Wayna’s love of music began at an early age. The Ethiopian-born singer-songwriter emigrated from her home country to the United States as a toddler and was immediately drawn to the popular music of the era. She would go on to become a Grammy-nominated artist and now, Wayna has established herself as one of the most respected indie artists in music. She says what has set her apart is her honesty. “I would say it’s the content — the storytelling,” she says. “I really try to tell the stories that aren’t normally talked about. To be a voice for people who don’t normally have a voice.”
Her biggest strength — vulnerability — can sometimes be perceived as a weakness, but Wayna understood early on the power her sincerity had with audiences. “I tend to err on the side of being too vulnerable rather than not. I found … that people really respond to that honesty,” she says, “as long as it’s for the sake of being honest and not for the sake of exploiting anything.”
One of the first songs she wrote was an ode to her mother, “Mama’s Sacrifice.” “[It] was about what it was like being raised by a single mom and it was just basically seeing her struggle to give me a good life, but so many people related to the story and my being vulnerable just let other people feel more comfortable to let their guard down and say ‘You know, I went through the same thing,’ ” she says.
Wayna has a clear understanding of the amount of work that goes into being a successful artist — especially an independent artist.
“Being an independent artist, you’re constantly doing something for your career,” she shares. “You don’t have a team of people, so you’re constantly ‘on.’ … You almost have to be all-consumed by it in order to really make a go of it.” –todd williams
