Internet Traffic Interview With CandyBarz

What inspires your music? And how did you get started?

What inspired me to get started in music was actually pain and anger, that was my way to get my point across. I got mad at somebody and I just wrote a rap one day at school and it was like really good and people was feeling it. And I was like “OK I’m going to keep this going”, plus I use to steal my sisters raps and change her name to mine. Lol, you know how you would sing or rap songs then switch up the name?

Also, my uncle he had a studio when I was growing up and he use to bring different groups there and I use to always want to get in the booth and felt like “yeah I can do that”. That is what inspired me then but what inspires me now is life and life experiences from being married, to dealing with these different personalities I come across, and learning how to be the woman that I want to be.

I’m looking to connect with the 30 and up crowd and stay in my lane and speak about what I know and hope what I put out reaches the hearts and minds of other women, I’m doing it for the ladies.

What was your creative process like in making it? 

Being alone in my thoughts, I always come up with my favorite songs in the car when the radio is on and I’m just riding alone in my thoughts. And sometimes I can just hear a beat or a phrase and be inspired to write. I’ll say to myself “You know what? I should make a song to that” and then I’ll come up with the hook.

But sometimes I struggle because I have to find that beat that I heard in my head when I wrote it because I’m not a beat maker. So, searching and searching for a beat maker or searching for beats online is what makes it hard.

People send me beat packs and I love what I hear and I’ll pick one or two of them that really get me inspired. Its more than a beat for me, I have to hear an emotion when I hear the beat. I don’t want to change the song in my head that I already started because if it changes the integrity of the, song I’ll never record the song. I got so many songs that I feel that are hits, I just haven’t found the beat.  

Do other artists inspire you?

Yes. I like a lot of older music and listen to a lot of 90’s R&B. A lot of the 90’s R&B is what inspires my raps. I love Lauryn Hill; she was one of my biggest inspirations growing up. My mom always wanted me to sing and she would do both, so I was inspired to try both as well and I never really got into the singing part of things until recently so a lot of my newer music is going to have some melodic feel to it and more emotion that you can tap into that tells a story.

How would you describe your unique sound? Do you have a alter ego?

My unique sound is the voices in my head, lol, I don’t know, no but seriously. I use to go by the name Slim Goodie and that was like me alter ego. And Slim Goodie was like a tough girl she was more like with the guys and really rap, rapping she had to have the lyrics and be ready to hop in a cypher.

Goodie is my go-to when I get angry, she writes the best stuff to me. When I’m hurt or when I’m angry I feel like that is the best product I come out with. I have to get angry sometimes I get a writer’s block and I feel like I need something to push me emotionally if I been happy too long, I need something eventful. And that is when Goodie comes out. She is much more ruff and hard then Candybarz, who is softer but still very out spoken.

How would you want your listeners to feel as hear this?

My music supports women and I want them to know that they are not alone. I want my music to be more transparent going forward. Instead of trying to be what the wave is I just want to tell my story and the stories of other women around me.

We all go through some of the same things in different places all over the world. I feel like if I can tap into that then I can reach the masses. Women have a reputation of being emotional, but I don’t think that is correct. I think that we are more emotionally intelligent and we can express emotions more often than men without worrying about it threating our womanhood because it’s normal for us to show emotion.

Men don’t show it as often and it comes out in ways that are self-destructive. If they can’t cry something gets broken and I want women to stop taking so much from these men because there is so many of them. I say get multiple men and don’t give none of them a title, but if you got a good man value your King, I got songs like that too.

Until you find that person that is worthy of that and accept you for who you are and let you be who you are. Don’t take no shit and go get his friend, lol.

When did you learn that you had such a passion for the music 

I want to say that I got the real passion for it about 2 years ago. That is when I really started taking it serious and really applying pressure like it was my job. I said forget my 9 to 5 job and pursued music full time, almost 3 years ago to me exact.

How did your past relationships and upbringing inspire your music and personal growth? 

Like I was explaining earlier my sister had a big influence on my music journey and she is not an artist, she was kind of doing music through High School as a hobby. She never placed music out on platforms, I wish she would have. She is an Aquarius but she is a February Aquarius.

We are the same but so different. We dabble in some of the same stuff but I’m going to go that extra mile if I feel like it’s working for me. She is more comfortable and routine and I’m not I’m more of a scatter brain, I like to chase the high.

You created a space called “Industry Nights” in your hometown Dayton, OH for independent artists. And you’ve set an example with your accomplishments such as opening up for Glorilla recently. What do you hope that artist get out of the space that you have created for them?

I hope that they get something that I didn’t get and that is a feeling of appreciation for their art. The feeling that they are not doing it for no reason and they can make it. It’s just like the NBA trying to get in the industry, everyone is not going to make it. But it is different than the NBA because you can still make it at a certain level and take care of your family financially. I want financial gains for all of them from their creative process. My hope is that whatever type of creative you are. Dancer, Singer, etc., That you can make a living from it, and if you can exceed that and create generational wealth that’s even better.

While creating this space for artists, when is it just going to be about Candy again?

I think that underneath it all its still about Candy. Getting with other artists and touching the people isshowing who I really am. I think me giving my good energy and placing it in the atmosphere, its coming all back to me and the music kind of just follows that. Like my podcast for example, Unicorn Talk, I feel like I get to do and say things that I can’t do or say in music cause when in music mode I’m trying to give a product, when really, I just want to be myself and hope that the people love me for who I am, and being with other artists has helped me tremendously in the city. Two years ago, people knew me, but my name is kind of in rotation now and that actually helps me more than people understand. Every time I get an appreciation post they are placing my name in front of some people that didn’t know me before and it helps a lot.