Ezinma Hip-Hop Violinist “Classical Bae” partnership w/ Essentia Water #ItMightAsWellBeYou

8 Aug

I’m a big fan of Essentia Water and Ezinma hip-hop violinist “Classical Bae”. I was very excited when I got the chance to interview Ezi.

In May, Essentia announced a partnership with the Ezi who also stars the brand’s first national, multiplatform advertising campaign – It Might As Well Be You.

The campaign’s message is personal, empowering and demonstrates what Essentia and its core consumers’ value – the power of resilience. With that, Essentia moved to collaborate with Ezi – her drive and dedication to her art is inspiring, empowering and relatable.

Here’s my interview with Ezinma:

How did you start your collaboration with Essentia?

I have been a fan of Essentia for a very long time. Not too long ago, I learned that Essentia would be launching a new campaign focused on overachievement, It Might As Well Be You is a campaign that encourages people everywhere to get up, get out and go do that thing that they want to do. The concept really resonated with me because in the pursuit of my passion, I have put in a lot of hard work and dedication to be able to go after my dreams. I was excited to partner with Essentia to encourage others on their own journeys of dedication and resilience.

How does Essentia play a part in your career?

I am a big fan of self-care and my schedule can often become very busy. Whether I’m practicing at home, in the studio working on my album, working out or on-set filming a project, hydration is part of my self-care and self-care is one aspect of my daily life that allows me to continue my journey towards fulfilling my passion and reaching success. Overall, when I feel good, I perform better, and knowing that I can hydrate better with Essentia plays a huge part in me being able to perform at my best.

What led you to start playing violin? Who encouraged you to start?

I was drawn to the violin from a very early age. It’s incredible, but I first picked up the violin when I was only three-years old. My father is Guyanese and my mother is German-American. I was fortunate to have their rich cultural and ethnic backgrounds influence my musical upbringing and that really helped mold me into the versatile artist that I’ve become today. Classics like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, as well as artists like Bill Monroe, Bob Marley, Van Morrison, Billie Holiday, and Earth Wind and Fire were influential in my musical development and continue to inspire me today.

How many times a day/week do you practice?

I try to practice everyday. If I have an early morning call for a shoot or I’m traveling, it can be tough! I’m always looking to improve my craft, even if I don’t have my violin with me. For example, I strengthen my fingers with rubberbands—that helps keep my fingers strong when I don’t get to put in work on my instrument. Other than that, I try my best to play and practice everyday and I even take lessons from my violin coach once a month!

Would you ever consider giving lessons to young kids?

I actually used to teach a lot. I love working with children and my biggest motivation is inspiring kids to play an instrument. A big part of my musical mission is visibility. As a person of color in the classical space, it is so easy to feel like you don’t belong. I want to show that classical music is not only “cool” but it is also accessible for everyone.

Check out @essentiawater and @iamezinma on Instagram. Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I was invited to interview Ezi. Opinions are mine 100% as always.