's because she's a woman or because we're both from Cape Verde, but I immediately felt more serene with her. I had a good feeling.
Has the fact of signing with a label changed a lot for you?
Yes, it changes many 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?
When I first got into music, I had a lot of doubts. I was 19 years old, and I loved to sing. I didn't see myself having a career. But it was only when I realised that people liked what I did, when I saw all the excellent feedback from my audience, and when I saw 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 essential 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 the 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 daily, 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 will 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 looking forward to people experiencing this.
"I've never had a truly intimate single where
I could introduce myself. With this project,
people will get to know more about me."
"I've never had a truly intimate
single where I could introduce
myself. With this project, people
will get to know more about me."
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 what my friends tell me, or sometimes, it can be inspired by 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 wasn't easy. I had to push myself hard to write. I don't know if it was shyness or 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 targets 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 and 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 much less intimate. I've never had a genuinely intimate single where I could introduce myself to my audience, and with this project, people will get to know me better.
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" was one of my favourite tracks, and even when we filmed the music video, I felt it had something special. It's like your baby, you know? But I didn't think it would be that big of a hit. I was even awarded the Golden Single! Never in my life did I think it would be possible. 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 suddenly?
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 happening is positive. It's cool because I've been getting many support messages, and the community is also growing. 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 many things for you in your career. Can you tell me more about that?
Actually, it's more about social media, and I had to learn to be more active. More and more people are following me and 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) 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. You have to work hard in every situation.
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