Spotlight on Elyscia Jefferson: Rising Star's Journey to Musical Mastery

Join Geaux Queen Magazine as we enter on a journey through the mesmerizing melodies and inspiring story of Elyscia Jefferson, a rising star whose music transcends boundaries and touches hearts. In this exclusive feature, we delve into the life and artistry of Elyscia, exploring the passion, resilience, and unwavering dedication that have propelled her to musical stardom. From gifted beginnings to her most recent captivating performances on NBC's top rated talent show "The Voice," Elyscia's story is one of winning the music game with the power of melody to uplift and inspire. Learn more about this rising star as we uncover the essence of Elyscia Jefferson, a beacon of hope and harmony in today's ever-evolving musical landscape!

Your journey into the music industry began at a young age, with music being a fundamental part of your life. Can you share with us how your upbringing influenced your decision to pursue a career in music?

Well, I grew up in a nice little townhome in Baltimore County in Randallstown, Maryland. A lot of memories happened there and truly shaped me into who I am today. I grew up with my two amazing parents: my father Elliot Jefferson is a musician and producer and my mom Schnelle Jefferson, who is a businesswoman and makeup artist. My dad owned a home studio in our basement that always had different singers and artist coming in and out of our house all the time, and whenever I came home from school my favorite thing to do was listen in to all those sessions and incredible artist/music that simply came from our home basement. I believe that’s what truly influenced me into the direction of pursuing music and being interested in the beauty of music.

Growing up in church also heavily influenced me as well. My grandfather owned a church where my dad played organ and piano for services and my uncles played drums, guitar, AND preached. Growing up in church and being around my musical uncles and family members played a big part into how I viewed music. It was only a matter of time until I started catching onto singing and falling in love with the passion, emotion and soul of music. Where else can you find that but in some good ole church?

Growing up surrounded by music, you had the opportunity to sing background for R&B legends like Jennifer Hudson and Regina Belle. How did those experiences shape you as an artist?

Those amazing experiences shaped me in many forms and ways, especially having those experiences at such a young age. Inspiring me beyond measures, I gained a lot of knowledge from these experiences as well. First thing Jennifer Hudson said when working with her was to always sing from the heart with pure soul and passion. Sing with what you have way deep inside your SOUL, and that has stuck with me ever since. Now I continue to sing with passion and from my soul when performing and whatever I create as an artist. Regina taught me to always believe in myself and trust in God, and the true beauty behind performing. She told me that when you're singing, whether it’s to a million people or just a few, you are creating an atmosphere for them to feel something---whether it’s the presence of God they feel or the presence of love, joy, or sadness. Music is truly powerful and can move a room if you sing in the moment and let it.

Your father, Elliot Jefferson, played a significant role in recognizing your talent and nurturing your musical abilities. How has his influence impacted your artistic journey?

Honestly from the beginning what inspired me to pursue a career in music was really my father. He’s a full-time musician and producer and seeing my dad work all his life just in music truly inspired me and made me think wait… I can really do this!

He has also always been the person to push me, encourage me and helped me to grown in this industry! To teaching me how to record myself, putting me in the room with different songwriters and musicians, he knew to help me grow. He also taught me certain popular songs like, “PYT", the song I performed recently on "The Voice." My father is the reason why I even did "The Voice." I wasn’t going to do it at first because I was doubting myself heavily and just thought it was no point of trying to even get a SHOT on "The Voice" ---which is a very low chance. He encouraged me and told me “No, something is telling me you got this! Just try it and audition!” Well, I got accepted and now we’re here today! Without my dad, I really wouldn’t have many of the opportunities I have today or maybe even the strength. My dad really has been my rock! My inspiration is from seeing how hard he works and grows in the industry! He's truly the person I know will always have my back and steer me in the right direction when it comes to this business.

Elyscia Sings

Elyscia's Top 5

Favorite Song to Perform: "Crazy" by Gnarles Barkley

Favorite Self-Care Practice: Cleaning my space, lighting candles, put on a nice face mask and just relaxing. And playing "Sims", lol

Favorite Album of All time: This is a hard one because it’s Brandy against everyone else, but Beyonce's "4" album is really special to me and close to my heart.

Favorite Artist of All Time: James Fauntleroy

Favorite Song Lyric: “I ain’t been to sleep since 96, I ain’t seen the back of my eyelids.”

At the age of 7, you realized that singing was your true calling. Can you take us back to that moment and share what sparked that realization?

Well, it all started when my dad realized I could sing a little bit and harmonize at age 5 and started putting me in the booth. He was shocked that I could hear the harmony notes and had a little voice, so he made me do a cover of Keri Hillson’s “Pretty Girl Rock” when I was 7 years old and that was my first upload on YouTube. Not my best work, but it was a start, lol! Then I started songwriting little cute songs and showing it to my dad thinking it was a hit! Once again, just the start, lol. Then playing around with my dad’s studio every day and playing the piano, having my dad help me and teach, I was so intrigued with music and how it made me feel. Doing all of this at age 7 made me realize how much I loved singing on the mic, in the booth, and expressing myself through songs. Singing or harmonizing with notes, it was something special about it to me and it just felt RIGHT. So even at 7 years old, I told myself, I’m going to give this music thing all I got and chase my dreams! I always believed you could be whatever you want to be and your dreams aren’t too far out of reach. So here I am now chasing them!

As you evolved as an artist, you ventured into songwriting, crafting heartfelt lyrics that resonate with your audience. What inspires your songwriting process, and how do you approach creating music that connects with listeners?

What inspires me with song writing is: EVERYTHING IS INSPIRATION. I believe you can gain inspiration from just about anything! Whether it's from walking outside and seeing the trees or the buildings around me, seeing how my friend's relationships grow and blossom, or the bad sides of relationships or simply just living the human experience--that is what inspires my songwriting and I simply incorporate all those feelings and moments into my music.

There’s something special about the human experience and what all of us go through, so I try to be relatable as possible when songwriting by thinking about others' life situations but also making lyrics clever and catchy--so you're really listening to something fresh and new to the ears while all feeling emotions at the same time. It’s really powerful about being relatable with emotions---that’s how you make something GREAT. With heart and soul and a catchy melody, you have a greatly written song!

Your recent cover of Elvis Presley's classic "Can't Help Falling in Love" showcases your soulful voice and genuine artistry. What inspired you to choose this song, and what message do you hope to convey through your rendition?

What became the inspiration for me to choose this song was because of the first time I had the opportunity to perform it. I was invited to a private wedding in Dominican Republic, and the song they wanted when walking down the aisle was “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” I’d heard of the song before, but I never really paid much attention to it or seen it for such the beautiful song it is!

After I sang the song for the first time, I felt such a connection with it. I felt all the feelings and warmth of love and singing it felt like I was setting a different atmosphere of love for everyone in the room with me. So, I decided: why not put this out for the people; the old-school die-hard Elvis Presley fans and for my generation! Why not revisit such a powerful love song to bring people together and feel that feeling of love when listening? Whether you're listening with a lover or a family member or whoever you love, that's the message I wanted to convey: that feeling and importance of love. No matter which generation or time we’re in, it’s timeless.

You also had the opportunity of highlighting your talents on NBC’s TV show, "The Voice." Can you tell us about your experience on the show and being a part of Team Reba?

My experience with being on "The Voice" has been nothing short of amazing! Definitely a crazy ride, I have learned so much in such a short time. They flew me out to LA first before auditioning to check out the staff, rehearse with the band and get some behind the scenes---then to the actual audition day and Big Stage! To be flown out and be in the atmosphere and room with such greats, the legends acknowledging my talent really felt really good and validating. Everything I worked really hard for came to the forefront! All the judges were amazing! Reba gave great advice about being a woman in the industry and how you have to really voice your opinion and that it’s more than just your talent, it’s your heart, your stage performance, as well as presence and what you make people feel inside. She said I truly made her feel something! It was an awesome experience and made me realize what I really have inside and should never doubt that either.

With the new “Cowboy Carter” album just released by Beyonce, there is a lot of chatter regarding what defines the country music genre and if there is a place for artists of color. Having had the pleasure of working alongside the legend herself Reba McEntire and also covering an Elvis Presley song, what are your thoughts on crossing into multiple musical genres and breaking out of the traditional music box?

My thoughts on crossing into multiple genres are nothing but natural selection, human nature at best! I think every artist wants to try many things and create many different things and go to different avenues of what they know and do but feel confined by society’s labeling! It’s normal for an artist to express and expand by a “label” given to them, which is one reason why I chose Reba! I felt like she could expand my range of what I know “genre” wise and mix different genres together like she did when she covered “If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce! Most would say that’s R&B, but music doesn’t have much of a genre; it's freedom of expression and how it makes you feel! That's also another reason why I decided to cover “Can't Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley. It was really all based on the feeling it gave me and how it was a powerful song!

You have accomplished quite a bit at such a young age. What are some of your self-care practices to cater to your emotional, physical and mental health? 

Oooh, this is a hard one, because it’s so easy to get caught up in the musical life, the performances, the late-night studio sessions and the fast life of chasing your dreams. But I always try to take time out almost every Sunday or days of the week to really spend time with family, talking to friends and going out to have a good time. When you're chasing your dreams, everything truly does move fast and can become time consuming, but you absolutely have to make time for yourself!

Also, for mental health, working in music can sometimes become draining because you always have to turn it on: all artist and musicians know what I'm talking about! You have to turn on your A-Game and put on your performance mask. It's really another place you go to when working on your music and performing on stage.

Sometimes it's hard to turn that off and just breathe and relax, but also when it's OFF it's OFF and sometimes hard to turn back on. So, I definitely try to take time out to do things I like and enjoy other than music or performing and just enjoy them and not feel bad about it either!

With a promising future ahead, what are your aspirations as an artist, and how do you hope to leave a lasting impact on the music industry?

My aspirations as an artist are to really touch and inspire a lot of people by just being authentically me! In this world, we can get caught up in trying to fit in, or not feeling good enough or our dreams are unreachable or unrealistic. But I want to be the person to show people that dreams are realistic and reachable. You can really be whoever you hope to be if you believe in yourself, believe in your vision, work hard to achieve it and no matter what people say you: GO FOR IT! Make your own reality!

I hope to make an impact with my art and my heart, by putting my heart and passion into my art while hoping people feel good energy, emotions or peace when listening. My dedication to keep growing and improving, showing people to be better than they were yesterday, believe a little more than yesterday and chase after your dreams no matter what people say!

What advice would you give to aspiring young artists who are looking to pursue a career in music?

I would say take time to really know yourself, know what you want, know your sound, your vibe and what you like! Everything else will follow with your authenticity, but also match that with hard work, dedication and improving yourself! Then you’ll be UNSTOPPABLE. I’m still figuring it all out which I think every artist is, but BE YOU--that’s the main thing that sets you apart from everyone else which gravitates everyone else :)

Lastly, what can fans expect from you in the future, and is there anything exciting on the horizon that you'd like to share with us?

What fans can expect in the future that’s exciting is definitely new music! Expect new groundbreaking visuals, super fun exciting content, heartfelt lyrics, and euphoric harmonies and backgrounds to make you feel emotions you've never felt before and inspire you in ways you've never been inspired before! All while singing along in your car or wherever you are, really taking a deep dive into my mind and expressing it to the people. Hopefully, you all can relate.

That’s exactly what Beyonce was expressing in her new album, Cowboy Carter. It’s not just a country album or a genre, it’s a diversity of different music and the broad feelings and expression that comes from it!

To stay updated on Elyscia Jefferson's latest projects, singles, performances and upcoming music, follow her on social media: [@elyscia_sings]. For exclusive content and announcements, visit Elyscia's official website: [www.elysciasings.com].