Meet one of Charlotte’s fastest rising vocal stars, Cyanca. The young alternative soul artist with a sultry sound reminiscent of Sade Adu, Lauryn Hill and Nina Simone, has accomplished more than many could hope to—with far less. Originally hailing from Smithfield, North Carolina, Cyanca grew up with her grandparents. She was raised with an old school ideology, and the belief that having access to fewer resources doesn’t make you deprived or disadvantaged, it only makes you more creative.
The cover for Cyanca’s 2019 release I’m Staying Home may look familiar to Charlotteans who’ve spent any time at Hygge, a local co-working space.
“The things I put out, I do that with little to no resources,” Cyanca told The Block. “People in the industry are like ‘that’s the best cover I’ve seen.’ And we did it for free.”
The 3-track project offers listeners am open window into Cyanca’s private reflections of her family history, and the importance of Home. The ear-grabbing beats and airy vocals, transport you through spaces of time made up of the artist’s own memories and experiences. It was also this LP that caught the attention of editors at Teen Vogue who contacted Cyanca for a feature alongside 3 other emerging stars, including actress Analise Scarpaci, drag artist Voxigma Lo, and media personality Em Odesser.
“They really treated me like a star,” she said. “Like I was Beyonce or something. Food everywhere, liquor. I mean it was crazy. That was a pivotal moment for me.”
Cyanca’s recent release The Isle of Queens Deluxe, includes remixes of her popular tracks New Phone, Who Dis featuring Durand Bernarr, and Eat featuring Charlotte’s own Elevator Jay. The project is making waves that spill far outside of the Carolinas. Collaborating with small town talents, to well-known industry vets, Cyanca recognizes her reach is a blessing—being that she comes from such humble beginnings.
The harvest, however, never comes the day you sew the seeds. All of Cyanca’s hard work and resourcefulness over the last few years, will soon pay off in a major way. She is set to release a new EP under a label, that will back the project entirely.
Cyanca will spend three weeks working in Asheville at a deluxe recording studio, with access to some of the best videographers in the game. With a passion for powerful visuals, the artist is most looking forward to exercising her creativity with a bit more than her typical minimalist budget.
When asked if she was nervous being under the direction of someone else for the first time, she said:
“The only thing that’s a little new to me is that I’m on deadlines, as opposed to being on my own schedule.”
While we anticipate a full project from Cyanca to be nothing short of amazing, listeners have a healthy sampling of songs to hold them over in the meantime. You can stream The Isle of Queens Deluxe now on all streaming platforms. To catch even more from Cyanca, you can follow her at: @cyanca.is.
