Artist Statement
My name is Whitney Chantél I am a 22-year-old singer, actress, dancer, writer all-around performer and I would love to contribute my gifts to the world in any way that I can be used. I hope to motivate some and build relationships with others through my journey of self-discovery and hopefully reach a place of contentment and love within my craft. I hope to use my classroom time to elevate not only my knowledge of hip-hop but to gain tools that I can later integrate into my craft to make it better. I want to reach an audience outside of my comfort zone and defy limitations that others, including myself, have set forth upon me.
Hip Hop as an industry has grown tremendously mainstream within the past 5 years or so. We see more and more hip-hop/rap music becoming more relevant than any other genre today. Hip-hop has formed a space within this time that is monumental and because of this growth, many other genres have been able to manifest and flourish within it. Hip hop is a way of life and has been through generations. Hip hop is in our music, our neighborhoods and in our fashion which keeps it alive and relevant. Hip-hop lives and breathes within our African American culture and community and with this, as an artist, the genre and art must always be revisited and respected.
My personal brand is very important, it's important for me to stay on top of the things that are important to me and make sure I am always spreading the word/ shedding light on things that need our attention and that is what personal branding means to me; essentially to stand for something passionately and for me, that would be women and our rights and the importance of mental health and stability. these things are important to me because not only am I a woman, I am a woman who has suffered from PTSD, anxiety, depression and disassociative personality disorder all my life, but I have still been able to lead a healthy lifestyle and progress within my life. My brand is important because these are topics that usually get the last bit of attention and these are the conversations the world needs to be having. women can rule the world and mental health is not the end all be all for everyone.
As a singer/ songwriter I focus on music that helps women feel good and as an actress/ play writer I like to focus on the topics that are nitty and gritty, getting to the root of all the things that cause mental health problems and self-esteem issues within all of us.