Should you haven’t been maintaining with Ragan Whiteside, you might be lacking out on one of the refreshing sounds within the sport proper now. As we lean into March and have fun Ladies’s Historical past Month, Ragan is the right instance of a modern-day icon who offers us all these nostalgic HypeHair vibes with a futuristic twist. She isn’t only a musician; she is a charming flutist, a gifted voiceover artist, and a complete chart topper who’s at the moment making main waves on the Billboard charts. Watching her command the stage along with her flute is a reminder that being “distinctive” is definitely a superpower, and he or she does it with a stage of grace and grit that’s actually infectious.
Ragan’s story is the definition of “stepping out” on religion and expertise. For over twenty years, she balanced a profitable profession in software program growth along with her love for music, however she lately determined to dive headfirst into her ardour full time. That leap of religion has clearly paid off as a result of she has turn into a dominant pressure within the modern jazz scene, touchdown 9 consecutive Prime Ten Billboard airplay singles! Whether or not she is releasing hits like “Fancy Footwork” or the excessive power “Steppin’ Out,” Ragan is proving that the flute belongs on the entrance and heart of latest soul jazz. Her potential to mix funk, R&B, and jazz into one “growth bap” impressed sound is why she stays on the prime of the charts.
Can we additionally discuss concerning the look? Ragan brings a way of fashion that seems like a lovely throwback to the golden period of hair magazines whereas nonetheless feeling utterly present. Her hair is at all times a press release, usually rocking voluminous textures and daring kinds that completely complement her vibrant persona. Between her Billboard #1 hits and her widespread radio present, “Saturday with Ragan Whiteside,” she is out right here proving that Black ladies should not a monolith—we’re classically skilled, we’re tech savvy, and we’re soulful as ever. Ragan isn’t simply taking part in music; she is making a excessive vibrational expertise that leaves us all feeling somewhat lighter and much more impressed.
Hype Hair: Your model feels each fashionable and nostalgic, harking back to traditional HypeHair-era magnificence and Black glamour. How intentional is your visible aesthetic, and what conjures up your hair and sweetness selections?
Ragan Whiteside: Ever since I used to be a child, I’ve liked a glamorous aesthetic — the extra sparkle, the higher. With the ability to pair that with my daring, artsy facet offers me the liberty to specific myself with out saying a phrase. Reality be advised, getting glammed up and carrying artwork is one in every of my favourite components of being a performing artist. For me, glamour is simply one other instrument within the efficiency. It’s one other type of storytelling earlier than I even play the primary be aware.
HH: As a lady topping the Billboard charts with two singles in the identical week, what does this second imply to you, particularly throughout Ladies’s Historical past Month?
RW: I’m extremely grateful for the chance to succeed, and I don’t take this second evenly. I’m standing on the shoulders of unimaginable ladies who got here earlier than me — artists, moms, leaders, and dreamers — and I hope to be that shoulder for the subsequent era. Having a second like this throughout Ladies’s Historical past Month makes it much more significant — it’s a reminder that progress occurs when every era pushes the door open somewhat wider.
HH: Your presence is highly effective earlier than you even play a be aware. How does your hair and total picture contribute to your confidence and efficiency as a flutist?
RW: Whenever you really feel stunning, it radiates from you with each step you’re taking. It offers you an additional increase of power and confidence to be daring on stage. Whenever you’re snug and assured in your personal pores and skin, you’re free to give attention to the music and the second.
HH: The flute is just not at all times the primary instrument individuals affiliate with mainstream chart success. How have you ever carved out house for your self in an trade that doesn’t at all times highlight ladies instrumentalists?
RW: Consistency and persistence have been my “magic system.” Staying true to myself, placing within the work even when it feels futile, and being prepared to pivot when mandatory have all been key. After I first got here on the scene, the flute wasn’t actually being performed on radio in any respect. Over time, audiences proved they have been prepared to listen to one thing totally different, and moments like seeing flute-driven music land on Billboard charts remind me how far instrumental music has come.
My objective has at all times been to indicate that the flute can lead the dialog, not simply accompany it. Immediately there are extra alternatives, and I’m proud to be a part of serving to carve out that lane so instrumental music continues to thrive.
HH: Your look feels elevated but approachable. How has your magnificence evolution paralleled your musical journey?
RW: The extra I evolve and uncover who I’m, the extra it exhibits up in each my model and my music. After I launched my first album, I used to be in my “single, no-kids” period. Immediately, six albums later, I’m in my “spouse and mother of two” period. That journey adjustments all the things — your priorities, your perspective, even your magnificence routine. Now it’s issues like, How can I look put along with minimal effort? or How can I appear to be I slept eight hours after I solely obtained two? All of these real-life experiences finally discover their method into the music.
HH: As each an award-winning flutist and voiceover artist, you could have mastered sound in a number of kinds. Do you method visible branding in another way for both sides of your profession, or is all of it one cohesive expression of who you might be?
RW: I method it as one cohesive expression. In right now’s world of multi-hyphenates, the necessity to visually separate each lane has actually diminished. For entrepreneurs and creatives, that’s really a present as a result of you may give attention to rising one robust model as an alternative of dividing your consideration throughout a number of identities.
HH: Ladies in music usually face strain to suit sure molds. Have you ever ever felt the necessity to modify or amplify components of your model or persona to navigate the trade?
RW: Have I needed to play the sport? After all. Generally it’s important to tone issues down, and typically it’s important to flip issues up. However even whereas navigating the sport, I by no means lose sight of who I’m. I refuse to shrink, and I refuse to cover.
HH: For younger ladies watching you prime the Billboard charts proper now, particularly these concerned about instrumental music, what would you need them to learn about proudly owning their uniqueness and exhibiting up absolutely as themselves?
RW: There’ll at all times be others doing the identical factor you do. The distinction is—they don’t seem to be you. Identical to fingerprints, each artist is totally distinctive. Nobody will really feel or interpret music the precise method you do. On this AI age, your uniqueness is your superpower. Lean into it — your distinction is the very factor that makes you unforgettable.
