[EXCLUSIVE] Conya Doss Talks New Album, Being The Queen of Indie Soul, Teaching, Elevating Soul Music, More

For many years, fans fell in love with multi-platinum artist Conya Doss' sultry voice and heartfelt lyrics. Doss is also a wonderful songwriter and producer. She wrote for the group 3LW (singers of the hit song, "No More. Baby, I'ma Do Right"), and worked with the late Gerald Levert on several musical projects.

Fast-forward to the present, the singer/songwriter continues to empower fans with her music. Doss' new album, VII (Seven), is comprised with up-tempo and slow jams that will be fully engaging to fans. On this project, Doss incorporates many topics: love, self-esteem, and keeping the faith. "You Got Me," the first single off the opus, is a melodic record where a woman expresses her love for her significant other.

Doss says fans will be able to figure out why VII (Seven) is her favorite album due to the lyrical content and musical composition. The singer, songwriter, and educator conversed with Singersroom about the LP, her songwriting, teaching and inspire the youth, building up soul music and more.

Check out our interview with the Queen of Indie Soul!

New Album VII (Seven): After this album, I am working on other projects such as songwriting. However, this is not the last time I am releasing another album. With my first independent album, I didn't have much freedom creatively as a singer and songwriter. I felt like everything was completed just because of the mix master or the engineer. With the VII (Seven) album, I feel like it's completed across the board because I am able to make and record music that I want to make, which is great. With the VII (Seven) album, I am venturing out and moving into another phase of my life mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Songwriting For Other Artists: I would love to write songs for the soul divas, Aretha Franklin or Gladys Knight, Raphael Saadiq, Raheem DeVaughn, or Mary J. Blige. While I was working on my first solo project, I was writing songs for other artists. And now, I am just ready to get back out there and utilize my resources because it's worth a shot.

The new single, "You Got Me": I heard the melody for the track, and I was impressed. Rodney Jones, my producer for the record, came up with the chords. The lyrics to the song are so serene. The concept for the song is about showing the person that you're in love with unconditional love.

The song, "Beautiful": The song was dedicated to my students. It was a teacher's issue because I knew students that were dealing with self-esteem, self-image, and not fully understanding their gifts and talents. And then we start looking for other people to validate us, and this is usually the case because a lot of teenagers don't love themselves. There is so much going on with teenagers like cyber-bulling, and I just wanted a song on the album that will inspire the youth.

Balancing Music & Teaching: I pray, pray, and pray constantly. I just ask God for guidance each day. I also incorporate music in my literature class to keep my students engaged in the classroom. I am blessed that I can have a career in teaching and music. I am a high school teacher, certified in special education and English. At the school, I teach 10th grade English, so it's completely different from music but I am able to balance the two professions.

Vocal Performance: I have an old soul as a singer. Growing up, I was exposed to a lot of different artists, like Nina Simone. Nina's voice was full of emotion, and she can just mold people with her voice. Her voice influenced me to come into my own and develop my own style. So, I can understand why people say my voice is a mixture of the old and new.

Having Her Son, Landon Blu: My son has been a major influence in my life and my music. I try to convey messages in my song that are uplifting and positive. Landon influences me to work hard, and I do it for him. I am just blessed to have him as my child.

Being the Queen of Indie Soul: It's a great title to have, but I just want to make music that will inspire people. I feel like I have a lot of work to do; I'm a soldier in a movement. I plan to take music in a direction where it was meant for me to put out material that will change people's lives. As R&B artists, we need to take soul music in the direction where it was meant to be because people should be exposed to great music.