Tag Archives: feature

Politician – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | @Ocasio2018

Written by President ELLA

New York’s Representative Elect, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is something to be proud of. The Bronx native is an example of how far hard work can get you and how important it is to be smart. Her resume is incredibly admirable. The young scholar had an asteroid named after her, after winning second prize in her High School Science fair. Around the same time, she became involved in politics through high school extracurriculars. Through and after college (as detailed by Wiki, at least), this young woman is an inspiration to all young girls that your mind is your best asset, and you must continually put it to use.

Jewelry Designer @JLANIJEWELS

Written by President ELLA

You ever meet someone so spiritually lit everything else they do shines, too? That’s Lani, founder of JLANI JEWELS, and every single piece of jewelry she creates. I met her in a perfectly lit room at Calvin Klein, when I worked in the Advertising department and her mom worked in Finance. Her mom had organized a pop up and she was selling the cutest gold rings that said things on them like “love” “prosperity” and “bestie”. I really just liked the girls’ jewelry *shrugs* then I ended up really just wanting to have lunch with her — and that’s how I anticipate tons of people will feel soon enough. Today, those little rings have turned into a collection of masterpieces; gold and silver melded together by beauty, passion and lots of black girl magic. I want y’all to meet Ms. Nesbit today, because you’re sure to love her tomorrow. 

Shoe Designer – @renataeileenashoes

Written by Brittany Shawnté

Keeping the spotlights coming! As always, if you are or represent an upcoming artist, designer,producer, etc., and would like to be featured on The Spotlight, please visit our Features/Submissions page for more information!

Here, we have designer Renata Eileena, owner of custom line Reneta Eileena, LLC. Raised in Philadelphia, Renata has always had a love of fashion. Though she noted that Philly has its own unique style, the designer admitted her own style is outside of that, finding inspiration from “literally everywhere,” pulling from art, TV shows, etc. “When you’re an artist, you can get inspired from literally looking out the window,” Renata said. She is also inspired by Christian Louboutin, Yves St Laurent, and Betsey Johnson.

Singer: @MsOliviaGilmore

Written by Brittany Shawnté

Another artist to feature today: Miss Olivia Gilmore! Hailing from Hollis NY, Olivia was born in a musical family. With talent in the genes, it’s safe to say that Olivia has been singing most of her life! At age 5, she had her first solo performance, and her first recording session at 8, recording a jingle in her father’s home studio. During her childhood, she went on to record background vocals for gospel artist Nancey Jackson on her single, “Free (Yes I’m Free),” and even performed live jazz at Diddy’s restaurant, Justin’s, when she was 16!

Band: @Villainettes

Written by Brittany Shawnté

More spotlights to come as we end the summer (is it me or has Summer 2014 FLOWN by?)! Today on The Spotlight, we have Villainettes, hailing from Melbourne, Australia (one of my favorite places in the world, for good reason! Check out my somewhat embarrassing yet fun blog on my experience a few years back).

The band recently came together in 2013, said to be born “amidst the ashes of three totally diverse bands.” Through friendships and professional connections, Villainettes were born! Vocalist and guitarist Michael Lindquist had begun to write, focused on some of his own personal life events, which helped to shape the band and their sound.

Australian Pop/Rock Artist: @TravisMusic

Written by Brittany Shawnté

I absolutely love how many international artists I have had the opportunity to feature on The Spotlight this year! It’s always cool to feature people outside of the U.S. to give you all a little taste of what the outside world really has to offer. It’s also allowed me to talk with a lot of awesome people! Getting back into the swing of things after all of these vacations and whatnot, so I have even more in the works!

Today, we have Australian pop/rock artistTravis Caudle! Travis admitted that he fell in love with music at a really young age. “Dad was always into stereo systems in a big way and buying the latest records and Mum plays piano, so it was always around,” he said, even recalling his first concert experience at the toddler level! “I clearly remember being at a Neil Diamond concert in Perth, Western Australia where I’m from, when I was two or three and wondering why he had red, green and blue hair (the lights!!!). Mum and Dad must not have been able to find a babysitter that night!” he joked.

Singer: @ConstanceRenoir

Written by Brittany Shawnté

I have a lot of spotlights coming up, and even more submissions to look through soon. I plan to
hopefully have at least one spotlight a week for a bit, while I catch up (*fingers crossed*).As always, if you or your client is an upcoming singer, rapper, actor, designer, etc., please email me at BrittanyShawnte@gmail.com (Please give at least two weeks for response). 

Today on The Spotlight, we have singer/songwriter Constance Renoir! Raised in Brooklyn, NY, Constance got into music at a very young age. “I would say, by 9 years old, I had written my first song, and I knew that I could really sing,” she said. In junior high, the singer had what she called “sort of a life changing experience,” when she was asked by her music teacher, Ms. Christie, to perform in a talent show. “I had never performed before, and so I didn’t know which song to sing, so she recommended to me that I perform Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero,’” Constance recalled. “Once I grabbed that mic, and sang those specific lyrics, I knew that was what I wanted to do.” From there on, she started following Mariah’s music, trying to match both her vocals and songwriting skills.

Singer: @JustMontrey

Written by Brittany Shawnté

I have a great spotlight (and a lot more on the way, slowly but surely!). As always, if you are or know of an upcoming artist, designer, producer, etc, please email me at brittanyshawnte@gmail.com.

Today on The Spotlight, we have upcoming singer Montrey Slayton! Born in Springfield, IL and moving to Marianna, Arkansas for most of his childhood. Montrey grew up in a musical family, so his singing talent was always evident. “We didn’t have a lot growing up but we ALWAYS had music. If our lights was out, we put batteries in the boom box and it’s like all of our problems faded away,” he said. He and his family eventually moved to Milwaukee, WI, in 2004, which Montrey calls a “gem” in terms of music. “We try to be different than other cities like Atlanta or Houston. You could hear in certain people music where they from. But it’s such a mix of originality in Milwaukee that you would always hear something new and unheard of,” the singer said of the city. Once he graduated from high school, Montrey recognized that he had a gift of writing music. That’s when he decided to record his first demo and take his music seriously.

Model/Actor: @Frankito2_0

Written by Brittany Shawnté 

I’m blessed to be able to share with you all these amazing spotlights of talented artists, designers, producers, and more! I get more and more requests every month, and it blows me away! As always, if you are interested in featuring your work (or your client’s work) onThe Spotlight, feel free to email me! 

Today we have on the blog, model/actor Frankito Arias! Frankito is relatively new to the industry, and was introduced to acting and modeling back in 2011 by his current manager, Tahyira Savanna. “The truth is, it was just something fun to do and she thought I had real skill.” The duo were both new to their jobs—Frankito to acting and modeling and Tahyira to managing—but they gave it a shot anyway. “The response was so good, we started to take it more seriously and now that I have had a taste of what it is I found my true path,” the actor admitted.

Singer: @SuperJay405

Written by Brittany Shawnté

Excited to have quite a few new spotlights in the works, so be on the lookout for those in the coming months! As always, singers, rappers, publicists, etc. email me with any amazing work you would like to be featured on The Spotlight!

A few weeks back, I featured music from upcoming singer, Super Jay! His track, “Yo Body,” was sexy and smooth, and perfect for radio! I wanted to feature a little bit more about him to give you guys a good look into who this great artist is! Often compared toTrey Songz because of his sultry vocals, Super Jay is a triple threat previously opening up for Trey Songz, and J. Holiday, and already embarked on his own “All of Me” tour that began April 4, 2014 in Ardmore, OK.