Listen to MYNA, the Indian-American R&B Singer in the Motown Musician Accelerator
The Motown Musician Accelerator is a 12-week intensive mentoring program that nurtures the careers of local talent. MYNA is among the 2019 class and delivers an alternative R&B and hip-hop sound.
MYNA is a lyrical R&B singer with the influences of Jhene Aiko flowing through her visual style and rap-sing delivery.
CultureShift is profiling musicians in the Motown Musician Accelerator. Click the player above to hear an interview with MYNA.
It’s a combination that attracted judges from the Motown Musician Accelerator when choosing talent that would join their 2019 cohort and gain the experience of networking with top industry labels and executives.
“Growing up in America, it’s like I’m growing up in this world where my opinion doesn’t feel like it matters as much.” – MYNA
Out of a sea of local artists submissions, Suai Kee, director of the Motown Musician Accelerator, a grant and educational program designed to elevate the careers of emerging artists, said that the draw for MYNA was “definitely her voice and the production that she was singing over. It was very hip-hop and a little lo-fi. Her voice cut through everything and I’m like ‘who is that?'”
BAD TIME from ‘BAD LUV’ EP
Establishing her presence on the music scene throughout Metro Detroit for the past three years, MYNA dropped her debut project “ROY G BIV” in 2018. It plays as a personal narrative verbally illustrating her thoughts on love, finding identity and life experiences.
“I’m an Indian-American growing up in America and I feel like our people don’t get that representation,” she says. “My opinion doesn’t feel like it matters as much.”
ctrl + alt + delete (green) from debut album ROY G BIV
“We’ll have our time and I’m totally patient for it, but the whole album was about me vocalizing how, me as a soul and spirit moving among the world, my authentic thoughts about love, finding your identity and those things could be a mix of everything.”
MYNA, describes the Motown Musician Accelerator experience as “intense” because she didn’t quite know what she was getting herself into. “It’s a lot of different things being thrown at you like creating your budget, making a plan and following through with it. The accelerator really exposes us to all these different connections.”
Post written by LaToya Cross
Interview by Ryan Patrick Hooper
UP NEXT
Motown Musician Accelerator Connects Emerging Artists with Industry
Musicality attracted Suai Kee to the artistry of Kaleb the Intern, a 23-year-old emerging producer in Detroit, who has gained over five million combined streams from production work on a variety of artists records. Read more
Support the news you love.
Here at WDET, we strive to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music, and conversation, please consider making a gift today. Even $5 a month helps!
