Nikya Hightower
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Growing up rural shaped Cyanca’s neo-soul sound.
The Charlotte-based vocalist, who is profiled on the PBS NC series “Shaped by Sound” on April 9, immediately thought of her roots in Smithfield, North Carolina, where her southern upbringing and church played influential roles.
“That was one of the first places I was introduced to sound and that’s one of the things that’s molded me throughout my career,” she said.
Growing up, Cyanca said bonding time with her dad introduced her to hip hop and other music genres.
“He would teach me about artists like A Tribe Called Quest and he would teach me the integration between fashion and hip hop,” she said. “I would have on some Adidas and he’s like, you ever heard of Run-DMC?”
Through the stage design Cyanca wanted to visually express important moments from her upbringing. The set will feature an altar, cultural figurines and memorabilia often seen in Black households showcasing the early influences that shaped her.
Cyanca said she played around with elements that will show her countryside.
“Growing up in a very small town with little resources, you learn how to make something out of nothing and work with what you got,” she said. “I think the main thing for me was to tell that story of who I am beyond the music and how I got to music through those avenues.”
With Charlotte’s growing arts scene, Cyanca credits the city for being a steppingstone in her career through the community she found.
“I’ve built a lot of connections through Charlotte, so I say Charlotte really propelled my career in a lot of ways,” she said.
Season 2 of “Shaped by Sound” spotlights 13 North Carolina artists in half-hour programs. It’s a platform for artists to share their stories. Cyanca is taking the opportunity to introduce herself as an independent artist.
She shared that traveling to New York City gave her the opportunity to get on the music radar and have access to get record labels to reach out.
“It’s really important because North Carolina doesn’t have a strong ecosystem for music in my opinion,” Cyanca said. “But with PBS, I think it bridges that avenue to just say that ‘Hey, there is talent here and there’s great talent here.’”
Cyanca hopes her episode makes a good representation of her home state.
“I want them to feel a sense of home from North Carolina, from the hospitality, from the church upbringing to the love that we have here, the community that is so strong in North Carolina,” she said. “Especially in a Black woman, someone who’s built it from the ground up independently with the help of my friends, my family, my community, my fans. I hope they see inspiration. I hope they see magic and they think that they can do anything they put their mind to, specifically for a little Black girl out there.”
