Recording artist and songwriter Manii Ling from Brooklyn sits down with TGWEWON's Du'Lanci Vallie for a in depth interview. Read the full interview below.
What is your creative process like?
For me it’s very personal, and I have to feel the music/beat on a spiritual level or I won’t have any ideas. My best songs were written off emotions and I’m not mad at that.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
I’m experimenting with different sounds, listening to different kinds of music and I’ve recently decided to try to teach myself the electric guitar.
Out of all the songs you've released, what do you think is your Best song and why?
Out of all my songs released I think my best song is “Location” it’s not the song with the most views or anything but I think I outdid myself with the bars and the vibe and I just like music that makes me want to run it back and say oooooo lmao.
When faced with making a big decision, how do you decide what is the right thing to do?
Well seeing as I have add I usually make decisions on impulse lol. But what I’ve been working on lately is taking the time to sit and write out what it is I’m trying to do and if it calls for it do research as well.
Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would you give to someone who's interested in pursuing a career in music?
As of right now I am able to make a living and when I say make a living I just mean pay my bills and continue to put back into music. My music career is funding my music career right now lol. The best advice I have is don’t give up but don’t lose sight of reality. It took me a longggg time to get to the point i am at now and I still have a way to go. If your passionate dedicate your time while still making sure you’re doing something to pay your bills and put some back into music. Don’t rush it but at the same time JUST DO IT.
What do you think makes you stand out from all the other aspiring and upcoming artists in your genre of music?
I think what makes me stand out is 1 my beat selection, 2 my style and the way I present myself , 3 my lowkeyness lol it’s all a big popularity game sometimes and you can get on just by putting yourself around the right people but I rather not force myself around other artists I don’t know from anywhere but gracefully network and focus on what I have going on.
Would you agree that it is very important to learn, study and understand old music and music history?
I personally don’t think it’s important per se, but can be a great motivator, and idea sparker for sure. When I look back at older music and artists and their stories it pushes me to work harder because what a lot of these artists went through to achieve success was brutal, but I don’t think a person who doesn’t do that is going to fail everyone’s process is not the same.
If you weren't in the music business or industry, what do you think you would be doing with your life instead?
This is a hard question because I feel like I’ve been in the music business all my life lol, a real artist is born an artist.
What is your latest release and where can fans find it?
My latest release is called Killed A Girl, It’s a really fun, spicy and different kind of Drill record then people are used to. The way my producers ‘Beat Gang’ did this Katy Perry flip is insane and as a pop music and Katy lover this was so much fun to make. The audio and video can be found on all streaming platforms and also my YouTube channel.
