In a world of over seven billion individuals, If there is any one with the confidence and talent to mix soul with grime and jazzy vocals, drill with sweet R&B melodies blended with a bit of dancehall and hip-hop, that would definitely be Young Athena.
Name: Athena
Stage Name: Young Athena
Nationality: 🇬🇧British
Started Singing: 2016
Occupation: Singer/Rapper/Model/Dancer
Genre: R&B, Soul, Hip-hop, Dancehall, Reggae, Grime, Pop
About:
Raised by a mom who sang opera music and a dad who rapped over hip-hop beats, it's fair enough to say that Young Athena was born into music. This indeed formed the basis of her all-round diversity and prowess in music.
At twelve, while kids of her age were probably still playing around with sticks and stones, Athena had already written and produced her first track on SoundCloud titled "Be Who You Are", a self-aware conscious message which got the attention of some internet radio stations at that time. She also released an upbeat R&B grime dance anthem titled "On Fleek".
Two years later in 2017, Athena released a 17 track album titled "Make it back home", featuring two other artists. She also made a good use of the 2020 lockdown situation, writing and recording over thirty songs, increasing her craft and building her career in music. This of course made it less taxing for her to release six singles in 2021, making multiple live appearance at different events including Box park Shoreditch, James Street and the Relief Festival.
What Influences Your Music? And What Impact Do You Intend Creating On Your Listeners?
Amongst a couple of factors, Young Athena was more concerned with everything about being a young individual living in London. Ranging from social issues to hairstyles, Instagram and Snapchat gossips, girl talks, boys, self consciousness and awareness, internet memes and teenage love.
A disclosed analysis of Athena's target audience shows that she has more females than males interested in her work with 65% females most of which are within the ages of 14-25.
In a conclusive manner, one could say that her songs are geared towards female empowerment without leaving out the men. In her own words " I make female empowerment music that men could take something from".
What advice do you have for fellow musicians?
For Athena, the importance of working hard to give the best music cannot be overemphasized. It's a simple logic, if you're music doesn't feel like the best to you, then it might just not create any impact. She also emphasized on knowing your target audience and getting the right one. You definitely don't want to sing children rhymes to a forty two year old man. Last but never the least is having a trust worthy team, a set of individuals who are hell bent on making sure you're focused and grounded.
" There are so many moving parts you need people to help you when getting back to people for example. It sounds simple but I have so much going on without my team I just couldn't keep up."
Who Are Your Role models In Music?
Young Athena is inspired by Etta James, Beyonce,Ms Banks, Solange and Queen just to name a few. She spends most of her time exploring a world of possibilities...which entails working hard to release new music with visuals, preparing for a live performance and then another, and even speaking with major music industry figures.
What challenges did you face while starting up? And how did your surpass them?
Unlike most other Artists here at Upcomings Watch, Athena disclosed that she didn't really face many challenges, applauding her team Emotive Frequency and adding how great and helpful they've been in her journey so far.
"The only challenge is not overthinking the music I make. I’m a perfectionist, and overcoming this is an ongoing battle. The way I overcome this is by getting feedback from my team, working with people better than me, and understanding that great things take time to create."
Young Athena Socials:
Streaming Links
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