Moniquea

Like Deniece Williams, one of her inspirations, R&B singer and songwriter Moniquea is from Gary, Indiana, though she was raised in Pasadena, California. Surrounded by music, she also developed as a performer during her youth and, at the age of 15, performed at the Rose Bowl. She released a self-titled album in 2011 that incorporated classic and contemporary sounds with a small budget. In 2012, Moniquea was featured on rapper/producer XL Middleton’s “You Can’t Train Me,” an attitudinal synth funk duet slicker than her solo release. The following year, she collaborated with Middleton and Eddy Funkster for “I Don’t Wanna Get Used to It,” where she truly came into her own as a vocalist who, combined with her associates, put a modern spin on early-’80s post-disco and synth funk. Another single, “A Certain Way,” as well as the album Yes No Maybe, followed on MoFunk in 2014. ~ Andy Kellman