Bonita Jalane, a rising force in R&B, is captivating audiences with her powerful vocals and soul-stirring performances. With a sound that blends classic R&B with contemporary flair, Jalane’s artistry reflects her experiences and perspectives. As she continues to carve her place in the music industry, her authenticity and talent shine through, setting her apart from the rest. In this exclusive interview, she opens up about her musical journey, inspirations, and what’s next.
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Let’s start at the beginning of your career. Can you tell us how your journey into R&B began?
As far as making it official, I would probably since like 2012. I started off singing hooks for Dipset, and I wound up singing a song for J.R. Ryder. He had just signed on with Cam’ron. They kept coming back to me, and then Juelz wanted me to start working with him under his camp, which is crazy because they’re all still together, but they all each have their own separate entities. I started recording out of his studio and doing more hooks. I just fell in love with it. Eventually, I realized that I could do this on my own. So, I started recording, writing, and honing my craft, and he let me use the studio. I didn’t have to pay for studio time for years, as long as I wasn’t there when he was there. I could go in there and just write and create. When I moved to Atlanta, I decided I wanted to do it full-time and actually start investing in myself. I dropped my first single called “Out of This World,” featuring Mickey Factz, and it’s been a journey since then.
What is your creative process like when you’re writing and recording music?
I’m really big on me being to myself. I like collaborating with other artists, but I’m a writer, and I feel like that’s my superpower. It has to be a good vibe. It has to be good energy. I light a candle, and I’ll sit with the track first. It’s like a marriage between me and the track. I’ll know it right away, and if I love the track, it sparks so much creativity. My creative process starts with the track, or I’ll have a melody or something, and I’ll sit with a musician who can actually build something around it. I’m very hands-on when it comes down to creating my music.
Let’s talk about your new song, “So High.” Can you share the story behind the song?
The producer was incarcerated for a while. He is basically like a brother to me; we grew up together since I was 15, maybe 16 years old, in a vocal class in the film center in New York Times Square. A lot of people came from that class. I lost a lot of time with him. While he was incarcerated, he literally put this track together. He kept saying, “Bonita, I have a track for you. I need you to hear this track. I just feel like it’s so high.” When he mentioned that, I was like, “That’s going to be the name of the track.” I didn’t even know what the lyrics would be, but I knew the name.
We laughed about it. That same week, we had scheduled studio time in LA. On the flight, I just kept looking out at the clouds, and I was like, I’m so high, and I just kept saying it. When we got to the studio, I literally felt like the angels came down to write the words. I felt like my friend was in the studio with us. His presence was there, and the words just kept coming out as the track played. The first line is “I’m so high, my destiny is written.” It was a pivotal point, and “So High” was going to be the first major single that we put out for it. I feel like it was a story behind my whole journey in the music industry. I felt like I wanted to tell it as if it were my testimonial, and I wanted to be in a healing place where I fly above everything, above all the negativity of anything that I’ve been through before. So, that’s how “So High” came about.
That’s awesome. R&B is often tied to emotion and storytelling. How do you channel your personal experiences into your music?
That is a big part of it. My music is my open book. When I write, the authenticity of Bonita Jalane is based on what I’m feeling and comes from a real place or moment. It might not always exactly be my story or something I am going through, but pour all the emotions that life inspires into my art. I find myself as a storyteller and a lyricist. Since I was little, I have been writing stories and poems and singing songs about what I was experiencing. My mother told me that my first song was about my cousins coming over and taking my toys and not playing with me (laughing). So, I’ve always told stories about the experiences that I was going through and what was happening around me. My biggest thing is creating relatable art. I want you to feel something when you hear my music.
The music industry can be challenging for independent artists. What obstacles have you faced and how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge for me is that being an independent artist is a gift and a curse. We have the tools now with social media to put out our own music that we didn’t have before. We can say I want to drop this record on this day, and we have different platforms that help us as far as distribution. But the problem with that is it’s over-saturated. It’s difficult to stand out among the multitude of daily music releases. You have to set yourself apart. I focus on what makes me different from so many other talented and non-talented people who can put out their music. I think that’s the biggest challenge, but I’m very adamant about being Bonita Jalane. I make jokes about it, I’m like I’m in my own lane, it’s in my name—you can’t say Jalane without saying lane (laughing). So, I’m big on that; I don’t think about what other people are doing. All the rest of that is noise to me. I love it! I just continue to put all of that energy, that heart, and that soul into everything that I do, and I pray that each person listens to it, hears the lyrics, and shares it with somebody else. That’s all that matters to me.
You have worked with some incredible talents, can you share, can you share a memorable experience with one of your collaborations?
Oh man, there are so many… I think probably the biggest one was being in the studio with Chris Brown, and Chris Brown was still a kid, running around like a 12-year-old (laughing). I’m sitting in the studio and writing with him. He performed at his first show at Vibe magazine, and asked me backstage, “Oh my god, how did I do?” And then the next week, I’m opening up for him, and he’s giving me advice like we were just not in the studio a couple of months ago, in the same place in our careers (laughing). He’s giving me advice like, “You keep going; I’m so proud of you. Don’t give up (laughing).”
I think that was the biggest one where you could see; it really can happen. People think it’s overnight, but it’s not. However, it can really happen in a moment if you just continue to stay on your journey.
That’s an incredible story. How has your sound evolved from your earlier work to what you’re creating now?
Let me tell you, it’s so evolved. When I started singing hooks for certain songs, you would have thought I was a gangsta. I am not at all. I was a sheltered only child in a middle-class family. My mom definitely did not have me anywhere near gangs. So, the music that I was making then, I felt like I had to. I evolved over time. I feel like I have a purpose now. I have more of a message where it’s not about the fame with me. It’s about who I can touch; who can I still inspire to continue to pursue a dream? There are women out there I can inspire to love themselves, to have self-esteem, and to put that in everything that they do. Don’t get me wrong. My vocals were beautiful. I was always a writer and a great storyteller, but I was talking about things that I knew nothing about. I was talking about having somebody in jail. I was talking about being a baby mama and all this stuff that I’m not. I felt like I wasn’t authentic to myself. It just sounded good.
I was trying to do stuff that everybody else was doing. So, I feel like if I had made it then, you wouldn’t have been able to distinguish me from anybody else. You know, I could have been successful at it. I could have been huge, but I would have had no substance. I feel like now my message is bigger. I have a bigger mission and that’s why I still love it because now I see the difference. I’m in a healing space where that can translate. With anything you do that’s positive, there are going to be some obstacles. It’s going to be harder because I’m not singing about any and everything. I’m not talking about taking your clothes off. I’m not talking about sex. I’m talking about loving, still feeling sexy, and still feeling like, you know, you’re beautiful.
You made a very valid point. What are some of your long-term goals in your career? Are there any dream collaborations or projects you hope to pursue?
My long-term goal will always be to further my music career. The person I’m inspired by, there are so many, but there’s my main one—Ms. Lauryn Hill. I would love to work with her. I would love to work with Usher as well. They are at the top of my list. There are just too many people to name. I would love to even do something different where someone who’s not here anymore. I’ve always been a huge fan of Betty Wright. And I feel a sample or something with her on there, with me on it… I feel like that would be my way of feeling like I collaborated with her. So yeah, those are the main ones right now that I can think of off the top of my head.
Those are awesome picks. Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring R&B artists who are looking to make their mark in the music industry?
I feel like you have to do what’s right for you. Don’t get lost in—I’m just doing it because it’s what’s out right now. I feel like if you stay true to yourself and continue to do it because you love it, not because of fame, not because of popularity, you can make it. You will definitely become depressed if you compare yourself to other people. As an R&B artist, as an independent artist, my biggest thing is supporting other people, but do not compare your journey to anybody else’s because your journey is yours.
Be’n Original
