Like her father, Hollywood actor, director, and comedian Robert Townsend, Skye Townsend was blessed with the gift of entertaining others. The 21-year-old made her foray into music with the 2012 EP, Vomit, which featured collaborations with artists like Karina Pasian and Chris O'Bannon, and boasted music videos directed by her father.
In February (2014), a culminated and free-spirited Skye released her follow-up EP, Rocking Chairs. The 5-song set, which includes the early fan favorite "Red Wine," the exhilarating, “Power,” and the feel-good title track, showcases Sky's vocal authority and heartfelt delivery, all while inviting listeners into her vulnerable space.
"'Rocking Chairs' tells the story of finding love when you are young," Skye told Singersroom. "Everyone's dream is to grow old with somebody. You want rocking chairs on the porch, and you want the sunsets, but how do you maintain that and get to that point of growing old with somebody without messing up when you're young? It tells what you go through when you're young, and you're in love and you think you found the one."
Skye further explains the EP: " Of course, like experiences and my own relationship, but I think I'm just really disappointed in how this generation feels about love. The fact that it's cool to have a side chick and a side whatever, but everyone really crave love and is afraid to say it. I think we are raised to believe that it's difficult to be good to someone, that like cheating is inevitable and you're always gonna have a bad relationship… I wanted to release music that was bashing men, that wasn't something negative… I just wanted people to hear something positive.
Skye seems very high on love for being only 21-years-old, but she asserts that she has learned a lot of lessons from other people's relationships, and she wants to relish her moment.
"I've always kind of been a little bit of an old soul," she says. "It's interesting because I never did want that for myself, but you come across these couples and it really just alters the way you see everything. God has kind of put people in my life who opened the idea of love being positive, and I think I really grew up thinking it was negative. Everything I've wanted for myself is kind of shifted."
So, how did Skye become this intelligent young lady? Well, it took a few spankings, strong parenting fundamentals, and an urge for knowledge.
"I got spanked, don't get me wrong, but it's a different balance, " she says. "My dad was a comedian when I was little and my mom was a therapist so I would either be laughing or talking about my feelings… It's important, especially as a black girl, to know how to handle yourself.
Check out the full video interview below and listen to Skye's new EP, Rocking Chairs, HERE.
Founder and Creator of Singersroom.com and IncredibleWork.com. Follow me on Instagram at @gary.gentles.