Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
Sumney created “Blackalachia” in the summer of 2020, while seeking refuge from the tumultuous rituals of everyday life in the North Carolina stretch of the Blue Ridge Mountains. While there, he created a work of art that meditates upon non-binary thinking, isolation, emotional contemplation, and historical and cultural Black influence.
The hour-long exploration was born out of Sumney’s desire to reconnect to nature, to his innate impulses. “There is a history of Black people in Appalachia, there is a history of Black music being the foundation of bluegrass and country. There is a history of migration into and out of Appalachia. I’m so deeply invested in a reintegration into nature,” says Sumney.
“Blackalachia” came together in just two days, but the intricacy of the creative piece is not lost due to haste, rather, it proves that Sumney knew exactly what he wanted to do, and how. It just wasn’t until we experienced a large cultural shift in the form of a global pandemic that he decided the time was right. In the peace and quiet of the Appalachian Mountains, Sumney sought to find himself — to dig deeper into what it truly means to be a modern Black artist — and the hope is that through his guidance, others may set out on that same meaningful, spiritual journey.
The film and photo series is on display from February 3rd to March 5th at New York’s Nicola Vassell Gallery.
She shares that being a Chonga “is a lifestyle, and a reminder of who I am and where I come from…it’s something that has stuck with me my whole life.” Through her music, Goony has imported the Chonga lifestyle across the world to her countless fans. But, regardless of her global influence, Goony makes it clear that it all comes back to Miami at the end of the day. So, fittingly, Miami is where we decided to capture Goony for the Digital Cover in a series of steamy portraits shot by multi-talented musician and close friend of Goony’s, Brooke Candy.
From your Tumblr days as Twiggy Rasta Masta to where you’ve come now as an artist, what was the point that you realized that this is what you were meant to do in life?
The first time I ever recorded a song.
Can you tell me more about that?
I've been writing songs my whole life, since I was a child. I used to do poems and a lot of songwriting with my friends in school. In a little slam book we used to have. My mom still has all those things. When I was younger, I thought you had to be famous to record, or if not famous, you had to know someone. I didn't know how easily you could record from your home. So as soon as I found out that I could record at home, I made my own song. I was like, Oh yeah, that's it. And at that time, I was like in college, so I was maybe 20 or 21. At that point, I said “okay, this is what I’m doing.” I just knew.
What were the songs and poems you wrote as a kid about?
Kid shit. I don’t even know. Shopping, boys, amateur shit. When I look at it now I be like “this is so elementary.”
Could you explain what it means to be a Chonga?
This is a question I get all the time. Some say it’s basically an aesthetic. For me, it’s a lifestyle and a reminder of who I am and where I come from, Miami. In middle school, everybody had that little Chonga aesthetic. It was something that kind of always stuck with me. I just love it because it's not expensive to be a chonga. Chonga’s love flea markets and earrings that are like 2.99. If you've ever heard the Chongalicious song from the Chonga Girls back in like ‘07, It was one of the first videos that went viral on YouTube. It's something that's stuck with me my whole life. It always reminds me of my culture and where I am from.
What are the essential elements that go into embodying the Chonga look?
For sure you need the big gold hoop earrings. The lip liner with the clear gloss. Acrylic nails. We love accessories like a chain belt. Tight leggings, short shorts. Hair slicked back with gel.
It sounds like something that is really instinctively feminine.
Yes. It’s very, very feminine. Even though some people would say that there are Chongo, I always say no. It’s its own thing that has nothing to do with a masculine counterpart. It’s all about the girly things. Our big hoop earrings and little Chinese sandals we get from the dollar store.
What are the ways that you express this femininity aside from clothing and makeup, in your music and performance?
If anything, I would say dancing. But other than that, it really is my clothes and my jewelry and all that. It’s kind of like a second skin? Yeah for sure. I’m just so feminine. Some people say they are a balance between masculine and feminine, but I’m just all the way feminine. I want all the girly shit: all the diamonds, all the pink!
Goony wears Levau Shvelidze dress, Levau Shvelidze gloves
Ashley Williams bra
Ashley Williams skirt
Ashley Williams earrings
Blumarine shoes
What kind of music did you grow up listening to?
I listened to a lot of Hip Hop, Rap, and Reggaeton. Being from Miami, that’s what I was surrounded with. What we would listen to around here. Even as a little girl at birthday parties we were listening to Salsa and Reggaeton.
You can definitely hear all of those influences in your music and writing today.
I would say my music is very inspired by the things I grew up listening to. But I also listen to Madonna and 80s and 90s freestyle music and stuff like that because my mom used to love that shit. So I kind of love all that. Madonna is like a big inspiration for me because she was so controversial and so “I don't give a fuck,” that I feel like watching her and made me want to not give up and not worry about the consequences of being controversial.
Speaking of Madonna, she inspired an entire generation of artists. Musicians like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears come to mind in the early aughts. What do you think about that era of the 2000s?
I love Lady Gaga. When I first discovered her back in the day I could tell that she was very influenced by Madonna. I could see it. And I loved it.
Your music is such a cohesive blend of reggaeton and trap and hip hop. It feels really rooted in the club. How should we be listening to the songs?
It’s for bad bitches in the club, bad bitches at work... A lot of girls who are strippers have told me that they listen to my music before work or even at work. I do like a lot of affirmations in my music. A lot of it is about feeling myself. My music is definitely for people who are more in touch with their feminine side but I would say like anybody who just wants to feel themselves and feel more hyped or confident could listen to it.
In your latest EP, the title track is called “Descontrol,” which loosely translates to out of control or chaos and disorder. What are some ways that you let loose and let yourself lose control and how does the feeling of Descontrol play a role in the writing process for your music?
Descontrol is inspired by Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam who both made a song by the same name, and I decided I wanted to make a version of Descontrol too. I ended up doing it with Maxine. The song was really one of the most fun to make. It was definitely “descontrol,” because when we made the song we didn't do it with the intention of it turning into anything in particular really. We were just drinking, smoking, and having fun…the song ended up just being made in the process. The beat was changed like 30 times with the producer. It’s really just about having fun and not caring at all, but having fun with it while making the song. It ended up as an amazing track and it's why I also named the whole EP after that song.
Levau Shvelidze dress
Lael Osness gloves
La Goony's shoes
House of Emmanuele earrings
Busted Brand corset
Ashley Williams tights
Lael Osness gloves
House of Emmanuele earrings
I see that there's a lot of themes of sisterhood and camaraderie with your girlfriends in your music and videos. What would be in store for a night out with La Goony Chonga and her girls?
Well first we would definitely smoke some weed. We’d have some cocktails. If we’re gonna go dancing, we’ll go to the club. Sometimes, we'll rent an AirBnB and we'll just do something very intimate. Like an intimate type of turn up where we don’t necessarily go out. But if I do go out, I want to be at a table, dancing, on our little bougie shit.
It’s funny that we met when we were out and you were hosting the Playboy Centerfold party at Miami Art Basel with Brooke Candy. Brooke went on to shoot these stunning images of you for our January Digital Cover. Can you tell me more about your relationship and friendship with Brooke?
I love Brooke. She is my homegirl of many years. She's like my sister. I got a lot closer to her in the studio making music together. I love working with her. She is so kind and believes in me so much. She always tells me “you're going to be the biggest thing, like just wait and see. You’re gonna blow the fuck up.” And I love her for that because there’s a lot of fake people and friends in this industry. It’s just amazing to have this relationship where she believes in me and I believe in her and we can just talk and work together and it’s so nice. I love how much she supports me and even was down to do this shoot with me. After we all talked she literally caught me. She was about to leave the next morning at like six for her flight. She was leaving Miami and she was like, “just come up to my hotel and I’ll get everything ready." I was ready in three hours. I got glammed and just showed up. It was so fun and spontaneous. Not a lot of people will look out for another artist like she will, you know.
It sounds so special to have a friendship and mentorship that is so supportive. I'm so happy to hear that. More personally, When you uncover the different layers that define how you present yourself to the world as La Goony Chonga, what are the distinct values or identities that make up who you are at your core?
I’m very generous, caring, and loving. A lot of people don’t know that about me until they really get to know me. And then, at the same time, I’m just one of those people who is all about trying to feel good and make other people feel good. That's why I like making music. I get to share that empowerment with other people. So I would say that's who I am. Very giving…more to other people than I even am to myself, because I'm a Pisces. A lot of people may think of or see me as a diva but I’m very soft on the inside.
As a mother now, would you want your child to go into the same industry as you?
If it’s what he wants to do. It already looks like he might want to do that. He is very musically inclined. He’ll listen to a song once and just learn it. He already started recording a song when he was two but we couldn't get him past the hook. But now he's about to turn four and I actually want him to finish the song. He's interested in so many things like he wants to play basketball. He wants to learn instruments, which is something I never did as a child. I never got to learn instruments. He's asking me things like “Mom, I want to play piano,” and I think that’s great. I want him to do whatever his heart desires. But I will say, this music industry is not something I would recommend to everyone. You need to be sure that you really love it, because there's a lot of bullshit that comes with the music industry. The whole thing is kind of fucked up to me. If he does go into it, he has to be built for it.
Now that we’re in the New Year, what is in the works for you? Are there any exciting projects you want to talk about?
For my first single of the year, I’m releasing this song with Brooke that we actually made almost two years ago. I’m very excited for the release of that track. There’s also a lot of other unreleased music that I’m sitting on right now. I have a Reggaeton EP that I have been waiting to release for three years that I think I’m going to get out this year. I also want to work on releasing more music videos to go with all of this. This is a great way to start the year and I’m just super excited because I have a lot of things coming soon.
“I’m screaming/HOW DOES IT FEEL?/How does it feel/My city so big it feel like you on top of the world if you on it/My city so big it feel like you on top of the world if you on it/My city so big it feel like you on top of the world if you on it.”
The word that comes to mind at once when listening to Reggie’s music, and talking to him, is ‘authenticity.’ The young artist doesn’t seem fazed by his budding success: “I’m just taking it as it comes,” he said. When asked about career highlights, he doesn’t point to praise from Rolling Stone or the New York Times, but mentions a small write-up in Essence magazine. “My mom knows Essence, to her that’s huge,” he added. “So, that’s big to me.”
Though his hometown is always held close through his work, Reggie made the move to Los Angeles, and hasn’t lost steam this year, in spite of the challenging climate—not only should his creative prowess be to blame, but having left home at a young age, the artist got accustomed to taking care of himself. About the move out of his childhood home, he’s said in previous interviews, “I could have been did this on my own all along. I started making a lot of money after getting out of the house and it made me wonder why I had been putting up with my parents’ rules my whole life. It taught me I could literally do anything and acquire anything i wanted.” And he’s proven this by putting out singles with Smino and Kenny Beats, scoring a print feature in i-D, and writing and executive producing Maxo Kream’s new album. He recently announced a fellowship with Cash App Studios, a new initiative from the mobile payment service to help fund independent artists. And now, he’s working on his full-length debut for 2022. Reggie, though fairly fresh in the business, is making it obvious his time is valuable.
His croon and laidback beats boast a Southern charm, and his flow bears shades of D’Angelo and André 3000 as he sings about his upbringing and his future, depression and blessings. Reggie’s process matches the tone of his music, vulnerable introspection sprinkled with lighthearted observations, and fragmented memories of growing up around religion.
“The streets said ‘You don’t need meds’/My mama said ‘You just need prayer’/I need what they give you at the dentist/I don’t wanna feel no more (no more).” “I disappear into my room when I’m writing,” he said. “Or sometimes I’ll be out when I get an idea and I’ll have to borrow a friend’s phone to record a voice memo. I get ideas everywhere and they’ll be weird as hell.”
He paints a picture of life in Houston with girls who think they’re “above giving money to pastors.” When prayer doesn’t cut it, he asks for “what they give you at the dentist.” Reggie feels it all. “I put my life into the music, the lessons I learn, my stories,” he explained. “All my songs have a message. It’s whatever I have on my heart at that time.”