The acoustic guitarist and singer Bobbi Rae is such an artist. Her sour-stirring alto- soprano range reaches within your core with an eclectic mix of inspirational, alternative, contemporary R&B, and Neo-Soul.  I first heard Bobbi Rae perform about a year ago at the show The Floetic Cypher, a showcase of artists ranging from singers to spoken word. My first response after hearing her sing was, “Her voice is remarkable. Who is she?”  As she rises on the Louisiana and Texas scene vocally, I caught up with Bobbi as we talked about her passion and musical influences, what she wants her fans to know through her music, and her upcoming offiicial album.

“Music is made to inspire, to touch our souls, to awaken our every inner emotion.  It captures our imaginations and takes us on melodic musical adventures that defy space and time. While many musicians strive to create the kind of music that lives forever within our mind and bodies, only a few can create timeless treasures to touch a chord within our very being.” -Bobbi Rae

 What did you want to be as a child?

BR: “Bobbi loves the kids lol. I wanted to be a pediatrician. Growing up with siblings and watching my parents raise and nurture us, I wanted to do the same for children. Their innocence and their honesty is pure. It’s the people around children that shape their future. I wanted to do that through health and well being.”

Who are your musical influences? Who would you love to collaborate a song with?

BR: “Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill,  and Anita Baker. I love them. I love the sultriness in their voices which inspired me to own my sound. These artists went against the grain when it came to their form of expressions. They moved audiences with words and passion. I would love to collaborate with:

• Erykah Badu- She so courageous and free spirited. She created her own lane and have stayed very relevant throughout this ever changing industry. I feel strength in being myself with no apologies and I feel like Erykah displays that type of strength consistently. I know we would make great music.

• Sza- She told her authentic story to the world,  so again very courageous! I also connected with her upbringing. She came from a very religious household with many restrictions from what was going in the world. She still chose to follow  her passion and purpose vs the opinions of her parents, friends, etc…

Was singing always a passion for you? What do you want your fans to know about you through your music?

BR: “Music has always been a passion for me. I remember being about 6 or 7 and writing songs about bubble gum, nature, food, and toys lol.  I loooove to write! I  was just blessed with this voice (tool) which is a bonus.

I would want my fans and supporters to know how to feel again, love, let go, how to overcome, how to love themselves, and push for their best version of themselves through my music. That is what music from artists like Lauryn Hill did for me.”

What traits do you love most about yourself?

BR: “I love that I’m a people’s person! I love that I am able to use my discernment and natural instinct to connect and understand people. This allows me to be more empathetic and concerning toward the people in my life. This trait that I love is both a gift and a curse because being able to feel so much also gives me the advantage of seeing people’s hearts. It tends to draw me closer to their situations which isn’t always the best thing.”

 What has been the hardest challenges in your singing career?

BR: “As we know women in industries experience gender and bias everyday, I’ve felt the need to be an advocate for change pertaining to equal rights pay and opportunities. Being a woman in this industry, ( and an independent artist as that),  I’ve experienced not being treated as a respected equal especially on the business side of my career.”

Name a woman(or women), past or present, whom you admire or look up to?

• I admire the Queen Bee her self. My mother. I admire my mother’s faith. She literally lives by “faith of a mustard seed” and I’ve seen her make miracles happen just by her undoubting faith.

• I admire myself! I admire my ability to connect and understand people. I love the mother that I have become to my son Kai. I love in a way I never thought I could. I admire my journey and my commitment to personal growth and development.  I admire my ability to get up and fight, because life is going to come at you inevitably. Sometimes it will knock you down, but I know how to get back up and keep fighting. My resilience is what I admire.

 What does the world need more of? Less of?

BR: “The worlds needs more of authenticity! I want to see the world just accepting their authentic self with no apologies. The world need less judgement. Just let people  be people and love them like that.”

Tell us a typical day in the life of Bobbi  Rae.

BR: “Ha! This can be interesting. A typical day in the life of Bobbi would be meditation for about 6:45 for 15-30 mins. I drop my son to school at 8:15. I make it to the gym by 8:45-10am. On some days, I roller blade or go biking in the park. Then I head to the coffee shop to work on my brand and create new opportunities. I grab a bite to eat which is usually Hummus and chips lol (I know, horrible!)

I’ll get my son from school, and end my evenings with either practicing my guitar, or creating/listening to music. I love to fall asleep to 432 hz music. My aroma therapy lamp  is on with tea tree essential oils lol. That’s a typical day!”

What can we expect from you in 2019?

BR: “2019 will be big. In 2018, I really developed and learned what I like and don’t like. In my musical sound, I put in a lot of hard work last year. In 2019, I will be dropping an official album and going on tour connecting with my fans. You can expect to see Bobbi 2.0 lol! “High expectations” is all I can say!”