Exclusive Interview with Ciarra Cmphany

Artist Spotlight: Ciarra Cmphany

Ciarra Cmphany AKA C. Cmphany is an artist whose name is sure to catch listeners eyes before they even press play on her music. Her latest single “Boom!” is one she classifies as Pop-fusion R&B. Her goal is to bring her own special symphony to the music she writes and performs and just to the music industry itself.

In this exclusive Q&A, Ciarra opens up about the stories behind the music, lessons learned along the way, and what keeps their passion alive.

MusicsWeek: Who are your biggest musical influences?

C. Cmphany: Some of my biggest musical influences are Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion. Some of my newer influences are P!nk, Rihanna, Adele, Jhene Aiko, Ariana Grande, and Sza. really enjoy powerhouse singers, sultry emotional sounds, and versatile writing and instrumentals. Music should make you dance, but our human experience does come with sadness and introspection and I love music that speaks to those levels.

MusicsWeek: What non-musical influences (books, movies, art, etc.) inspire your work?

C. Cmphany: I love visual art, cinematic and artistic elements in movies, and nature. I love visuals that take your mind to somewhere else other than where you are. One of my favorite movies of all time is Avatar with Zoe Saldaña and Sigourney Weaver. I think my favorite genres are fantasy fiction, and period pieces whether it’s romance or drama like “The Notebook” or “Pride and Prejudice.” Things like that inspire my emotional side, however I love a good “Femme Fetale” moment like “Columbiana” or “Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2” when I feel I need a little motivation.

MusicsWeek: Is there a particular song or album that has significantly influenced your career?

C. Cmphany: I have four; only because I love music so much there are a few staples that have never left my life once they’ve entered. The top albums that have influenced my career are Beyoncé “4” album, Jhene Aiko’s “Souled Out (Deluxe), and Rihanna’s “Unapologetic (Deluxe)” and Ariana Grande “Positions”. If I can think of a few albums I got completely lost in their messages, music, and played over and over again, it would be these albums.

MusicsWeek: How do your personal experiences shape your music?

C. Cmphany: I’m a huge idealist and dreamer when it comes to love. I still believe in those dreams I used to have as a young girl. With my life experience I’ve learned to understand how complex life is, and what we need on a practical level. So I still write like the young girl that’s ready to fall madly in love. I’m finally getting comfortable writing about heartbreak as well. Those that connect with my music need to know that I connect with them when it comes to feeling that pain as well, and that they’re not alone in that.

MusicsWeek: Have your influences changed over the years?

C. Cmphany: I can say that my influences have definitely piled up over time. I try so hard to stay connected to those elements that allowed me to be artistic, be silly, take risks, and have bravery as a child. Now I take my experiences as an adult and add on to it; follow-through, execution, consistency, tenacity. Those things are really the cornerstone of going for goal as an adult.

MusicsWeek: How do you incorporate your cultural background into your music?

C. Cmphany: I love using my knowledge as a stepping stone, but my emotional experiences are the bridges that connect me to people. Being a formal musician you really learn to identify musical techniques or concepts in everything you hear. However, being vulnerable, and putting your heart on a recording is not something you learn at school. I’m also very excited to play around with different genres. I was a huge rock and pop music fan growing up as well. I am not ashamed to admit I was a Disney Channel kid who loved Hillary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, and Avril Lavigne.
 
MusicsWeek: What role does nature or your environment play in your songwriting?

C. Cmphany: My environment plays a small role but not too large of one. I try to keep my day to day experiences pretty separate from the things I create. My environment can influence my feelings for the day or how I feel about situations, but it seldom changes how I express my art or the goals I want to reach when it comes to being able to connect with others. At most I allow the things in my environment to make me a better writer. I hold a deep reverence for how music connects to people and I keep that spirit of connectivity at the forefront of how I create when I’m writing.
 
MusicsWeek: When did you first realize you wanted to be a musician?

C. Cmphany: I always knew to a degree that I wanted to do music. I’ve always loved creative expression; singing, dancing, and drawing. My mother has a story she loves to tell of me being in the back seat of the car singing “Ghetto Superstar” by Mya, in 1996. She always laughed about how I could barely say the words correctly, but I was hitting the notes perfectly. I had other passions, I loved animals; but aside from that I think I always wanted to be involved in music in some way.

MusicsWeek: What was the first song you ever wrote, and what inspired it?

C. Cmphany: The first song I ever wrote was a song about nature and this utopian world where everything we knew was better than the reality we were living in. I was maybe 9 years old when I wrote it, and I sang it to my mother. She sang it back to me for years. Whenever I said I was interested in singing something she would always say, “Remember that song you wrote!” and she literally remembered  the melody I sang her to a Tee.

MusicsWeek: How did you get started in the music industry?

C. Cmphany: I dropped my first song in 2019, called “DC Vibe (Drink, Chill, and Vibe). I met a few people in the my local area who were interested in the track and believed in my talent. They decided to give me a few pointers from the local perspective. 6 years later I’m still independent and learning as I go; but I’m a small business owner now with so much stronger of a foundation to build on. I’m carving out my place with every song I make, and I’m excited to keep showing people what I’m working with.