Extraordinary talent is something which is mysterious and powerful yet essentially intangible. It is what the French call je ne sais quoi. Often, it is difficult to describe talent in relatable terms, though we all understand its visceral power and its awesomeness on the most primal, human level.
Khaliyah Aisha Williams has been blessed with what may be called God-given talent. If pure sunlight had a voice, it might be Khaliyahs undeniably clear, earnest, and heartfelt. Her voice is, at turns, sweet and urgent while expressing the poignancy and bittersweet angst of what its like to be a teenager in this new century. Her voice takes one back to ones used to be. It may very well be possible that Khaliyahs ability to inhabit a song body and soul is what will cause others to sit up and take notice; to realize that her talent is undeniable.
A native of Philadelphia, Khaliyah displayed an affinity for singing and performing at an early age. As family legend has it, during one of her kindergarten story times, Khaliyah precociously decided to add her own vocal background accompaniment. Though this landed her in the focus corner that afternoon, this episode was not lost on her then-teenaged sister. Now, with strong family support, Khaliyah is being groomed to fulfill her potential as a multi-faceted vocalist.
It is no surprise that Khaliyah is determined and committed to exercising her gift. She grew up in a household that loved music and she remembers listening to the music Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie which filled the house, courtesy of her maternal grandmother who is a life-long jazz aficionado. Her maternal grandfather, Arnold Buddy Enlow, was a drummer in John Coltranes band.
By the time she was fifteen, Khaliyah had performed at Amateur Night at The Apollo, appeared in productions of the musicals of Footloose, Grease and The Wiz at the Univerity of Pennsylvanias famed Prince Theatre, and even took the stage at Phillys reknowned incubator of new talent Black Lilly. It was only a matter of time before word of her unique vocal talent got around Philly, and local radio came calling which eventually led to a number of live on-air appearances on Power 99, Phillys 1 urban station.
Though Khaliyah realizes that her voice is only one facet of her talents, she has not ignored the other elements which come together to become a true Artist and Performer. With this in mind, Khaliyah has studied dance at Temple University as well as the violin, and she is now taking guitar lessons in addition to vocal training. All this in addition to being a a recent high school straight-A graduate from the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences High School with a GPA of 3.92 and now attending college at CSULA while still putting the finishing touches on her demo album which boasts the involvement of Roc-A-Fella rappers, Chris and Neef and Mel Man (Mary J. Blige; Dr. Dre), Whitey (Jo Jo) Bubb Da Produca (Jay Z, Sharissa, No QUestion etc) and among others.
She already has two songs which are featured on the soundtrack for the recently-released HAIRSHOW, starring comedienne MoNique: Movin Too Fast which Khaliyah describes as a song about a young girl who hasnt learned how to love herself, yet she tries find her self-esteem through others and a relationship And thats not how self-esteem works; and the mid-tempo I Wanna Get With You, the subject of which is about a teenaged girls mad crush on a young man who Khaliyah describes as the kind of boy who sends chills up her spine. Everything that he does whether its elaborate, stupid or simple she still want to be with him. Shes just got this huge crush on this boy.
My music, says Khaliyah, is my opportunity to talk about all those things that teenagers today face peer pressure, and all the other stuff. I guess you could call it age-appropriate music. Then, after pausing a moment as if lost in thought, Khaliyah adds: Singing and expressing myself through music is my thing and Im passionate about it. It is a chance for me to put all the pain, the high and lows Ive experienced into my art. Ive endured a lot growing up, and because of this, I have no doubt that Ill make it.
Khaliyah her name which has its roots in Islam, means assiduous and hard-working. So listen up and make no mistake this girl has every intention of living up to it.
Whats more I'm ready.
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