It was Cipherella’s captivating visuals in her new music video for her song “Moments” that caught my attention. The video’s concept was so intriguing because we all have that one friend who’s always calling asking for money or the friend that wants to talk about their relationship 24/7 — Moments is the byproduct of encounters like those. The idea that we all want a moment to unplug ourselves from having to listen to everyone’s problems and never getting a chance to introspect, or even talk about our problems resonates. We all need a moment to “zone in and zone out and be bout what [we’re] bout.” What began as merely a diary entry has evolved into a music video that keeps you in tune. But don’t take my word for it, check it out below. With that, it was only right to get to know Cipherella a bit.
Cipherella considers herself a musical genius, who always knew she was destined to be someone of a great caliber as a child. She began playing the guitar in her youth and wrote to express herself. After a tornado had destroyed her home in Alabama, she decided to move to NYC four years ago and pursue her music career. Living in Alabama, Cipherella felt the scene was stagnant, as she only got to experience a limited amount of cultures coexisting at once. The cultural expansion that Cipherella sought after was found in NYC because of the abundance of cultures present there. It has shaped her outlook and impacted the content within her music. As a female hip-hop artist, she aspires to pave the way.
As a woman in a “predominantly male” industry do you feel it’s your job to advocate?
It’s not my “responsibility” to talk about issues, but I do regardless. Some people do it because it seems to be a trend, I do it because it’s about self-expression, but it’s not my job, too. Many don’t realize that you can support and advocate in silence.
You’re a writer whose outlet is music, are you into any other mediums like poetry?
Absolutely– I host an open mic at NuYorican’s Poets Café. But, I’ve never been a poet specifically. It’s funny; actually, I used to consider myself a poet and then one of my friends checked me on it. Simply because she asked me why did I think I was a poet and I was like, “well have you listened to the lyrics of my songs.” And she was like “well listen to what you just said… poets don’t make their music directly to music… Poets don’t have hooks” Well some of them do but yea. So, I stopped calling myself a poet, because I’m not a poet. I don’t ever want to disrespect their craft like that. I am not a poet, but I love poetry.
So, you majored in psychology, why didn’t you pursue a career in psych?
Honestly, I think I’m still doing something with psych. Because you can understand what the generation is going through just by what the generation as a whole subscribes to. So, I try to incorporate that into my music regarding the messages I’m relaying and the psychological effects it may have. Psychology expanded the way I incorporated social aspects into music. I produce music to relate experiences.
Mind sharing your short-term goals/ what’s coming up next?
I’ve been selected for music video competitions; it’s my goal to receive those awards. I don’t have a lot of short-term goals actually, for me it’s all about steady moving forward. I want to diversify what we have on the female platform when it comes to female MCs, and encourage other women to find their voice– I want that to be a revolving goal.
2018– I’m releasing an album. Out of 130 songs, maybe I’ve released four so far, so there’s so much to choose from. I’ll be releasing singles up until then. I’m still growing as an artist, taking the time to plan it all out.
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Cipherella is an incredibly humble, talented being. The most influential message she has left me with was– “I don’t think we ever truly find ourselves. The most we can do is work at being the best us in the now that we can be– and continue to find things that expand who we are. “
