My “Why?”
One year ago, I officially moved to New York City. This was not something I largely publicized or told anyone, other than my immediate family. However, I do know many people gathered the fact by seeing my NYC projects come to light.
The timing of how my life yielded the NYC move was weird, sudden, and wholeheartedly unexpected. I’m sure the way my life has appeared to the world has always been kind of odd and promiscuous up to now. I’ve never loved sharing myself through social media and preferred to meet people in person to develop understandings of each other in that medium. So I sort of hid the fact that I officially moved; I didn’t make any big announcements, and I certainly didn’t want the attention that would come with telling everyone through the online world.
Why the move?
As you may know, I grew up in Tennessee (Murfreesboro, for those who know it). New York was in my fantasy life, but being the big-brained child I was, I always knew I was going to absent-mindedly chase the fantasy. I went to school at Long Island University Post, so not too far from The Big Apple. Long story short: right before my junior year, I learned that that school wasn’t where I was meant to be. I may go back to college, but I am leaving it at that for now… I only take questions regarding this choice on Mondays and Thursdays after 6pm. ◡̈
I moved out to Queens, the Middle Village area, in mid-April of 2023 because it was smack-dab in the middle between LIU and Manhattan. At the time, I was still in school, but I also knew I wanted to work in Manhattan. About two months into the summer, life happened, and I was pulled away from college. Then, I got three part-time jobs in the city. We didn’t exactly make the best choice of areas to live in when commuting to Manhattan every day. But nonetheless, we love it and still live in the same home. We’re a 3-minute walk from a HUGE park, in a residential area, living in an actual house; it’s a dream.
Since it’s a suburban area of Queens, and I go to Manhattan daily, I get to live the best of both worlds, just like Hannah.
Another big reason for the move was being hit with the realization that life could end at any second, and I was plainly unhappy. I found out that a student in my class passed away; We had went to middle school together, and what I remembered most about him was that he radiated this unmatchable light every time I saw him. He was a genuinely great person. This is when it hit me that death spares no one, even the most intelligent, sincere, compassionate, and hard-working individuals. So why wait for happiness? If you want to read more about him and support Eli’s cause, you can visit the following link: https://livelikeeli.com/
SO what am I doing?
As crazy as it sounds, I am a professional actor. At twenty-one years old, I am pursuing my fantasy full-time actor-singer-writer-producer life….except this fantasy I always hoped for has become normalcy. I am very grateful for all of the opportunities I have had so far and have many more big things in the works for my career.
Why are you doing that?
I am such a dork. I was always the nerdiest kid, and when I devoted myself to learning something, I was determined big-time to master it. So when I devoted myself for two years straight to work on musical theatre alone, I knew there was truly no going back for me. And I love it. And I am so happy, truly.
When did you realize you loved theatre?
Serenading my parents in the living room to karaoke of “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” by K.T. Tunstall was my first love. But acting really came into the picture towards the end of high school. Playing different characters added much more excitement to the whole singing thing. I think what subconsciously roped me in for good was performing for kids and being able to talk to them after the shows. If you’ve ever had the experience of hearing what a child thought about something creatively vulnerable you did, it can really make or break the whole career for you. Playing the villain is what really got me….Those kids hated me, and I was living for it.
That’s all for now folks. Thanks for tuning in!
Kenedi ◡̈