SPECIAL FEATURE SOUFULLY RISING Ms Alicia James!!! Please listen to her she's awesome!!

SOULFULLY RISING

“Living Naturally You”

Artist Appreciation

New Natural Stars on the Rise 

1.What is the name of your band and whom is it’s members ?  
solo artist Alicia James

2.When was this band founded and in what city? n/a

3 Why as a artist have you decided to promote the natural lifestyle?
When I first started there were several people pulling me in different
directions. I started off with straight hair, but in the end,I decided
to just be me!

4.How would you describe your style? 
I would say my music is a mix of R&B/Soul with a little bit of soft rock and maybe some wouldsay a sprinkle of jazz
 
5.What are some people that inspire you most? 
My family inspires me most. As far as artist, I am inspired by the legends like Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, also artist like Eykah Badu, India Arie, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, newer artist like Natasha Bedingfield, pop
artist Kelly Clarkson, Solange, and even love me some Beyonce! LOL!

6.What the general mission of your group’s music? 
I have been singing for as long as I can remember. Now that I am older, I love to writeand tell stories through my music. Honestly, I just want to make
people feel something. Even if it is happiness, love, sadness, I just
want you to feel what I am singing about. That's my mission to make
people feel something or inspire them in some way.

7.What are some of your accomplishments and describe in
detail some of your most recent performances?
*Sell out performances at the Houses of Blues, Red Cat Jazz
Cafe,Claytons, and other venues in Dallas, Houston , Austin
* Featured in popular independent concert series FRONTLINE 2 and 3
hosted by Go MC Kane & Afterworkinc.
* Featured on popular singles with up and coming artist J. Dawg (Dry
your eyes) Centop (Mortality Music) & Dante Higgins (I Just Wanna Be)
*"Crazy in Love and "Seven is currently being played on local stations
90.1 FM, 90.9 FM, & News Levels Radio.
*first project "Seven" was released 5/07/2011
*the Owner of Natural Chick Epidemic Youtube Vlog which currently has
6000+ subscribers and averages 2400+ views per day
One of my most recent performances with at Houston's Hip Hop Fest. I
performed along with two Hip Hop artist. Mac from Undergravity and
Dante Higgins. It was fun as always, I love to do Hip Hop shows! I
always have to sing a little harder though, and put in a few extra
growls to please the crowd! LOL!

8.Where can we find the bands music? 
You can listen to my full album
at http://www.msaliciajames.com

 
9.What advice would you give to others who wanted to go natural or
live a more natural based lifestyle?
I would just say do what makes you happy. Everyone is going to have
their own opinon, but how you feel about it, is the most important
thing in the end. ;)

10.What’s your favorite quote? 
Honestly the quote that had the most
impact on my life was "The cure to fear is Action"
My life hasn't been the same since I found that quote!:)

PLEASE SUPPORT ALICIA SHE'S AWESOME!!!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/naturalchickepidemic
Listen to full album at: http://www.msaliciajames.com 

Black hair magazines : When will Natural hair take over?

It’s a Saturday morning; you’re in a local drugstore walking around the woman magazine shelves. Looking like an alive Cuckoo clock, your eyes rapidly move back and forth looking for a natural hair care magazine. Your eyes finally land on the small section where 2-3 Black hair magazines reside. Reaching for the magazine with the cover of a model sporting a multi-colored streak bob on the front, you soon realize that it was quite pointless trying to find any type of inspiration for any fly, fresh hairstyles for natural hair.

It is extremely clear that natural hair care is not incorporated in publications. In the majority of magazines, once you hit the hair section the most natural style you find is on a racially ambiguous model with loose curls and/or they will have medium wave textured hair. Not saying that any of our black publications do not cater to the need of natural hair but only having 2-5 pages a month leaves us yearning for more. The pleasure of being able to sign up for a monthly subscription and have funky and healthy styles for you waiting in your mailbox would be treasure that numerous women would enjoy.

Since natural women do not have too many print options to cater to their needs, technology plays a vital role in connecting information to the modern day natural woman. With an online community of YouTube videos, bloggers and Facebook groups, natural women have taken the power back into their own hands. Coming together on our own not only displays our outcry for more knowledge of how take care of natural tresses but also shows that it’s a major void in the market that needs to be addressed. When it comes to finding new styles or tips I don’t even attempt to comb through any magazine but straight to YouTube and blogs for my hair questions, videos, tutorials, tips and product reviews.

Even though natural women’s online presence is mighty powerful, the simple fact that a magazine is definitely a need for us. Having a weekly or monthly subscription that would have all the information online condensed in a publication would be the next step to propel the acceptance of Black beauty. Every other culture has their one go to place for beauty and hair care tips, now it’s time for our turn.
So how long will it be until the natural hair care takes over or are included in Black hair magazines?

Thank you CoCO and Cream for such a great article:)
- Ellisa Oyewo