ON THE RISE

Exclusive Interview with Wadena Pyatt

By Artist On the Rise Staff
April 14, 2025
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Artist On The Rise: What do you think sets your sound apart from other artists in your genre?

Wadena: My sound is very unique and different from what people are used to hearing from traditional R&B and Hip Hop female artists.

Artist On The Rise: What role does vulnerability play in your music, and how do you navigate it while staying authentic?

Wadena: Well, my real life experiences make me vulnerable at times, and such can reflect through my music. However, my pain that comes across through both my deliveries and my material is what keeps it authentic. Pain or heartbreak is something most people can relate to, especially pertaining to the ups and downs in relationships.

Artist On The Rise: How do you balance the desire to experiment with your sound while maintaining your core style?

Wadena: You see, being creative is key, and there is no balance for me. In this generation, people like different and I love to experiment with my sound and try new things.

Artist On The Rise: How do you handle feedback and criticism of your music, especially when you’re still finding your voice?

Wadena: Well, I handle feedback and criticism just fine. I am very humble and appreciate it because this can help me as an artist and songwriter.

Artist On The Rise: Is there a particular song or album that shaped you as an artist? How did it impact you?

Wadena: It was Mary J Blige's What's the 411 album that shaped me as an R&B artist, and growing up, I would play it over and over. Mary J Blige also had a unique sound, just like me, and I remember, as a kid, running down the stairs of my church from choir practice to cry. I would pray and ask God why my voice was so different from all the other singers in the choir. No matter how much our director trained my voice, he could not get me to sound like the traditional gospel or R&B singers. Until one day, my choir director said, "Wadena, you know who you remind me of with such a unique sound? The one and only Mary J Blige." I then stopped crying and asked my parents to please buy me a Mary J Blige album. Listening to and learning every song on this particular album shaped me as an artist for sure and changed how I felt about having such a unique sound.

Artist On The Rise: Do you feel that your music reflects your personal journey or more of a fantasy world you create for listeners?

Wadena: Well, my music reflects both my personal journey and the fantasy I create for listeners. For example, when I create party and dance songs, this will give listeners an opportunity to feel free to step outside of their comfort zone and fantasize about doing what I sing about through my lyric content.

Artist On The Rise: How do you incorporate your cultural or regional influences into your music, and how important is that to you?

Wadena: Well, it's very important for me to incorporate my culture and where I'm from in my music. For example, I created a party song called Let's Get It to encourage people to represent where they are from. My lyrics for Let's Get It say, "Now just rep where you from or you rep your crew, like the Frat Boys get it and us Sorors do, we take it to the floor baby get real low, we party walk hard til we stomp that floor. Let's get it, get, get it, let get it low with it. Let's get it, get it, get it, drop it to the floor with it."

I share this because representing where you're from through music and dance is so cool!

Artist On The Rise: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself while performing live?

Wadena: The most surprising thing I've learned about myself while performing is how I connect even more with fans.

Artist On The Rise: What role do visuals and aesthetics (like music videos or stage setups) play in telling your story as an artist?

Wadena: This plays a major role when telling an artist's story because the stage setups and video have to be right. If it's not, then this won't tell the artist's story, and you most definitely won't receive the real artist.

Artist On The Rise: If you had to choose one message to leave behind with your music, what would it be?

Wadena: Never Give Up On Your Dreams.

ON THE RISE

What Interview Stars Like Sabrina Carpenter and Harris Dickinson Had on Repeat in 2025

By Interview
January 07, 2026
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Throughout 2025, we sat down with an incredible range of celebrities. As the year comes to an end, we used this moment to revisit some of our favorite conversations and gather the cultural picks they shared along the way. For the latest entry in our year end roundups, we are spotlighting a selection of music recommendations from the tastemakers who helped shape 2025, including Interview cover stars Sabrina Carpenter and Jeremy Allen White, comeback favorite Lily Allen, and Bugonia composer Jerskin Fendrix.

SABRINA CARPENTER

“Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of the Blue Nile. The ’70s are where I find a lot of comfort songs. Obviously, my love for bands like Fleetwood Mac and ABBA is endless, but I’m having so much fun discovering new albums.”

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LILY ALLEN

“There’s an album I love called A Grand Don’t Come for Free by the Streets, and it’s like a movie from start to finish. Each song can stand alone and make total sense, but together it’s more like a novel.”

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KIM PETRAS

“I’ve always loved Love. Angel. Music. Baby. by Gwen Stefani.”

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NYMPHET ALUMNI

ALEXI ALARIO: The Well-Tempered Clavier and girl groups of all sorts—my favorites are the Ronettes and IZ*ONE.

BIZ SHERBERT: “Fruits of My Labor” by Lucinda Williams.

SAM CUMMINS: Tom Petty, Tom T. Hall, Tom Tom Club.

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JESSIE MURPH

“My first full album experience where I was like, “Holy shit, music is everything,” was 21 by Adele. One of my mom’s friends had an extra CD and I stole it and played it over and over and over and over.”

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PAUL ANTHONY KELLY

“I also listened to [John F. Kennedy] Jr. read his father’s book Profiles in Courage every day before work to get into his cadence and vocal style.”

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FRANKIE GRANDE

“David Bowie…And then, of course, George Michael. Obviously Michael Jackson—”Remember the Time.” Are you kidding me? Then there were all of the female inspirations that I was listening to with Mommy—Madonna, Whitney [Houston], Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand.”

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HARRIS DICKINSON

“At the moment, I was just talking about Digga D–he’s a British rapper. He’s kind of been on the scene for a couple of years now. He’s pretty sick. I think Central Cee’s doing bits. I think Jay Cole’s doing bits.”

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JERSKIN FENDRIX

“SOPHIE. I do not believe any musical death in the 21st century has so violently altered the trajectory of pop music than hers. I think about what she would have done next, even though I would be so powerless to execute it.”

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JEREMY ALLEN WHITE

“I listened to [Bruce Springsteen] so much that it was driving me crazy.”

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DYLAN O’BRIEN

“Do you know Karina Longworth’s podcast, You Must Remember This? She’s a total cinema freak. She contextualizes these eras of film with what’s going on sociopolitically and culturally with the world at the time and how that tracks through decades of patterns in cinema and the industry. Recently, I’ve been in an erotic ’90s land.”

Exclusive Interview with Wadena Pyatt