Today we’d like to introduce you to Imani McCullough. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Imani McCullough (born February 8th, 2000) professionally known as N’shai Iman is an American R&B singer-songwriter from Detroit Michigan currently living in Columbus, Ohio. Growing up in a music-oriented family, she was constantly surrounded by music. Utilizing music as an emotional outlet, the young artist began writing in her early adolescent years. Writing to lo-fi beats, Imani began expressing her inner voice, finding her sound, and sharing it with the world when she recorded and released her first single Do Not Disturb in 2019 under her previous artist’s name I M an N I. Now her new EP Transition truly captures a unique indie R&B pop sound. She takes inspiration from great singers and songwriters such as H.E.R, Ari Lennox, Syd, Daniel Ceasar, and Amy Winehouse.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As an independent artist, you basically do most of the work yourself. All the components of writing and creating a song, finding an engineer, finding the right beat, being able to promote yourself to wide audience and etc. is hard work and pricey. And on top of that, I am also a full-time college student who is working two part-time jobs so this can definitely be a challenge. But luckily for me I like challenges and with such a strong support system on my shoulders, those obstacles I have in front of me don’t really faze me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a singer-songwriter. I’ve been creating songs ever since I was a little kid but started taking it seriously around 2018. The project I am most proud of is my most recent EP called Transition. I definitely got out of my comfort zone for this project and it helped me connect with other artists around my area. I would say my way of singing is a little different compared to others. I am an R&B singer that likes to add rapping components into my songs. Like a Lauryn Hill-type vibe. I love singing on different beats and trying different styles of singing.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’ve definitely loving use Spotify and YouTube to find new artists and music producers. These apps give me inspiration for new song ideas and flows. Also, On Spotify, there is a playlist of Lofi beats that I listen to help me get out of a funk or just to help me work in general. Lofi type beats actually got me into my music career in the first place. I use to sing my own melodies to the 24-hour lo-fi beat channel on YouTube back in 2018. This inspired me to start writing songs to the beats.
Contact Info:
- Email: imanimac101@gmail.com
- Website: https://imanimac.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nshaiiman/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCj5kYvl-HPNnbylrxUu5jDg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/1f6wR8yAiTwq15br7
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Nshaiiman
Image Credits
Jacob Sanders
Abe Timbo
