Meet Gwen Yvette | Artist & Entertainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gwen Yvette and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gwen Yvette, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking is a major factor in what I have been able to achieve as an entertainer. I had to have crazy faith and be willing to bet it all because the deck is stacked against me in many regards. I am a more “seasoned” artist, who has always had issues with weight and has suffered from depression. Being older has certainly worked in my favor because I am less impressionable and naive as I was when I pursued being a singer at a young age. I am more comfortable in my own skin than I have ever been, and that is a bi-product of my stage of life as well. As women we tend to live our younger lives focused on what matters most to those around us. As we age, we tend to care less and less about that, and place our energies around what makes us happy. I recognized that it was a risk to become an artist late in life. I also had no delusions about what it meant to be “heavy”. I realized that dreams don’t always come true. However, the fire that burned in me to become Gwen Yvette and to write music, tour and perform, was not one that would allow me to sit on it. I had done that long enough. I took a risk in resigning from my career in education at 44 in pursuit of my dreams. I had faith that the Most High would order my steps and I took the leap! I have been leaping ever since. It hasn’t always been easy, but I would do it all again. The right people at the right time have shown up, used their power, ability, and influence to help me. I know that is by divine design, and I am eternally grateful.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

As a child, I knew I wanted to be a singer. I grew to love Aretha, Gladys and Betty, but when I was a young girl, I would sing in the mirror with Whitney most. Shortly after losing my Dad, Whitney died prematurely and suddenly in early 2012, and and my whole world shook. The dream that I had allow to simmer for so long on the back burner was now burning incessantly within me. I tried it when I was 18, young and full of dreams. I moved to NJ to be near NYC and I was ready to become a big star. I met with several producers back then and they all had the same response. You have a beautiful voice, but you don’t have the look. The “look” was the exact opposite of my appearance in that I was always a fluffy girl. After hearing this again and again, I gave up. I came home and joined the workforce, centering my life around being married and having a family. Having my dreams of becoming a mother dashed at 30 when I had a hysterectomy following an endometrial cancer diagnosis, I fell into a depression unlike anything I had ever experienced. Thirties were the hardest years for me. I was married, in love and wanted nothing more than to bear children for my husband, but I couldn’t do that. I had accomplished nothing and it was overwhelming. I wasn’t a singer. I wasn’t a mother. I had no education beyond high school. I decided to focus on what I could change about those three dynamics that were giving me such grief-my education. I relentlessly pursued higher education and earned several degrees- an Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Master of Science in Human Services and another Masters degree in Education, School Counseling and Guidance. I was three courses, comps and dissertation away from a PHD before I pivoted and returned to my first love-music. This music journey has not been easy, far from it. The way that I chose to do it was by walking away from everything else and putting myself in position to do this successfully or starve (lol), was a big risk, but it was grounded in faith. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, or when, but I knew, I KNEW, I would. I had faith that leaving a steady paycheck and being reliant upon what I can make happen as an entertainer to generate income, would work in my favor. It hasn’t always looked like it, but it worked. It certainly hasn’t been the prettiest picture at times, but it is one that I would paint all over again because what I get from being on stage I don’t get anywhere else. The exchange between artist and audience is indescribable. The give and take, the sharing, its immeasurable. With the degrees I have earned there are jobs that I could do that I would like and could make much more money doing. However, what I get from singing from my soul and having that received by others is simply priceless.

I always encourage audiences to pursue their dreams. If you hear nothing else that I have said, hear that. Never let anyone tell you that you are too fat, too skinny, too light, too dark, too tall too short- too anything! If you have a dream inside of you, and you know that its bigger than you-pursue. Take the leap and make it happen. You being exactly who you are is your super power…you’re a design original! That’s one of the best life lessons I have learned. I am in competittion with no other person outside myself. I can be inspired by others, but I compete with myself, becoming and being the best version of me. That wasn’t an easy thing to learn, but once I had that revelation, things began to look much brighter, and we’ve been growing in leaps and bounds ever since. Like the old saints used to say, “I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now”.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in paradise. St. Helena Island, is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The people, the culture, the scenery, simply divine. From the beautiful beaches to the historic sites like Penn Center, St Helena is a place to see. I didn’t always appreciate home for what it truly is-paradise. If I had a friend visiting, we’d eat at Gullah Geechee restaurants like Gullah Grub and Seaside Bar & Grill, we’d shop at K & M Boutique and visit Penn Center to tour the museum and learn about Gullah history. We’d definitely go to Ngome Afropolitan Boutique for some more shopping, as a Queen can never have too much adornment. We’d go to Jah’Lion’s Grill & Bar for the finest caribbean cuisine, and we would have no choice but to have some of my sister Aldrena’s cooking- She’s the best soulfood cook I know.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to the hardworking women who are close to me and I have witnessed triumph through their pain. MusicallyI am blessed to have women in my community who have demonstrated love and support for the village in such a manner that it is inspiring and encouraging. I would like to especially thank my Mother, Geneva McKinnon for her relentless dedication as a parent. Additionally, I would like to recognize my only, sister, Aldrena McKinnon, who is a consummate Lemonade maker! A single mother whom I have watched sacrifice and pour into her children and those around her without fail. A natural giver, she consistently supports the village-sacrificially. Finally, I salute D’Mychelle, my right hand. She is someone who’s strength encourages me and keeps me going in the moments I may not feel like it. Her sacrifices along my music journey have been nothing short of amazing and I would not be where I am today, were it not for her divine appointment in my life.

Website: www.gwenyvette.com

Instagram: @gwenyvettesoulstress

Twitter: @realgwenyvette

Facebook: @gwenyvette

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSpV_dFrklydNmeAHHZulA

Image Credits
Higher Level Photography Susan Deloach Photography Chris Coley Photography