Last weekend, I introduced American actor, singer/songwriter, creator Gina Naomi Baez with her song “My Time” in the post “10 Songs You Have to Listen to This Weekend (V. 2)“. In this post, I had the opportunity to talk to the multi-talented artist about another single, “UNIQUEorn”. Baez has been a name on everyone’s radar. However, her love and passion for songwriting and music have always been the true driving force behind her creativity, with the artist using her platform to spread messages of positivity. Pushing boundaries and defying genres, Baez’s music beautifully blends pop, country, and folk, creating a sound reminiscent of Sia meets Taylor Swift.
Continue to find out what classic musical movie inspired Gina Naomi Baez to write “UNIQUEorn”. Also, check out the song below and let me know what you think in the comments!
Hey! Could you introduce yourself to those who don’t know you?
Hi! I’m Gina Naomi Baez and I am an actor, singer/songwriter, creator based in New York!
You are such a multi-talented person: singer, songwriter, actress, and Youtube Influencer. What inspired you to pursue these passions?
I started out when I was little singing, acting, and dancing. My first love was musical theatre, show tunes, and music from powerhouse artists like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Judy Garland, and Bette Midler. My dream since a little girl has been to perform on Broadway. Once I entered college I started diving into different areas of performing. I found a love of acting on TV/film and also found youtube and other social media platforms as a way to express myself and be creative. It’s all sort of meshed together now as being an all-around artist.
Many will recognize you from Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It and Orange is the New Black as well musicals and plays. How is acting differently than singing and writing songs? Does acting influence singing and songwriting (and vice versa)?
There is an obvious difference between acting and singing/songwriting but when you really think about it. Both are ways of expressing yourself and taking others on a journey with you. The one big difference I love about songwriting is that I am in charge. I can write about whatever I want and sing about whatever I want. If I’m having a bad day, or trying to work through something, I can write a song about it. It’s cathartic on a more personal level than performing something someone else has written.
What artists and musical genres inspire you?
Some artists that inspire me are Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, Bette Midler, and SIA. I feel like I am inspired by so many genres but I’m definitely inspired by the storytelling in the country, folk, and singer/songwriter music. I also love pop and how it’s an ever-evolving genre.
Let’s talk about “UNIQUEorn”, what is it about?
I wanted to write a song about feeling different or being the odd man out…I also have an obsession with unicorns. HAHA.
6. What inspired you to write this song?
“UNIQUEorn” is a feel-good, uplifting, sugary sweet track certain to pull you out of any funk.
I wrote “Uniqueorn” based on one of my favorite musical movies, Funny Girl. I actually saw the recent revival production in Paris, France and it was such an inspirational evening of live theatre. It reminded me why I fell in love with music and performing in the first place. On the plane home from Paris, I was thinking about the show and the line “I’m a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls” and the idea for the song just popped into my head… “a Unicorn in a field of horses” and embracing your uniqueness.
What was the process of writing “UNIQUEorn” like? What was your favorite part?
It was a fairly short process, to be honest. My favorite part was coming up with the lyrics. I wrote the entire song on the plane from Paris and I had the chorus/hook on a voice memo. Then once I got home, I worked on the rest of the song and had a full demo in about a week.
What do you want listeners to listen for in this song?
I hope the listener hears the message and embraces whatever makes them different/unique/weird/out of the box. I hope it makes them smile.
Any future plans?
I have a lot of future plans including another single release leading up to my 2nd EP release!
Finally, any encouraging messages for the readers?
Never Give Up!
Make sure to check out Gina Naomi Baez at the following sites:
Official Site | Instagram | Spotify | Youtube | Twitter | Facebook
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Her music is a little bit of a different sound than I usually listen to. I’ll have to listen to more to get a true feel but I remember her from the Netflix series. She was solid in a limited role.
It’s interesting to see the range of artists that inspire her as they differ quite a bit. Ha, I like unicorns too!
oh wow, what an true inspiration, i looooove her energy. She is awesome!
Her voice is really amazing! I love her song!
The lyrics is simple and yet brings a lot of positivity and women empowerment! you go girl 🙂
This kind of music is new and that’s awesome to get inspired by other successful singers. I hope she will write her name on the history with the other big singers.
I agree with you and you have some good reviews of the music! I enjoyed reading this with the song and thanks for sharing it with the world – knycx journeying
Lovely song loved listening to it, she has an incredible voice. I would love to listen to more of her songs. !!
Very impressive that she used supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in a song. I do also feel like a unicorn in a field of horses. Love this song.
I’ve never heard of her but i love her voice and her style
I didn’t know this artist before. It’s amazing how she finds inspiration in all those ‘old’ divas 🙂
I did not know about her, but I always get so much to learn about music and artists from your posts and most of their songs are amazing. Thanks for sharing
I love the song and her voice is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
This is my first time learning about her and I am amazed by her talent! Glad you were able to share with your readers and let us know more about her. Looking forward to hearing more of her music.