Rapzilla recently interviewed New York-based artist Sheena about her new self-titled release.
Rapzilla: What is your vision for this project?
Sheena: I want this project to be a voice for the broken. I feel like the journey to empowerment begins with brokenness.
RZ: Who is your target audience?
S: I feel that I connect with both however my target for this project is to speak into women’s lives in order to get women to come together more and be encouraged.
RZ: When creating songs, what is your thought process?
S: I actually like to compile all of the struggles of what married and single women have told me, and then put them into song form. I want to make songs that can impact them directly.
RZ: What big change did you experience when creating this project?
S: Sometimes you lose your identity when you have a lot of people telling you what you should do and how you should do it. I feel like on this project I really got to be myself and display Sheena.
RZ: How long has Christ been an influence in your life?
S: It wasn’t until my first mission trip when I was 19 years old that I really encountered who Christ was in my life.
RZ: Where did the mission trip take place and who was involved?
S: The mission trip was under the leadership of Nicki Cruz Outreach under a group titled T.R.U.C.E. in Oslo, Norway.
RZ: How did being a part of T.R.U.C.E. impact your life?
S: Being a part of the ministry of T.R.U.C.E. was a huge stepping block that made things a lot easier from stage presence, to community outreach, to having music focused around ministry.
RZ: What was your favorite activity to do with T.R.U.C.E. overseas?
S: When we went oversees in the cities, we would do these things called “Hit and Runs” in the city where we would pick a spot, play really cool beats and have break dancers dance so a crowd would come. Once a crowd began to gather around us, we would then begin to show them the gospel with our music followed by an alter call.
RZ: What happened during your most memorable “hit and run?”
S: There was a time I was in excruciating pain due to my back. However, I decided to ignore my personal problem and pray for others who were feeling pain. During that process of praying for others in spite of my pain, I felt a surge in my back and immediately all the pain left me and I was healed. It was a true encounter with God.
Follow @iamsheenamusic on Twitter.
