My first impression of brenna is that she’s a little wild, and definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. Once we made contact via dm, she asked to jump on a call to say hi and check in briefly, which I appreciate greatly; I think it’s kind of one of the secret keys to staying yourself in web3: to actually connect with others in a genuine, personal way without an agenda.

This week, the i-wave spotlight finds her upon the release of her first music NFT for her genesis sound track there, “CREEP”! The track, which features instrumental and production work from others, opens with a dark, descending guitar riff and a clear declaration: “this time you will find / you are one of a kind.” “Take me higher,” brenna sings with some urgency, while her ad libs leap and swirl around you. When I say wild, I mean unbound from convention or other people’s expectations, musically and otherwise. Our chat reveals that brenna has actually been traveling around the world since 2020; the Aries queen is an explorer, and she brings that uninhibited energy to her songwriting and vocal performance.

Taking a spin through brenna’s previous releases, I’m reminded of the great PJ Harvey, a songwriting legend who can rock out as hard as she can delicately dismantle your heart on a quieter, piano-driven track, and always lyrically potent. In our interview, brenna talks of the need for newer rising artists to be given a chance in web3. When I hear her original sound and energy, I hope for it too. We need more versatile creators who aren’t afraid to take risks, and listeners who appreciate that bold originality.

Check out my interview with brenna below, and be sure to follow her on her journey to launch the Wide Feels NFT experience, based off music from her album, Wide Eye Feels! 

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Artist Statement of the Moment: 

I’ve been in web3 for over two years now. I was interested in DAOs then stumbled into the Web3 music space. As for me, I’m from North Carolina I grew up simple and had to face a lot of challenges at a very young age. These challenges inspired me to be the creative and driven person I am today whose purpose is to find purpose.

How are you feeling now?

Right now I’m feeling extremely challenged in every part of my life.

What does success mean to you?

Success means moving in my truth as much as possible. I have set goals and dreams but achieving them isn’t success, moving towards them is success. Life is a process and to live it in such a way brings the most meaning.

What work of yours has you excited & inspired right now?

I am currently building an NFT experience that is inspired by my last album drop ‘Wide Eye Feels’. The end goal is to create a comic book series co-written with my collectors!

What does web3 mean to you, and what excites you about it?

To me it means possibility. When I first came in there was no right or wrong way to create or explore this technology. Although this is changing in some ways, I still hold this true to my heart. My opinions are valid for me, but it doesn’t make it true for everyone else, and everyone else also deserves their opinions. Web3 can allow us to re-discover and renew in so many ways.

What artists/creators are inspiring you right now & why?

I found this graphic artist named Ricardo Cavolo who’s visually capturing “peace”. Bakar is a musician I recently found who’s creating some beautiful sounds. Willow Smith is a true pioneer of sounds, love her craft.

Fill in the blank: I wish the web3 music world was more ___________________.

supportive

The web3 music scene has changed so much in such a short time! Thoughts on where we started, and/or where we’re at right now?

When we first started there were so many platforms, people, communities supporting each other. There was so much more actual community but now there seems to be an accepted way of behaving or an accepted group of people who have value and everyone else is not as valuable. This is of course natural when there are no new people coming into the space because silos form when everyone has made up their minds about each other. Unfortunately this will stay the same until we bring new people in/find our own people outside of the “Web3 music space”. There are definitely people who have put in the work and time to be where they are but If we want a thriving, diverse web3 then there has to be more space for others to come in and grow, instead of just a few people monopolizing the attention.

Describe yourself in one word!?

BECOMING

What question do you wish more people asked you?

How can I support you?

What message do you have for fans/supporters?

First of all, I love you 🥰 I am also learning how to be a better artist for you, I am learning that in order to be true to you I have to be true to myself first, AND no matter how many fans I have, I want to treat every interaction like it’s brand new. More fans doesn’t equal better person, we are all just trying to live life out here.

How do you stay grounded in the VERY online world of web3?

A TON of practices; yoga, journaling, creativity (of course). More specifically, deciding to not engage at all. Taking time away from all of it, especially when it’s hard to do. It’s so important to give ourselves breaks in this attention economy. Realize where you are putting your energy or where it’s being taken from you.

Any other comments/questions?

If someone did ask my “How can I support you?” genrally speaking I would say go to the widefeels.us website and sign up for the interest form! This is my most important project right now and I am super excited to share it with the world.

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xo C