As one of Second Life’s most loved performers, Stephanniyah’s performances take it to the next level. Her controlled, powerful voice and unique vocal stylings transform each song! She performs acoustically re-imagined songs to guitar and piano, and her style varies from R&B, Pop, Indie, and Jazz.
Known also as "Steef" to many of her fans, Stephanniyah is one of those artists who never disappoints and always keeps her audience coming back for more. Streaming live with a vibrant personality combined with exceptional talent, this is one show you won't want to miss!
Orion Baral (OB): Thank you for taking the time and sitting down with me to do this interview. I will break the ice easy and just ask how did you discover Second Life and get involved in the music scene?
Steef Sinatra: This is sort of embarrassing. I was in a Business Marketing class back in the day and the professor started talking about virtual reality marketing platforms. All I could think about all the way home was checking out Second Life. Then I saw Dwight Shrute flying around in SL and then cool guy Jim with his guitar!!! So I finally played SL for like 3 days straight and my life has never been the same lol. It took me a couple of years to discover the live music scene. I stumbled upon a place called The O Lounge, owned by Canipanic Maslow - they host karaoke 24/7. I met a ton of extremely talented, friendly, and generous performers who were willing to take the time with me and show me the ropes.
OB: You have a special voice, with that, you can sing many songs from many different genres of music, what is your favorite to cover?
Steef Sinatra: Oh man, there really isn't much I don’t enjoy singing. My jam is taking a song and reimagining it, so I tend to so a lot of covers of top hits. BUT! I live for soul jams - I just let the tracks carry me and I tend to lose myself in the music.
OB: Every musician has a story about music and what it means to them or how it moves them. Can you share yours with our readers?
Steef Sinatra: I remember going to a nighttime concert in a community center with my parents, and there was this dude who was probably in his 60s wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a fedora. I remember thinking how much I hated my life being there lol. Then this guy opened his mouth - he had completely recreated Joni Mitchel's Case of You...and then moved into the most soulful rendition of Al Greene's "For The Good Times". It was a deeply moving and transformative experience, I'd never considered covers to be anything other than crappy renditions of great songs lol.
OB: One thing I like to know from musicians is that finding your own identity in a song is an important thing, but also it can be hard trying to find your place in the SL music scene with so many performers on the grid. How do you stand out and what advice would you give new singers just starting out and needing to find their own niche in Second Life?
Steef Sinatra: Oh man! I'm a pretty humble, private person and I never set outperforming with the intention to stand out. I've been so thankful for the support I've received along the way from my fans, friends, and family - each performance I do is all for them and I think really comes through in the songs I sing. I just try to be my most authentic self, and let my intuition carry my voice through each song. My advice to newcomer performers is - YES!!! DO IT!! Seriously, everyone is excited to hear all the talent across the grid and once you get started it's really not as daunting as you'd think. This is a friendly, supportive community. If anyone has been toying with the idea of performing in SL, I'm happy to help you get started!
OB: What are your goals in the music world? Where do you see yourself heading into the future with your music?
Steef Sinatra: I have some lofty goals but one big one is to learn how to WAIL on the guitar. For my birthday I was gifted a year of lessons and I really cant wait to get started. Ya'll might never see me again, I'll just be singing any song I want by myself in my room lol.
OB: I have heard you singing a lot of different genres. Do you have a favorite one and more specifically a “go-to” song that you just love to sing? Or the one you belt out in the shower when no one is around.
Steef Sinatra: Right now its Ariana - Positions, and I've been really toying with different arrangements including one that is a little more down tempo.
OB: Is there any performer in SL that you would love to do a dual-stream with and why?
Steef Sinatra: Tony Slade - he is endlessly talented and an all around great human being. I'm glad to call him my friend :)
OB: What would you be doing right now in Second life, if you weren’t performing? Or would Second Life even be on your radar?
Steef Sinatra: I would probably getting mushy with my boo Dane Voxel. DONT PUBLISH THIS! LOL Kidding, he is actually the reason I've continued performing in SL all these years and has always been my rock.
OB: Now for the important part of this interview, do you have anything you would like to say to the readers and new fans that we haven’t covered yet? And also where can fans or Venue owners contact for bookings?
Steef Sinatra: Honestly just that I appreciate you Orion and your publication, and all you do to support all of the best parts of SL.
Additional Information
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008963675012
Youtube: https://soundcloud.com/stephanniyah-sinatra
Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/embed?src=stephanniyah@gmail.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles
In World Group: secondlife:///app/group/8ed8cf87-138c-5f75-2a9b-6b4d8070621d/about
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