15

Ladies and gentlemen,

Do you remember how old you were when you first realized who and what you wanted be when you grow up? Do you remember how good it felt deep down inside just to KNOW? I can still remember that warm feeling through out my whole body. The excitement and the giddiness! I could see my whole future in front of me. 15 years old was the age for young Whit a.k.a Reign. At 15, I had just started embarking on my music career as a solo artist from the South Suburbs of Chicago.....and to be completely honest, nobody could tell me that I wasn't gonna be the next Beyonce, Aaliyah or Ciara honey!! Most of my child hood I spent hours in front of the tv watching and studying Brandy, Aaliyah, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Janet, Ciara, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson music videos, dancing in singing in the mirror, and practicing what I would say if I ever got a grammy. I truly wanted to be a superstar!

For most of my life, from what I can remember, my family told me I could sing very well......and most likely that's because I come from a family of SANGERS. My grandma was the oldest of the 2nd half of 16 kids, and her and all of her sisters could SANG honey. My mom, my dad, my brothers, and a lot of my cousins can sing as well. I guess it truly is hereditary. I remember singing and dancing in the living room with all of my cousins when I was little. My grandma would always have us performing, and I remember being so shy to sing too loud because I felt like my voice was so tiny compared to hers and my moms. Both my mom and grandma had very strong and full voices and I wanted to sing just like them, but the notes just didn't come out the same. As I grew older I would listen to power ballad songs and try to imitate the voices of Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion the best that I could to strengthen my pipes, but I still had that fear of singing out loud in front of everybody without the track playing behind me.

But at age 15...I felt a major shift in me...that warm feeling of excitement, determination, and strength all in one.. a feeling I'll never forget and still feel to this day. I came home after a long day of high school, and remember my dad telling me that there was a high school Idol competition hosted by one of the biggest radio stations in Chicago, 107.5 WGCI. My dad told me that they had been talking about the competition on the radio and said that I should send in a singing video audition. At that moment, I knew exactly which song I wanted to sing to try to win over the judges. The song that I chose was "Ex Factor' by the iconic Ms. Lauryn Hill. I knew this was a moment that I could finally show case my voice without a track playing behind me, face my fears and get out of my own head about what my voice should sound like. When I hit the High School Idol stage, I just let go and sang straight from heart and soul. It felt so good to just let loose. It felt good to see so many smiling faces in the audience including my family who was beyond proud of me. My grandma was cheering me on right in the front! Although I came in second place at that competition, I still felt like a winner. I got the opportunity to show case my talent in front of 107.5 WGCI, and one of Chicago's very own hit makers Jeremih, and most importantly I got to make my family proud. From that moment on... I continued to keep writing, recording, and performing every chance I got...and 4 years later...I got my first record deal with Island Def Jam at the age of 19.

God is good, and through this journey of so many ups and downs.......I'm still on my way fighting to make this dream come to life for myself, and for now my son.

This is just a piece of my story, and I can't wait to share more with you all.

STAY INSPIRED & KEEP FAITH.

Love always,

Whitney Reign