Growing up between Chicago and St. Louis before making New York her home, R&B artist Courtnie explores
love, relationships and self acceptance through her soulful melodies. We caught up with the talented singer and asked her the 5 songs that have influenced her.
Check out the tracks below:
Cranes in the Sky by Solange
This song came at a point where I was experiencing a tough time in my relationship and was projecting a lot of personal insecurities onto other people and facets of my life. I thought maybe if I ended things I could clear my head and just start over. I remember feeling so confused, broken, and alone. Solange dropped this album and throughout the first listen I was sobbing uncontrollably in my apartment.
Some of my favorite lyrics:
I tried to run it away Thought then my head be feeling clearer I traveled 70 states
Thought moving ’round make me feel better
I tried to let go my lover
Thought if I was alone then maybe I could recover
To hear an artist articulate things I couldn’t find the words was incredibly pivotal and healing.
Be Your Girl by Teedra Moses (Kaytranada Remix)
I discovered Kaytranada during the Soundcloud era and when I first started writing songs, and it’s a dream of mine that he’ll remix one of them one day! Being from Chicago and growing up listening to my Dad play a lot of House music, I feel a really deep connection to Kaytranada’s style which has a lot of these remnants. His music also reminds me of one of the most creative times in my life – I was just a baby and I’ll always be super inspired by his sound.
Skin Tight by Mr. Eazi
I’ve always been about the pan-African movement, and I’ve been exposed to a lot of different types of music across the African diaspora for as long as I can remember. When I heard this song it was like something clicked in my head about Afrobeats being on the verge of taking off and going more “mainstream”. My African sisters and brothers never needed the rest of the world to catch on because they (we) will always be the originators. In addition to this track making me feel like I’m in Lagos or Accra on a holiday, it also gets me excited about how black people across the world will unite and grow to understand each other with time. Plus, it’s super sensual.
Everything’s Good (Good Ass Outro) by Chance the Rapper
When I Come Around by Dom Kennedy
Living in LA for four years impacted me in so many ways and between Dom’s flow and his strong accent, this always makes me nostalgic and takes me back to some of the best memories. It makes me feel so lighthearted and carefree! Might as well drop the top!
Make sure to listen to Courtnie’s latest track, ‘What’s Up’.
