Renaissance Woman Antonique Smith

Making Boss Moves

A GREAT DAY IN HOLLYWOOD

As the interview ensued for this 3.5 octave, soprano, alto AND tenor vocalist, actor and activist, Antonique Smith was in her home state of East Orange, New Jersey  preparing to speak and sing at The Confluence Gala, where corporate leaders who are in the 1% of the wealthy, gathered to hear about climate change; environmental justice, clean energy alternatives and health solutions for residents impacted by high rates of heart disease, asthma and cancer caused by neighborhood oil-drilling, corporate dumping and power plant emissions.

Smith is not some wild-child, tree-hugger in the pejorative sense. Known as the impassioned voice of the climate change movement, this Grammy-nominated vocal powerhouse is using her talents to speak for the voiceless and to chart her own path to success in film and TV, and the only way she knows how to execute it is to keep the process and delivery 100% R E A L.

SHE’S THE ONE

Most famous for her role in the 2009 hip/hop and R&B love story, Notorious, as the beloved lead female role of Faith Evans, Smith nabbed that role with a deep knowing that it was hers to begin with and a fighting determination to prove to the director and producer that she was thee perfect talent to portray Evans with grit, and sex appeal and to deliver a believable performance, where loyal fans and viewers who were holding a microscopic lense to her performance would embrace and herald her work with rave reviews.  

RENAISSANCE WOMAN

Before crowdfunding became wildly popular, in 2012 Antonique became the first African-American soloist to raise $50K, in 30 days, using Kickstarter to finance her EP project, Love is Everything. As if raising this type of capital in such a short amount of time wasn’t enough of a boss move, her single, Hold Up Wait a Minute (Woo-Woo), went on to receive a Grammy nom.  

Read the rest of the interview in our print issue here.

Chauna Sumpter

A New York native, Chauna Sumpter is a devoted single mom, by choice, of a performing artist and figure skater. She earned her communications degree from NC State University and hosted the Jazz morning show host at 88.9 FM, in Raleigh. Chauna seeks to connect and engage with women by writing about personal triumphs through loss, dialing in to destiny, single motherhood in general and in Hollywood, practical helps, beauty, cooking at home, and health and wellness.