Conversations with Rumeisha Bowyer

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am the creator and executive producer of a music series called” Fashionably Late”. Fashionably late is a show about musicians and artists that have been around for years releasing great music but have yet to get their recognition/flowers. Think of it as “tiny desk concerts” meets “colors” meets “behind the music”.

I was inspired by artists such as Victoria Monet to create a show like this to introduce new fans or reintroduce old ones since I was “fashionably late” becoming a fan myself. Also, I think these artists are sooo dope to not be appreciated like other artists (in my opinion). I’m all about giving appreciation/ flowers for the accolades of dope individuals.

I was recovering from a life-altering surgery at the beginning of 2022. Music was the only thing getting me through the day. One day I heard a “Victoria Monét” song on an episode of “Grownish”. I shazam’d the song and had to add it to my playlist. I heard her singing with another artist and I decided to look her up. I learned that she had been around for 2 yrs at that time with multiple EPs and writing songs for artists such as “Ariana Grande” and “Chris Brown”. I was in disbelief that I had never heard of her before. I started discovering other artist in the days to come such as “Joyce Wrice” and “Alex Isley”, just to name a few. There were a lot of reaction videos to their songs and/or music videos. I thought to myself, “I should do something like this to put other people on to these artist or pay “homage”… I should call it “fashionably late” because I was “late to the party on knowing about these artist”. That was the day “Fashionably Late” was created. I’ve featured some AMAZING artists such as Christine Cain, Ré Alissa, TJ Wilkins, Dana Vaughns and Iman Omari.

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?
The first thing I did was write down my idea. I came up with the concept, how I wanted it to look, from the camera angles to the type of musical guest I wanted. Next, I had to find a “team” to help me execute my vision. I contacted some people I knew that directed me to the right people. I got a Creative Director that believed in what I was trying to do and my cousin (that just so happened to be a singer) to help me launch my pilot episode and the rest was history.Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an easy process. Funding was my biggest issue. Like most new projects, it’s 100% funded by the creator. There were days when I didn’t know how I was going to fund my episodes. Certain people saw what I was trying to do and saw the “quality” of the show so they decided to sponsor episodes.Appreciate you sharing that.

What else should we know about what you do?
I am a woman of many creative talents. Other than being the creator/ executive producer of my music series, “Fashionably Late”, I am also the photographer on set and in real life. I am proud of my first season of “Fashionably Late”. It’s my baby. I’m also proud of my patience. I have to remember that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and “all great things take time”. As much as I feel that things aren’t moving as fast as I want them to, they are moving just as they are supposed to.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I’ve learned that life is short. Go after your dreams and live your life to the fullest. You could die tomorrow and your job will have your replacement the next day.