Daily Inspiration: Meet Amina Buddafly

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amina Buddafly. 

Hi Amina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany. My mom is German, my dad is Senegalese. It was me and my two sisters who were super tight growing up and still are. Our household was always full of music; that’s what influenced me and my sisters to pursue singing. I dropped out of school at 15 as we had gotten a record deal in Germany. I always knew this was going to be my path, never looked to having a plan B. We never decided to be a group, we already were, and it all came naturally. Our musical influences were ‘90s, r&b girl groups. Music like that was not made in Germany, and we had always dreamed of being in America around the music we loved the most and wanted to make ourselves… after multiple failed record deals in Germany, in 2002, we decided to pick up and fly to NYC. We had nothing but $600 and a dream. Thinking back to us being so fearless and just boldly jumping and going for it feels like a movie (I have actually written a book in which I talk about the entire journey in detail, it would be too long for this interview… but anyhow… we went through a lot of ups and downs, but something kept us up with the challenge of making it in America. We got signed by LA Reid and Russell Simmons to def jam/RSMG in 2005. our group never had the big break like our label mates Rihanna, Chris brown, and Neyo; however, we kept on going, later as a DUO (me and my twin) and got signed again in 2009 to J Records. after blood sweat, and tears in this shady world called music industry. I ended up as an independent artist who loves her freedom more than anything, and to this day, I am consistently putting out album after album and loving it. I also got thrown into the world of reality TV in 2013 after I met my now ex-husband, Peter Gunz. I have two beautiful daughters by him, but after we ended, I packed up again and moved to California by myself with a 1-year-old and preggo with the second… I continue to strive for happiness and being a good mom to my girls, inspiring people and loving on myself and people close to me. I feel very powerful after everything I have been through on my journey to living in my purpose. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of our struggles was always money. I mean 3 girls from Germany who grew up with nothing, coming to NY where everything costs 5 times as much, and we literally would live off of other ppl and find housing with different people who we had met just around NY. We were lucky to not get caught up in some crazy mess… once we were signed, I found it was the biggest struggle to find balance between keeping the label happy and keeping myself happy; it was always about other people, never about me (/us)… I lost myself, I didn’t love music anymore; it was more like a game that needed to be played. I hated it! Now being a single mom is hard! I figured out a way that works for me, but I still burn out a lot and I don’t have much time for friends… or even dating, I’m lucky my current boyfriend understands… being an independent artist has made me happier, but it also comes with a lot of challenges. It’s hard getting out there, getting on stages, making people familiar with what you do. But at the end of the day, I’m happy when I simply CREATE, and then share… numbers aren’t really my focus; more like expressing myself, and I do that by being authentically me–for those who care. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a musician first! Well, technically, I’m a mom first now that I have kids, but I was a musician before I was a mom, so I like to say it in that order. I write, sing, produce, engineer, mix, and compose my own songs. I’ve taught myself how to play piano and guitar in my 20s, and it was the best thing I could’ve ever done (just regret I didn’t do it sooner. I am an artist through and through, I work best when I’m alone. That’s when I can really get in the zone, and that’s when I make my best songs. I became semi-famous when my ex brought me on to reality TV (Love and Hip Hop), so a lot of people know me from being involved in a crazy love triangle that played out in front of the world. There was a lot of judgment getting passed… I had to get used to it and grow thick skin! But I’m so proud of myself for how I have become through all of it. Musically I have executive produced all of my albums!!! (We never dropped an album when we were signed to major labels (4 times in my life!) so I can proudly say I have had more success by myself than with a machine behind me. I just never stopped, and I’m climbing up that ladder and growing and getting better at my craft every year. I’m definitely mostly proud of my growth as a person, but also proud of my projects that I’ve put out over the years! They are my babies (my other babies, lol). 

What matters most to you?
My health and me and my daughter’s happiness. Waking up in the morning and feeling good about yourself is such an underrated blessing. I know many people who have way more than me, and I know for a fact they don’t feel as good as I do about who I am and what I do. I used to hate my life and myself as a teenager. I went from that to loving me so much that I treat myself better than I treat anyone else (besides my kids, they always come first), and it shows. I realized that happiness depends 100% on how you feel! Not what you have or don’t have. My mom taught us that love is more important than money, and although I’d love to have more of it, I never was somebody who chased money. I only chase HAPPY and FULLFILLMENT. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamamina.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/aminabuddafly
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/aminabuddaflyofficial
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/aminabuddafly
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/abuddafly
• SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/iamamina