Category Archives: Updates

Thank you Nyota Magazine

January 3, 2016Music, press, Updatescecily, december, interview, nyota magazineCecily

I would like to thank Niara and Carol Wright for featuring me in their December issue of Nyota Magazine. I met up with them in New Jersey in November on my way up to NYC. We met for about 3 hours, talked about my inspirations, my goals, my influences, my challenges, and my triumphs.

Next, we walked around the quaint town of Haddonfield for a photo shoot. I even did some Christmas shopping at their mom’s boutique House of Flair.

Read my full interview at http://issuu.com/nyotamagazine/docs/final_mag

Follow NYOTA Mag on IG @NyotaMagazine and on Tumblr at http://nyotamagazine.tumblr.com

How Sound Affects

August 10, 2015Journal Entries, Music, press, Updates, writingblog post, bob marley, dad, family, growing up, influences, jackson 5, memory, mom, sister, sound affects, sound effects, zz hillCecily

I wrote a blog post for the site Sound Effects responding to the question:

How does sounds effect you?

My response:

Sound is memory….

Sound has made me who I am. I was raised on sound – ordered sound, what we call music: Jackson 5 in the morning, ZZ Hill in the afternoon, Bob Marley at bedtime. These sounds were as much a part of my life as the music of my mother’s jingling bangles, my father’s melodic whistling around the house, and my sister’s tap dancing down the hall way.

My Interview with Discover My Voice

August 10, 2015Music, Updatesdiscover my voice, dmv, ghana, influences, interview, Live Performance, Real Love, taka winter, travel, uk, youtube seriesCecily

I recently sat down with Taka Winter for his youtube series Discover My Voice. We discussed my influences, my travels, and I performed my original song “Real Love.”

Check it out!

Thank you Singersroom!

July 24, 2015Music, press, Updatescecily ep, minnie riperton, nostalgic, old school, review, singersroom, soothing, teedra moses, write upCecily

I just want to thank DJ Jus Music and Singersroom.com for writing about my EP. Here’s an excerpt:

“Cecily describes her sound as Minnie Riperton meets Teedra Moses, and we couldn’t agree more. The Washington, DC-based singer-songwriter releases her self-titled debut EP, a blend of Old School, R&B, Folk, and Jazz that’s welcoming to the ears.

Packed with five songs and a bonus track (A cover of Mary J. Blige’s “Everything” by way of The Stylistics’ “You Are Everything”), Cecily delivers a body of work that’s soothing and nostalgic.”

Aural Advocacy Spotlight

June 3, 2015Music, Updatesaural advocacy, black music month, ear candy, feature, gypsy soul, heartfelt, songwriter, soprano, spotlight, sugaryCecily

Shoutout to Gypsy Soul Entertainment for including me in their Aural Advocacy Campaign to celebrate Black Music Month. Please support this project by spreading the word. They will be featuring an artist each day this month. Follow their Tumblr & Instagram to follow along, and be introduced to talented black musicians!

11311554_482683308575254_130630220_n — Cecily gives you bite sized but power packed bursts of Ear Candy. Her Soprano is sugary, light, and her lyrics are heartfelt. She uses acoustic soul music to tell stories with the hope of inspiring others to be vulnerable. Though she’s been studying music for over 10 years, she’s still growing and blossoming. Her newest project, Cecily just dropped last month. Lend it your ears.

My Interview on Sankofa Community Affairs

June 2, 2015Music, Updatesblack history, clear channel radio, commercialism, interview, movement music, national black united front, nbuf, salim adofo, sankofa, sankofa community affairs, swarthmore, youtubeCecily

A few weeks ago I did an interview with Salim Adofo, one of the leaders of the National Black United Front, a community organization that helps feed, educate, organize, and uplift Black people. We discussed commercialism, movement music, and my education. He also showed my video “Too Much” and a live performance of my song “Pisces.”

Check it out. When he asked if I was interested in commercial success, what did you expect me to say?

I was on the Ion Network

June 2, 2015Music, Uncategorized, Updatesblack butterfly, bonnie mcdaniel, interview, ion network, metro magazine, singing, tv appearanceCecily

This was pretty cool. Watching yourself on TV is always a little surreal.

I appeared on the show Metro Magazine hosted by Bonnie McDaniel. It was a truly enjoyable interview experience. She’s so personable and was very easy to talk to. We discussed my upbringing, my training, lessons I learned from my parents, and the recent uprising in Baltimore. I also sang a little bit of “Black Butterfly” (you know that’s one of my favorites!).

Here’s a few pictures and clips I recorded while watching it on my TV. Watch a short video clip here >>>> Singing Black Butterfly

Hoping to do many more interviews soon! I do like talking lol

The Cecily EP is here!

May 15, 2015Music, Updatescecily ep, ep, fan, listen, music, new music, project, soundcloudCecily

Woo it’s been a long week in the best way possible!

I’ve been getting so much positive feedback from fans & friends & family. I’ve been doing interviews & discussing the project a lot. It feels good! Yea! 🙂

Take a listen! Let me know which is your favorite song!

Friends & Music: My Listening Get-Together

May 9, 2015Music, Updatesalison carney, cecily ep, deborah bond, kimberly hines, listening party, new music, soulbounceCecily

This past Thursday, I invited some friends over to listen to my new album. I cooked, we ate, we listened. It was so fun & it really touched me how much they all loved the music! I can’t wait for the world to hear!

Did you get your pre-order yet? You can order the digital or physical copy right now & it’ll be sent to you next week. Visit my Bandcamp for the exclusive pre-order: https://cecilymusic.bandcamp.com

Last night I invited some friends over to hear my new album. They liked it Thank you @borabond & @iamalisoncarney for coming through! My DC sisters in song! #DCLadies #DCArtists #newmusic #CecilyEP #Cecily #oldsoul #freshvoice #listeningparty Pre-order the album at http://cecilymusic.bandcamp.com (link in my bio) — Some of my DC Sisters in Song – Deborah Bond & Alison Carney. Both amazing artists. Check them out!

Me loving up on @buttasoul ! Thank you for coming out & showing love! Last night was fun #soulbounce #soulmusic #newmusic #CecilyEP #listeningparty #oldsoul #freshvoice #feelgoodmusic — Me & Ms. Kimberly Hines, Editor-In-Chief of Soulbounce.com

Shout out to my parents for letting me throw my little shindig in our beautiful home!

Let’s talk about the album…

May 6, 2015Music, Updatesalethea russell, behind the scenes, cecily ep, commentary, inspiration, long distance relationships, music, new music, one honest nation, recording, songwriting, studio, track by track, video, youtubeCecily

Hey loves,

So I decided to record a video talking about each song on my EP: my inspiration for each song; who I worked with; what it was like in the studio; how each song makes me feel, etc.

Check out Part One:

I can’t wait for you to hear this album in its entirety. As you can tell, it’s been a labor of love for the past few years, and I’m finally ready for you all to hear these stories & melodies!

This video was recorded & edited by the wonderful Alethea Russell of One Honest Nation.
I’ll be posting Part Two next week!

Baltimore’s energy is incredible!

May 6, 2015Updatesaudience, baltimore, band, bmore, chaka khan, fertile ground, open mic, organic soul, sangin, springtime, sweet thing, vocalistCecily

Last night I went to the Organic Soul Open Mic in Baltimore. It happens every 3 months at the Downtown Cultural Center, which is a great space. I’ve been to a lot of open mics, and each one has its own vibe, but I gotta say, this one seemed special. Maybe I’m just not familiar enough with Baltimore and all their open mics are this live. Or maybe after the events of the last 2 weeks, everyone just needed to release. The crowd was engaged and supportive of each artist. The house band was killing (former members of Fertile Ground, a Baltimore band you need to know).

I sang Chaka Khan’s Sweet Thing, one of my favorites. It was all love. Thank you Baltimore! Shoutout to my Recording Academy chapter member Von Vargas for snapping a photo. I’m horrible at documenting things lol.

Just performed at the #OrganicSoul open mic in #Baltimore. Did some Chaka Khan. It's live in here! Thanks for the love #Bmore And thank you @vonvargas for the photo! #openmic #livemusic #musicshowcase #dmv #vocalist #CecilyEP #Cecily #oldsoul #freshvoice #ChakaKhan #SweetThing #springtime #legsout — #OrganicSoulTuesdays #BmoreLove #sangin #springtime #legsout