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Indie's No. 1 Soulstress talks about holding down two careers and staying true to herself while making her fourth CD, “Still”
It’s 3:00 on a Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland and indie-soul
singer/songwriter Conya Doss is leaving one hot spot and headed to
another. As a 7th grade special education teacher for the past 10
years, Conya has just wrapped up another day pouring into the lives of
young people. Now she’s off to pick up the masters for her upcoming CD,
“Still,” which releases in April 2008.
Whether she’s imparting
wisdom through her innate teaching talents or creative music abilities,
Conya Doss is a natural light who has truly connected with her power to
touch people at their very core. Navigating smoothly between teaching
and singing is a way of life for Conya these days—even this afternoon
as she travels the streets of Cleveland, focused and in pursuit of her
most recent musical fruit. Despite her justified excitement and urgency
to get there, she readily reserves time to breathe, smile and share
with VERTICAL FIX.
“The two are parallel. Both music and
teaching inspire me in different ways,” Conya says. “When I need a
break away from the music, the education side kicks in, and vice versa.”
Behind the Song…
The
woman behind the soul song is a woman with many gifts. After earning a
chemistry degree, Conya set out to attend dental school at Case Western
Reserve University in Cleveland. She naturally enjoyed working with
children throughout high school and college and wanted to carry that
over into pediatric dentistry. In the interim, while further
researching the field and doing a little bit of music too, she became a
substitute teacher. Eventually, her ingenious method of reaching the
kids in a formal learning environment outweighed her dental career
aspirations. “I ended up substitute teaching at that school for two and
a half years, and the principal wouldn’t let me leave,” she laughs.
“Once you’re there that long, you may as well get certified.” And that
she did, giving the educator within permission to flourish.
So, which is her first love—music or education?
“I’d
have to say music. I love the children, but when you’re given a gift
that comes effortlessly…not saying teaching doesn’t come effortlessly,
but I do have to put in the work. For me, music just comes at any given
time. They are both gifts, and I am truly blessed, but all day I’m
hearing a melody.”
Soul Music Majesty…
In Cleveland,
Ms. Doss changes the lives of her students in the classroom. But with
her music, she commands the attention of a massive international
following that can’t seem to get enough of her soul brilliance. While
she’s incorporating Nina Simone tunes into her lesson plans for the
day, fans from around the world are humming and swaying and bobbing
their heads to classic Conya, eagerly anticipating the arrival of her
new CD.
In all of her soul music majesty, Conya Doss stands
atop the throne of indie rhythm and grooves. Since her debut record, “A
Poem About Ms. Doss,” released in 2002, she has planted an indelible
foundation for the landscape of this new generation of soul music. With
Conya Doss in my ear, I happily withdraw from all of life’s hang-ups,
issues and ills. Pulling from albums past, I can always count on my
anthem, “Find a Way,” to give me water when I’ve been depleted…
What
can I do when my best ain’t enough//I just throw my hands up//Like,
“What?”//There’s nothing I can do about it//It’s out of my hands//So I
just pray about it//I don’t know the plan….
Still…
But
this latest project offers even more of what we love about Conya
Doss—the engaging simplicity of her signature vocals, timeless lyrics
and soulful melodies. Songs like “What I’d Do…”, “Can’t Stop”, “Turn it
Up,” “Ride” and “Let Me Love You” are a few VERTICAL FIX choice tracks.
But it’s the love letter, or “Message” to her fans that falls into the
Best of Conya Doss category. “It was my way of saying ‘thank you’ to
the people who supported me when I didn’t really support myself,” she
explains.
While “Still” represents yet another soul music
staple for Conya Doss, it also stands as her solid proclamation of
authenticity and freedom.
“Even though in my life and in my
whole duration of music, there has been a constant evolution of change
around me, I manage to stay grounded and stick to what I believe in.
Even at the independent level, when I’m told, “You need to do this
differently or you need to do that,” I remain steadfast. Even though
I’m four albums deep, I’m ‘still’ the same Conya Doss, doing what I
like to do.”
She shares valuable lessons learned that have made her better, stronger and wiser in the making of her fourth project…
“My
first record, ‘A Poem About Ms. Doss’ is one of my favorites, but I
like this new record just as much as the first one. I [previously]
started taking on a lot of the business, but with this record, I have a
better grasp on things; I’ve learned how to balance it all out. With
‘Love Rain Down’, I was just getting there, and was totally clueless on
how everything worked trying to be an independent [artist].
“Even
with the last record, I learned that you need to stay in your lane. Do
what you do and I’ll do what I do best. I had these distractions all
the time, like, ‘that’s not good enough,’ so this time I wouldn’t let
anyone hear this record until I was done. Even the producers of the
music, I told them, ‘after I’m done with the vocals, I’ll give you a
mix of it.’ People can sometimes deter you from your vision. Especially
when they think they know, ‘Oh, this is what you need to do.’ No, I
know what I need to do, and if I fall flat on my face it’s because of
me, not anybody else. So that’s why I said I had a complete sense of
freedom with this record…I did what I wanted to do, on my own time.
“People
don’t understand, when you work with other people, you’re losing a bit
of yourself. Yes, you have to compromise and yes, you have to learn how
to be a team player, but sometimes people can kind of take you away
from your creativity. This go around, people left me alone, and I let
it flow.”
As Conya kicks off promotions for “Still” in
London and Switzerland, she’s likely rounding up new ideas and
inspiration to reach her students when she gets back to the States.
Yes, for Ms. Doss, there’s a never-ending power connection between the
music she creates and the lessons she teaches. Two careers, one vision….
“Every
day I pray to be used as a vessel to bestow positivity on someone’s
life,” says Conya. “That’s what I strive for, to reach someone.”
©2008 VERTICAL FIX, LLC
VERTICAL FIXTM
is an online magazine and internet radio experience created to empower
readers while giving listeners a 24/7, constantly evolving stream of
soulful grooves anchored by lyrical content that is honest and
inspiring. www.verticalfix.com.
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