Check Out CJ Marie’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to CJ Marie.

Hi CJ Marie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my journey in music young—I was playing piano by age 5 and took lessons for years. As I got older, I picked up five more instruments: clarinet, bassoon, soprano sax, drums, and guitar. Music was always my first language, but in high school I discovered another obsession: dance.
I fell in love with freestyle movement and began exploring different styles over the years, including krumping, popping, waving, tutting, and shuffling. While I’ve learned from different people and experiences along the way, I’m self-taught for the most part and developed many of those styles on my own. To this day, those influences are still a huge part of who I am as an artist.
Eventually I moved into hip-hop choreography, creating pieces for my own projects and for others, and started booking gigs in music videos, live shows, and other performances.
Not long after high school, I joined my first girl group, DCO—a five-member Latina group. I was the newest to singing and had just started taking vocal lessons, but I was hungry to learn. I was also the only dancer in the group. Over time, I naturally stepped into the role of rapper and harmony girl, mostly because of my lower range.
While building DCO, I was also fully immersed in the dance world. I joined my first crew, Academy of Swag, along with Antics, and another all-girls dance team. We competed and performed at major events like World of Dance in multiple states, Carnival, and other large showcases. After DCO came to an end and I left those teams, I kept pushing forward with dance, joined an agency, and later became part of the freestyle crew Flowkey—where I’m still the only female member representing.
From there, I spent more time in freestyle sessions, cyphers, and battles. I’ve competed in a few battles over the years, but my main focus has been creating visuals, performing, and building my own style. Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to work with artists and personalities including Carly Rae Nelson, DaBaby, Keke Palmer, Salice Rose, Macklemore, and Kaash Paige.
At the same time, I was pursuing another passion: fitness. I earned my personal training certification while still chasing music and dance, because movement has always been part of my identity—whether that’s on stage, in a studio, or in the gym.
Eventually, I joined another girl group called Moxxy. This project felt different because by then, we were all singers, rappers, and dancers, each bringing our own styles to the table. Mine blended hip-hop, freestyle, and choreography, while the group also incorporated belly dance, waacking, house, and modern. During those years, we filmed multiple music videos, including projects shot in the Nevada desert and Colombia, where we were also creating music. We performed at festivals like “Light in a Bottle”,  “Northern Nights”, and even opened for the The Future Kingz.
After a few years, I realized it was time to fully step into my own lane—and that’s when CJ MARIE was born.
For the last two years, I’ve been building myself as a solo artist while also growing in the fitness world. I completed an internship at Show Up Fitness, became a trainer at Equinox, and recently made the leap to become an independent trainer. I love that my life is a mix of artistry and athleticism—music, dance, performance, and training all feed each other.
As a solo artist, I’ve released tracks like “Waves” and “IGNITE,” in both English and Spanish. I released a music video for “Waves,” and the video for “IGNITE” is on the way. I also choreographed “IGNITE” myself and have performed both songs while opening for Kota the Friend on select dates of the “No Rap on Sunday “tour across the U.S. and Canada.
Right now, I’m working on making new music, prepping for future shows, pursuing sync placements for shows like The Kardashians and Below Deck, and just growing as an overall artist. At the same time, I’m still dancing, still training clients, and still evolving. I’ve never believed in putting myself in one box—I’m an artist, a dancer, a trainer, and a performer. I’ve got a few exciting things on the way, so make sure to follow and stay tuned!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. Honestly, my path has been anything but smooth—and in a weird way, I think that’s what shaped me.
I didn’t come from a family in the entertainment industry, and I didn’t have a blueprint or connections handed to me. I had to learn everything on my own, from music and performance to contracts, branding, marketing, and the business side of the industry. When you first start out, you’re just excited to create. You don’t realize how important it is to understand the business behind the art until you learn the hard way.
The entertainment industry can be amazing, but it can also be tricky. If you don’t know what you’re doing, people can take advantage of you—whether that’s creatively, financially, or professionally. Being part of multiple music groups taught me a lot, but it also came with hard lessons. The version of me that first entered the industry is very different from who I am now. Back then, I was just an artist. Now, I’m an artist and a businesswoman.
I’ve also had to learn that not every collaboration is the right fit. Sometimes you outgrow people. Sometimes your vision no longer aligns. Sometimes you have to walk away from situations that no longer serve you, even when it’s difficult. That’s been one of the hardest but most important lessons.
Another challenge has been balancing everything. I’m not just pursuing one passion—I’m building a career in music, dance, and fitness all at once, while still trying to have a life outside of that. And as an independent artist, there’s also the financial side. Creating great art is not cheap. You’re funding your music, visuals, performances, travel, styling, marketing—everything.
But honestly, I think those struggles are what gave me my edge. They forced me to become stronger, smarter, more creative, and more fearless.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I do is a mix of everything I love: music, dance, fitness, and creative direction. I’m an artist, dancer, and personal trainer, and everything I do sits at the intersection of performance, movement, and discipline. I create bilingual music in English and Spanish—I sing, rap, write, and dance—and my work is very performance-driven. I don’t just make songs, I create full experiences.
Dance is a big part of what sets me apart. I come from a freestyle background—popping, krumping, and other styles that aren’t as commonly seen in female artists—so I naturally create with movement in mind. When I build a song, I’m already seeing the choreography, staging, lighting, and visuals. It’s cinematic, edgy, and intentional.
Alongside music, I’m a personal trainer specializing in strength and functional training. For me, fitness and artistry go hand in hand—the same discipline and intensity shows up in both.
What I’m most proud of is my growth. I went from being hesitant to even dance or speak publicly to consistently performing and putting myself out there. A lot of my journey has been self-taught, and I’ve had to build both the creative and business sides on my own, which shaped me into not just an artist, but a businesswoman.
What sets me apart is the combination of it all—my dance foundation, versatility, bilingual sound, and a raw, performance-first energy. I’ve created my own lane, and I’m continuing to evolve within it.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love my city, Inglewood—I’m from here and still based here, so I’ve watched it evolve in real time.
What I love most is the energy and how central it’s become. Inglewood has always had its own identity and culture—you’ve heard it mentioned in music for years—but now it’s really expanded with major events, concerts, SoFi Stadium, and everything happening around downtown. Even my luxury gym is right in the heart of it now, which says a lot about how much the city is growing and shifting.
At the same time, I have mixed feelings about some of the changes. I’ve seen gentrification change the landscape—higher costs, more traffic, and a different overall feel than what it used to be.
But no matter what, I still love Inglewood. It’s home. It’s always had a vibe, a history, and a certain edge to it that you can’t really replicate anywhere else. Even as it changes, that core energy is still there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Officialcjmarie#549129855
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cj__marie
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cjmarievevo?si=RP_of7mEbSx5zzA9
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/lift.with.cj?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Image Credits
Celine Chaparían, Diamond, photographer JT, Justin Focus photography