Impact Detroit Magazine Impact Detroit Event Magazine July 2014 | Page 4

I am very humbled and honored that you decided
to join me and my special guest Actor Darrin
Henson and Comedian Coco tonight to celebrate
the rich history and experiences of African
Americans and celebrate my music!
How
wonderful is that! I appreciate all of you so very
much. God Bless!

MEET ZANYE
ZanYé (pronounced: ZAHN-yay) is not afraid to be real.
She  had  a  difficult  childhood.  She’s  raising  a  family.  
She knows marriage takes  work.  And  she’s  lost  a  loved  
one  to  tragedy.  She’s  learned  we  don’t  go  through  life  
alone, and the only way to cope is to be real. She also
knows the flip side to hard times is joy. And to get there, and stay there, sometimes we have to talk things out.
“Conversations,”  her  new  SoundThought  Recordings  release  is  about  relationships,  the  good,  the  bad;  relationships  with  life,  and
romantic relationships – what it takes to stay in one, and keep the fire burning.
As her second CD, there was no better time  than  now  for  “Conversations.”    “It’s  a  project  of  healing,  of  real  life  experiences,  and  real  
relationship  experiences,”  says  the  singer.    Her  aim  was  to  create  songs  that  are  counter  to  a  lot  of  the  music  of  the  day.  Music that,
in her impression somewhat  glorifies  the  ’I  don’t  need  you’  concept.    That’s  just  not  realistic,”  she  says.
So, ZanYé offers what she says are songs that dive below the surface and sing of the all too well-known emotions of what love really
is  in  “Crazy  Love,”  “Extra  Ordinary,” “I’m  Gonna  Keep  Ya,”  and  “Mistake.”    And  tracks  that  bounce  back  up  and  make  you  want  to  
dance  for  the  sheer  joy  of  living  like  “Feels  Like  Rain,”  “Keep  It  Moving,”  and  “Celebrate.”
Then  ZanYé  puts  her  spin  on  two  classic  tracks  “Funny  Valentine,”  which  she  speeds  up  and  jazzes  out,  and  “Don’t  Let  It  Go  To  Your  
Head”  the  1978  Jean  Carne  soul/R  &  B  classic.    The  title  track  “Conversations”  pulls  the  whole  album  together  and  explains  why  ‘just  
talking’  is  important.
“A  conversation  is  the  beginning  of  any  relationship,”  says  the  singer.  “If  you  have  children,  when  they’re  tiny  you’re  teaching  them  
to  talk;  you’re  developing  that  verbal  communication,  which  helps  to  build  that  relationship.    Conversations  are  the  start  of
everything. Without conversations we just co-exist.  So,  I  thought  it  was  important  to  call  it  ‘Conversations’  and  bring  that  out  in  the  
music.”
ZanYé is confident this album comes from a place of huge growth – life, lyrically and vocally – since  her  first  album  “My  Story  Today,”  
produced in 2012.    “I  was  very  green  and  hadn’t  been  in  the  studio  in  over  ten  years,”  ZanYé  chuckles.
For  “Conversations”  the  singer  partnered  with  producer,  singer/songwriter  Inohs  Sivad  on  her  SoundThought  Recordings  label  in
Detroit, Michigan. This partnership brought with it a songwriting team (Inohs Sivad, Lavell Williams, Dana Anderson and Naomi
Daniel), adding to the vocalists existing team of Kyle Rushing, Anesha Birchett and Antea Shelton.
There was also a blending of musicians – Tony  Gordon  (keys),  and  STR’s  team of Deus Christian (bass and guitar), Chris Donaldson
and Duane Dawkins, Sr. (drums). And, at my CD Release Concert, I am joined by Grammy Nominated producer/songwriter Brandon
Williams and singer Jerrel Young.
ZanYé believes you can pretty much say anything  through  music.  It’s  a  format  that  touches  not  only  her  heart,  but  others,  as  well.    
“This  music  works  for  me  because  it’s  my  out