Genia wants the world to know her, but not too much of her.
The 22-year-old grew up in the era of social media, where everything in public is recorded, and each user goes through a period where they regrettably overshare online. She also grew up in the small town of Victorville, California, a desolate place most people pass through to get to Las Vegas.
Genia uses music to express all of her feelings, as in the single “Let Me Wander,” where she tells a former love interest to let go of any hope of them making something work.
The single will be on her next EP, 4AM in the Ville, a sequel to her debut mixtape, 4PM in the Ville. The project is set to release on April 19. Ahead of its release, Genia spoke to rolling out about her sound and song-making process.
What are your thoughts going into the release of this new project?
I’m just so over the moon about it. I honestly had so much fun creating this EP, and I’m just ready for everyone to hear it.
I’m honestly most excited for people to hear my voice in a different light. On my first EP, 4PM in the Ville, it was really serious. Very boom bap. Very hip-hop inspired. I wasn’t singing as much as I am on the second EP.
What have you learned from heartbreak?
I’ve learned it’s a process you have to go through.
It’s very uncomfortable, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. The main thing I learned from heartbreak is you fall out of love with yourself in the process, and you have to fall back in love with yourself for you. Heartbreak is an emotional roller coaster. You go through so many different stages: anger, sadness, feeling like you’re on top of the world again, and then being reminded about that person and being angry again. You just have to really take the time to heal yourself and stay within yourself and let those emotions in. You don’t need to block it out; just feel the emotions, let them in. And eventually, I feel like it gets easier to deal with.
Where did you grow as an artist from your last project to this one?
I’ve grown so much.
Like I said, the first EP was so serious. It touched base on personal things that were going on within my childhood growing up. The second tape, I was able to open up in such a different way and talk about love, which is something I never did on the first tape. I never really knew how to talk about it, and I feel the experiences I went through after my first EP allowed me to write the second EP.
What does it mean to you to be a Def Jam artist?
It is such an honor. Def Jam is such an iconic label… They’ve always been so supportive of what I want to do and try to figure out how to hone the creative I’m trying to work with and push it out to the best ability.
What three words describe your sound?
I’d say futuristic, vulnerable, and angelic because I use so much falsetto in my music.
