Feeling Burnt Out as a Black Woman Musician? This Love Letter Is for You

There is a moment—often between rehearsals, after the 14th vocal take, or sitting alone with your notebook—that the weight of your gift feels too heavy to hold.

You wonder if the world even needs another song.

Another story.

Another Black woman singing her heart out into a world that hasn’t always listened.

But sis, let me remind you:

You are not just another voice.

You are a melody passed down through generations.

You are Ella’s laughter in the middle of a scatting solo.

You are Nina’s rage wrapped in honey.

You are the chord Aretha struck and never resolved.

And you don’t need to go viral to be valuable.

You don’t need a Grammy to be great.

You don’t need to be loud to be legendary.

Your authenticity is the revolution.

Your softness is sacred.

Your voice, unfiltered and unfinished, might be the exact sound someone else is waiting to hear to remember who they are.

To the music nerd with 10 open DAW projects: keep going.

To the soprano fighting through imposter syndrome: breathe and begin again.

To the songwriter who hasn’t shared a verse in months: your silence is not failure—it’s fermentation.

This path ain’t easy. But it is divine.

It’s made of unseen prayers and harmonies only you can hear.

And even when it feels like no one’s clapping—you are still becoming.

So let this be your reminder:

🌸 Your voice matters.

🌸 Your creativity is sacred.

🌸 Your story deserves a stage.

Because You Are the Song the World Needs to Hear.

Your Soulwork for the Week:

• Record a 30-second voice memo of a new idea and don’t judge it.
  

• Text one music friend something you love about their artistry.
  

• Revisit a song that made you fall in love with music—then let yourself feel it fully.

Drop a comment below:

✨ What’s one thing you’re working on musically this week?

Until Next Time,

Orianna Joy