Myshel Music- Myshel Wilkins
Photo courtesy of Myshel Wilkins
Who is Myshel Wilkins? She describes herself as a Ghanian, an American, and a daughter of the King of Kings, a lover of family, and a lover of music who absolutely loves giving people hope! You can see for yourself that she’s gorgeous and the velvety sound of her voice proclaims that she is “Unstoppable!” I had the pleasure of speaking with Myshel Wilkins, Myshel Music to some, and learned enough to know that she is a woman after God’s own heart. She has a deep and abiding love for God and for the music He allows her to make. Check it out.
Her mother hailed from West Africa, Ghana, and her father is American. She’s traveled extensively with her father who is a missionary. Growing up, she was exposed to many different cultures and customs and she fell head over heels in love with the people of the world. She explains that she has, “An international heart,” and enjoys traveling to different countries. “Music is an international language, she says, that people from every nation can connect with.” Myshel sees music as, “A powerful tool that unites without barriers.”
She counts herself blessed to have been given the opportunity to sing in different countries. In the span of eight years, she traveled with her father on missions trips all over the world and performed in countries like Trinidad & Tobago, El Salvador, Venezuela, Ghana and South Africa.
Myshel starts to be a singer when she was very young. She can remember singing her first solo, at about 5 five years old, in front of her class at a school program. Since then, she has performed for audiences all over the world, great and small. Although she started young and seemed to have great musical talent, she initially planned on being a teacher. She graduated from Tennessee State University with a bachelor’s degree in Political science. She soon realized that the music in her was not to be denied. She calls it her first love.
For Myshel, music was not something that she was inspired to run after. Instead, she says, “It is within me. With or without inspiration, it is what I must do – produce and create.” You can hear the passion as she explains that she is inspired by music that helps people. It is not all about sounding great but more importantly that it flows down into the heart and lifts it. “That, she says, is what the gift is supposed to be used for.” She is very passionate about using her gift and artistry to inspire people. She wants people to leave concerts or finish listening to her album feeling encouraged, hopeful and ready to boldly run forward in life!
Deciding that she wanted no regrets, she began pursuing her love of music shortly after she graduated. “Along with much prayer,” she says, “I began to get connected to producers and opportunities that opened the door for [me] to perform and tour as a background singer for several artists, “Mandisa from American Idol, Tobymac, Don Moen, Tamia, Kelly Price and Stacey Orico, to name a few.”
She began writing songs while in college. Her first few songs, she laughs, were absolutely horrible. “But hey, she says, you’ve got to start somewhere!” She shares the fact that it took a while for her to feel comfortable about her writing. Initially, she wrote with a group so she could listen and learn how others came up with lyrics, what their formula was and how they connect with the listener. She credits the group with teaching her a lot and helping her to work out her own style of writing. Myshel still feels like there is room for improvement and states emphatically that she is still learning and definitely enjoying the journey.
Some of her musical inspirations? She loves music in all flavors—pop, folk music, country, music and, of course, gospel. She mixes it up quite a bit and names artists like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Diana Krall and James Taylor for providing inspiration. She also had some inherent inspiration a little closer to home. She discovered after she started working on her record, that her father also wrote songs a long time ago. He also has a beautiful voice and they were able to collaborate on a brief duet/interlude on her new album. Her father was overjoyed at the opportunity and it was very special for Myshel as well.
Besides writing and performing, Myshel paints. She’s also a motivational speaker who loves to engage young women. She does a lot of engagements at schools, colleges, conferences and churches. This is her second love. She was crowned “Miss Tennessee State” while in school and she also held the national title of “Miss National Hall of Fame.” She competed against young women from historically black colleges and universities all over the country and was honored to win the crown. She used that platform to inspire women to let their “Inner Queen” shine, to be confident, and to know and love themselves so that they are ready to impact the world. For Myshel, it’s all about motivating others to go after the BEST version of themselves.
Photo Courtesy of Myshel Wilkins
I asked Myshel what advice she would give young people about pursuing their dreams. Her response demonstrated a firm belief in surrendering to God. She explained that God gives us talents and abilities but in order to make the best use of what He gives us, it is necessary to submit to His will.
Confident and very articulate; she explains that one must be deliberate about soliciting direction from the Creator. Yes, He is the source of your gift but you must be prayerful and humble enough to stop and listen for His voice. He tells us how to use the gifts He gives us.
I tried to paraphrase her statement and she quickly pointed out that she wasn’t trying to spout clichés. Her belief in listening to and obeying the Father is strong and unwavering. Her reliance upon Him to lead and guide her clearly fortifies her in times of trouble and, promises that this is just the beginning!
I asked Myshel about her favorite scripture(s). She paused for a moment deciding that she doesn’t just have one and then she says, Psalm 91, “The whole thing,” she laughs. Then very earnestly she tells me that there is such a comfort in these Words. How can you not be secure knowing that God is always there to protect you? He even commands His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
She expresses the comfort that comes from knowing that His angels will lift you up and keep your feet from striking the ground. Just listening to this young, dynamic and, did I mention, beautiful, woman of God proclaim her faith so eloquently makes it easy to imagine that music, for her, is a calling.
Just recently Myshel worked with Byron “Mr. Talkbox” Chambers to release a new album Unstoppable. The album was released on June 14, 2016 and is available on iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Play, Title, and all other major digital outlets. It is also available on her website, Myshelmusic.com. She describes working with Byron who is an incredible artist in his own right and how smoothly the project went. She says, “We prayed together a lot and we had great conversations. We went from being business partners to friends to being more like family.
She relates the fun that they had working on the project, saying, “We had a blast. We created with joy, no pressure to sound like anyone else or make hits. We just enjoyed the process and let what came naturally flow. The end result was this album and we are so grateful to God for the outcome!”
What’s next for Myshel? She says she is pretty open. She just wants to get on stage and sing. “It’s wonderful to release an album,” she says, “But for me, it’s even better to perform it in front of an audience. For Myshel, the album is only the beginning. Her favorite songs on the album are Rescue, Genesis, and Dance (I really like Unstoppable, the title song) but, she says, “I don’t desire to hide behind this record. It is a tool to minister, I can’t wait to get in front of many faces with the privilege of presenting the message behind this songs. I pray that they inspire and bless many! And, I so look forward to meeting you all!”
You can contact Myshel on social media. On Facebook, she’s MyshelMusic. On Instagram and Twitter, look for myshelmusic, and you can always visit her website at www.myshelmusic.com. Check her out! You will be blessed!
Author ~ Connie Spruill Constance Nicole