10 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Sevyn Streeter [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]
While it may seem like singer Sevyn Streeter has been on the scene for a minute because of the consistent songs she releases and stages she's performed on, she hasn't even released her debut album yet. On the Verge, which will be released through Atlantic Records, is on the way. Bold with her declarations on love and lust in her music, Streeter seems serene and almost zen-like as she describes her relationship with her career.
“I’m on the verge of something beautiful,” she tells The Boombox. “I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I don’t take having a record deal lightly at all. All my life I’ve just wanted to put out an album and we’re finally here. I can’t wait to go on this journey with my fans.”
The songs she’s written -- for herself and for some of hip-hop and R&B’s most talented -- come from a place of honesty and vulnerability. Streeter admits her inability to fake the funk. “I can’t control it. I honestly wish that I could have a shitty day and go in and write a happy song or have a happy day and write a sad ballad. It doesn’t work that way for me. I literally write however I feel and I’ve learned to embrace it and not run from it,” she says.
She promises On the Verge will showcase that very honesty as well as not so subtle hints about her relationship with rapper B.o.B. While he doesn’t make a cameo on the album, she’s teamed up with Chris Brown on “Don’t Kill the Fun” and August Alsina on an upcoming single called “Been a Minute." While she’s an open book in her music, here are 10 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Sevyn Streeter.
- 1
Streeter is on her third record deal.
Her upcoming album, On the Verge, will be released on Atlantic Records but Streeter has previously been on Jive and Interscope's rosters for past projects. "I refuse to let anything kill this moment. All my life I've just wanted to put out an album," she tells The Boombox. "Third time’s the charm and were finally here."
- 2
She has a songwriting alter ego.
While her album is honest and personal, the singer approaches her finished projects from the standpoint of a writer. "I allow myself to emotionally create them but once the song was finished, I put emotional Sevyn over there and songwriter Sevyn came in and said, 'Okay, is that part catchy enough? Is that B section strong enough? Is that melody okay?'"
- 3
When it comes to protesting, she is neither a Martin nor a Malcolm.
In light of the country's most recent racial divide, Streeter reflects on the most effective way to protest: using your voice. "Write letters, write poetry, sing a song. If you have an opinion and a voice, get into politics," she states. "And if you want to march from here to Selma, I think you should. I'm all for all of that. Just do it in a peaceful manner."
- 4
Beyonce would be her president.
As Obama's term in office is winding down, presidential election buzz has begun. Streeter believes our next leader should be a female and a musician since music is the universal language. Beyonce, she reasons, has already brought the world together in ways most people could not.
- 5
B.o.B. thinks she's a sorcerer.
When it comes to her beau, rapper B.o.B., has a special way he looks at her. "He calls me 'Magic' because of my name. The number seven follows me everywhere. Every time I see a seven I send [a picture] to him and he’s like, 'I told you, you’re like magic.'"
- 6
Tamar Braxton took one of the songs she loves.
Having penned hits for the likes of Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland and Alicia Keys, Streeter admits how attached she is to "All the Way Home", which she wrote for Tamar Braxton. "I love that song so much," says Sevyn. "I didn’t want to give it someone who couldn’t pull it off or take it to a whole 'nother level. And she did."
- 7
Spirituality is an important aspect of her life.
"I'm a Jesus follower. I just believe I don’t do things the way I think God would want me to do them," the Florida native reveals. She expresses how she wishes for her fans to take themselves less seriously and realize that every new day means being on the verge of something beautiful.
- 8
Her boyfriend's way with instruments inspires her.
Streeter says she is inspired by her man creatively, especially by his endeavors as a multi-instrumentalist. "He’ll come back from out of town and he has this new instrument at his studio that… kind of like a round bowl-looking thing but it’s like a xylophone. You hit the inside of it and everytime you hit someplace different, it has a different sound," she shares, inspired by his sense of adventure when creating beats in his home studio.
- 9
If you're putting her inside a box, she's fighting her way out.
"I don’t like people to put me in a box," the 28-year-old discloses. "I don’t think people in general should ever be put in a box. Especially speaking musically. I feel like that sometimes happens with urban acts. They only want you to sing urban music and I don’t believe anybody should limit yourself."
- 10
She would pull a Nicki and Meek.
Hip-hop's newest couple Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill are set to go on tour together in July, a move that this entertainer wouldn't mind following with her own boo. "I absolutely would go on tour with someone I'm with," Streeter admits. "Especially if I was a fan of theirs before we ever started dating. I’ve been a fan of [B.o.B.]’s for a really long time and we’ve been friends for a really long time."