QueenLeft
QueenLeft represents a new generation of R&B artists who balance softness with strength. Her music moves between self-reflection and bold expression, creating an authentic sound where every lyric holds meaning. With FemaleRNB, she shares her vision, influences, and the way she’s shaping her own identity in the contemporary R&B landscape.
For those who will discover you through this interview, could you tell us about your journey, from Tamara Robinson to QueenLeft, the woman and the artist you’ve become?
As a child, I use to dance, create stories, lyrics, & draw. Whatever way I could create I did. When I got older I started poetry and then decided I wanted to create music. So I’d find ways to record and it was very unique how I did so. I’d issue my karaoke machine, my iPods nano recording , my computer audacity program, I made it happen with my limited resources
At age 15, I started to go to an actual studio but after I while I took a pause on becoming an artist and decided to live and go to college.
When I came home from college, the creativity and stoats in my city encouraged me to come back to music and I became QueenLeft at 23. I’ve had a lot of phases but I feel this final one is the complete version of QueenLeft, and I’m excited to express this conversion of myself
Your music blends R&B, hip-hop, pop, and alternative sounds. Beyond genres, how would you describe the energy or message you want to share through your music?
I would describe the energy i want to share as being powerful yet harmonious. I want others to take from the experience and appreciate the stories of mine.
Your writing feels deeply connected to your emotions and personal experiences. How does your creative process usually unfold, from the first idea to the final version of a song?
I write something down if that’s what comes first
If I’m in the flow of it at the moment, I’ll find a beat and finish or continue till it’s enough. If not, I’ll pause on it till I feel my spirit calling me to go revisit and complete
Usually I change or rearrange things when recoding and take my time. If I feel the need to layer my vocals, I will. If I hear certain melodies, admins, specific harmonies, I go back and add it in. If I need to stack my vocals, I do so till it sounds sweet to my ears.
I listen to it to feel first, then see if I need to add or take out, rearrange & if not I start the mix and master process
As an independent artist, what do you see as the biggest challenges, and the greatest freedoms, that come with this path?
The biggest challenge is having to do it all by yourself with little to no support , but we are slowly building up my team. I just want to find people who are just as dedicated and disciplined as me
The greatest freedoms are my creative freedom and ownership over my artistry. I enjoy the freedom in dropping when I want,
Creating the project I want to hear in my way, and expanding in ways I can’t express my creations
What has been a key moment in your career, a performance, a meeting, or an experience that has particularly marked you?
One key moment was my first trip to Atlanta before I moved, to create my first official songs as an artists. It was the biggest highlight because that trip lead me to moving to Atlanta to pursue my music full time here
What usually guides you when choosing the sounds and emotions you want to
explore?
What guides me is whatever I’m experiencing in the moment, if something comes to me in song I jot it down or freestyle and get it recorded. I’m usually in silence so I catch myself humming melodies, creating harmonies , chants, practicing opera, whatever gets my creativity flowing. Whenever makes my soul move is what gets me
Among all the songs you’ve released so far, are there a few that feel especially meaningful or most representative of your universe?
The main one that does is Slow Ride Pt 2 because I freestyles that & I just love how it flowed. I just feel that song represents joy & just being present because that’s where I was mentally when I created it & at this point In my life
Your latest project, Phoenix Rising: The Kundalini Experience, carries a strong and spiritual title. Can you tell us how this idea came to life and what it symbolizes for you?
I was experiencing a few harsh moments in my life back to back and I was just lead to make a project that was more introspective than the last . I wanted to speak my truth, reveal my wounds, release my fears and unclaimed my shame. Those experiences thankfully lead me through my fire and in the other side I was able to heal me mean from these experiences. And through that, I alchemists and created phoenix rising be aid I feel my life represents the phoenix. I’m always told I’m strong & I always makes it through every tough battle like I didn’t so I feel like I carry that energy well. And the kundalini is believed to reside at the base of the spine and, when awakened, rises upwards through the body's energy centers. It can be awakened through yoga and meditation, and through significant life events such as childbirth, trauma, or a near-death experience, which is discussed throughout the mixtape
The words in my poem state:
- Codes to help us integrate
- As the new awakening peaks
- The kundalini rises plentiful
- The Phoenix catches fire
- And the frequency is heightened
That express the title perfectly
Spirituality seems to be deeply present in your work, both in your lyrics and in the energy you project. How does this dimension influence your art on a daily basis?
Sometimes I’ll just sit in silence to just listen to my thought and a melody or lyrics my come and I’ll record and write it down . Or there will be times I try to memorize for muscle memory & try to freestyle something. And that’s fun because creating in the spot shows how connected you are to spirit , and that just push me to freely flow into the words. There are times I just get random ideas of projects, songs, builds of songs and I put it together and get into the nest of it when it feels best to.
At Female RNB, we highlight female voices in R&B, whether pioneers or from the new generation. Which female R&B singers inspire you the most, and why?
The female singers that inspire me the most are Janet Jackson, she’s number one. Sade, TLC, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Summer Walker & Lauryn Hill
Janet because of her introspective conversation in her music and how she’s able to mold into a new form every album with no confusion. Her stacking is something I really study and incorporate in my art. If anything, I’d be the rap version of her
Sade due to her ability to shine as night when she chooses to show her self and still leave a heavy effect in her absence. I’d love to accomplish that. It would be nice to drop music and duck off. Musically, I love her voice and vulnerability. She’s shows me is ok to express every range of emotions, even the darkest parts of it
TLC is the reason I wanted to even create music so I owe that to them and they speak for themselves. Their originality, unapologetic behaviors and personalities, their fearless style and sound unlocked something in me . It made me want to be just as unapologetic and tap into my voice at age 14
Erykah Badu’s Spirit & wisdom reeled me in. She’s a griot to me and I feel she speaks to the inner griot in me and it encouraged me to tap into my spirit and helped me recognize how power my voice is and I just felt it was in my destiny to be a messenger. Listening to Erykah helped me grow within that
Jill Scott’s poetry and rawness just makes me feel alive and it makes me Andy to write my truth as plain and real as it is. She reminds me that vulnerability is power & standing filling within my divine femininity is strength . I use to carry her poetry book around, now I write my own
Summer Walker is just very authentic to me, she likes to keep it traditional with her R&B I feel she’s cursed her own style that I enjoy a lot & study
Lauryn Hills Passion and rawness influenced my writing style and delivery. She wants t afraid to be intelligent, create freely and in the moment and I love how she was able to bridge being a singer and rapper successfully. She was one of the first to successfully do that & remind others that creating doesn’t make you a monolith
Which artists would you love to collaborate with in the future?
I would love to collaborate with some ladies in the scene, Rebel Kitty, Indigo Bang, Quisha Thahookahqueen, I’d love to do some more collaborations with Anita Will a.k.a PheshhKiddIce, Docheii, Lola Brooke, Solange, Summer Walker, Halle, HER, Tyler The Creator, Nas are the main ones.
Some artists from my hometown Rissa, Negus IRap, Chi therealist, Zwena, Ekua.mp4
I hope I didn’t forget anyone. But these are the main ones I tune into very frequently .
Visuals and aesthetics are an essential part of your universe. How do you approach image and storytelling in your creative process?
I approach image by telling a story. I love symbolism so I incorporate that element into my art as well as futurism because I feel my ideas are innovative & original. I love a myriad of cultures so I use that influence in my image as well .
My storytelling is inspired by my own life, my experiences. I love being introspective because I make music for therapy and show it because I want people to get what I now have. My main goal is to express my creation to the best ability.
And finally, what can we expect from QueenLeft now? Any upcoming projects?
I am still pushing and dropping videos etc for my current project, Phoenix Rising but I’m also dropping a series called Mind Dump which is a collection of mini raps I drop along with videos and there’s usually a theme. This one is a An Ode to the Creatives during These Times of Reflections.
I’ll be dropping those towards the end of the year along with a new singles & videos such as Round & Round & Slow Ride pt 2 !