Bianca Jackson

I'm gonna say that my mother and grandmother have been very central to me becoming the woman that I am, because they've just been such a support and shown me what unconditional love is like. They've always showered me with that, and because they've been so loving to me, I really try to be that way for other people. Having that foundation of love and support has been essential to everything I've accomplished.

The best career advice I've received is basically just believing in yourself. Being in music, a lot of people wondered if I was picking something frivolous, but I always felt that music was my calling. I always just had this belief in what I was doing and the purpose of me having this feeling for music, and I've never strayed from it. I've always been with music, and I've never left from that. Even though people were asking how I was gonna make it, I stuck with music. It's been a lot of work, but it definitely has paid off, so I say believe in yourself - to me, that's very important.

I would say have a strong sense of self, because you can encounter a lot of outside influences that can make you question yourself and question your worth. So just be very resolute in who you are, and just do what it is that you bring, and don't minimize yourself for other people. Sometimes people want to make you feel like you need to shrink in order to be able to sit in a surrounding or in a space, and that definitely should not be the case. Stand firm in who you are and what you bring to the table.

I'm gonna say something that could go either way - making a creative space for yourself, making the need for what it is that you do. There's a lot of musicians out there, a lot of talented people, and it definitely can be considered sometimes that it's saturated, that there's no need for new art. But I believe that there definitely is, and my job as an artist is to make people see the value in what it is I bring, and want to hear the stories and the songs that I'm going to tell and express to them. It's about creating demand for your unique artistic voice in a crowded field.

I would definitely say family is really important to me, having love in your life, and having a purpose - having something that really drives you and motivates you throughout your day and your life. Being able to explore things that interest me is also important. I've always had a mind that likes to learn about different things, I like to be able to explore, so just having that curiosity is important to me, keeping that spark, that energy, just for life. I spend a lot of time with my mom - she's my best friend - and that's something that I do. I moved back home from Virginia to be with my mom because she needed me here, and I'm glad to be back and able to spend time with her.