Today I may not be able to sing for you but I know someone that can and lives by that phrase . That someone is a singer/songwriter named Winston Ward. Born in the Bronx , New York Winston is no stranger to the soulful sound of music . Making his core foundation the church you can only expect nothing but holiness and love to come with a voice like his . Winston took the stage not only in his home church , but also at his high school making his presence and his voice known . With a work ethic and a creative mind like Winston’s it’s no wonder he is rising to the top of the music industry .
Winston Ward has made many stage appearances in the United States and overseas . He later branded the #canisingforyou . Ladies, I swear you will most definitely want him to sing for you .
When I first heard his voice at a showcase at the legendary S.O.B’s , I thought to myself “how
could I have not heard of him before”. He has the type of voice and stage presence that will
make you swear he’s been in this game for decades. Winston didn’t just want to present only hismusic to the world , he also wanted to help others create a voice for themselves as well.
Kanika Sin-e': Is there anything else that you do creatively that you would enjoy just as
much as your music talents?
Ward: I enjoy running my record label, Sounds Of Music Univerxity. It gives me the
unique opportunity to continue building my brand as an artist and entrepreneur as well
as building the brands of other aspiring creatives. Whether its in the studio engineering
sessions, writing music or even executive producing, running my label gives me the
same amount of joy as my musical talents.
Winston gives off a pure vibe when you listen to his music he describes it as energetic , sexy
and relaxing . So when you’re in your bubble bath and sipping on some Prosceco try put on
something from his tracklist. The song “Control” is Winston’s newest single and you definitely
hear some key influence within it.
Kanika Sin-e': How long have you had this creative vision and what pushes you to be
consistent ?
Ward: The vision for this particular song was birthed during a writing session with my
team Pen State Music Group. During the session, Gerard Thompson, Pierre and I put our
minds together to come up with this song and I'm completely satisfied with the outcome.
Every time we come together the session are always filled with creativity and good vibes.
They're also the reason why I'm pushing to be more consistent. The random texts from
these guys help me to understand that i cant allow what we've started to become
stagnant. l forever appreciate these guys for that.
Winston spent many summers in Jamaica with his father and that definitely has an influence on
much of his music , especially the song “Control”. Speaking of influences I find that it’s very
important to give credit where credit is due.
Kanika Sin-e': In order to succeed in life you have to know how to give credit and give
back . Who would you give credit to for your success thus far? Who would you give back
to?
Ward: I’d love to give credit to my parents for shaping me. I’d like to give credit to my wife
for believing in me and pushing me. I’d also like to give credit to my team, Ashley &
Gerard for being there with me from the beginning. I’d give back to the people who have
supported me first. They deserve It. I’d also give back to black communities to educate
them on music and finances.
Of course like any artist being raised in the church and having those influences around you
Winston had to make decisions in regards to his career that he’s probably never thought would
affect him .
Kanika Sin-e: Growing up the church can be a stepping stone for most R&B artists or a
very confusing decision when wanting to play more secular music. What are some of the
difficulties you faced when just starting out?
Ward: Growing up in the church was pivotal for my creativity starting out. I’m sure that if
I didn’t have my start in the church, I wouldn’t be the singer or the creative that I am
today. Just being around the other talented singers and musicians opened my mind up
creatively and I’m super thankful for those opportunities. It was very hard deciding that
all I wanted to do was R&B. For a while I dabbled in both until I made the definitive call
that It would be all R&B. Of course my mother, my church family at the time as a few
other friends didn’t like It either but at the end of the day, I knew that making R&B music
would make me the happiest, so I decided to go all in on that no matter how that looked.
Being someone that is use to all aspects of this industry I’m more than positive Winston has
some advice for people that want to venture into the music industry and make this a life
changing career not just a lifestyle move.
Kanika Sin-e': What are some of the key factors that you think an artist should have to succeed to come up in this industry?
Ward: I can think of about 4 key factors that every aspiring artist looking to get into the
music industry should have. The first key is work ethic. You’ve gotta outwork everyone
in your market in order to really succeed. It’s going take a lot of long hours and putting
in overtime to achieve anything in this industry. The second key factor is passion.
You’ve gotta love this. You’ve gotta love the grind, love the long hours, love the
process. Your passion for your craft is going to get you through those tough times.
Third key factor is figuring out how to monetize your talents or turning your passion
into your paycheck. Whether it’s YouTube, creating a product or service or by creating
super fans, figuring out how to use your passion to satisfy your expenses is crucial in
this industry if you want to go far. Last key is having a great team around you. I’m
blessed to have 2 individuals who believe in me and are down for me no matter what. I
also have my wife who is another major support system as well as the rest of my
family. Having people around you who believe in you sometimes more than you
believe in yourself is crucial. They must also be able to be objective with you and keep
things transparent at all times. A bonus key would be belief and self esteem. You’ve
got to believe in yourself and your vision more than anyone else. No one else is gonna
go harder for yourself than you. Always remember that. Your belief in yourself and in
your music will be the x-factor in your success in this industry.
I think it’s safe to say that we can look forward to a lot more from Winston Ward and the
people under his record label Sounds Of Music Univerxity . If you need more info on Winston
Ward you can click any of the links under the post and follow him on the instagram link I have
provided .
instagram.com/thernbstudent
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