Life & Work with Yeni Walker of New York

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yeni Walker.

Yeni, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 2022, a little after the Covid lockdown, I came to Brooklyn, New York, from Libreville, Gabon (in Central West Africa), and stayed at my sister’s place until I found a college.
My father is American and my Mother is Gabonese. I grew up mainly in Gabon but I knew that I wanted to come to New York later on for me to be serious about my career in the art.

I’m a Singer-Songwriter and a Model. And I’ve been going to Sarah Lawrence College for now 3 years where I’ve been learning about music and performance.

Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be on TV. I remember watching singers like Rihanna or Beyonce on TV when I was less than 5 and knew that that’s what I wanted to do.
Sing and Dance. (Beautiful Liar Beyonce and Shakira are heavily remembered)

I did some ballet younger for a couple of years (between 2-5 years old) and took up dance again in middle school and then High School where this was all going from hip hop, jazz, and contemporary.

I started working on my voice and music by myself during the lockdown. I was pushing myself to write one or more songs and poems a day and kept that for a year or two. Since I never learned how to play any instruments until college, I was playing with melodies that came to mind when creating.
On top of that, I was dancing more, singing more, painting more, and drawing more. It was definitely a big creative time for me and spiritually awakening in ways.

I’m still learning my artist way as we speak, and I will have my first single released on April 22, 2025, titled “Come my Way”

Coming from Africa but still having this American influence, I want to be able to experiment and find sounds that move and speak, to me but also to the multitude of people out here.
My roots are really important to me, and the rise of African Artists brought me artists I LOVE and look up to like Tylaaaa, Tems, and Ayra Starr. But also Rema.

I was to create and experiment while still holding space and having funn.

Concerning my Modeling activities.
I did some collaborations with some photographers here in the US. And walked for the Midnight Runway in NYC.
I’ve always been told that I should model, by people who know me or don’t. I haven’t had much of the opportunity to do it in a while, but who knows, opportunities might be arriving…

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve now come to realize that the challenge and obstacles are with myself and me figuring stuff out.

I think there was a lot of fear and insecurity around this dream I have and the way of life I’m reaching for. Whether it was self-doubts, voices from the past, not feeling like enough, or insecurity.
Where I’m from, being an artist and unapologetic is not the norm, I would sadly say. I grew up with a lot of diminishing comments toward my skills, my dreams, and my way of behaving, and I think it held more space than I once thought it did.

So, in simple words, people’s opinions lorddd. That was hard.

I think I’m still working on it, but I also think that it shouldn’t be a reason to stop me, and neither should you.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
(I think I answered some of it in the first question)
I’m known for my style. What I wear and how I wear it. But also my looks and how I carry myself, that’s what I have sensed.

Clothe was a way for me to express myself when I first got to the US.
In high school, it was a little harder since we had a dress code, but I always was into fashion and clothes.
I like feeling good in what I wear. In how it feels but mainly in how it’ll present myself as well.

I now like to think about dressing up as a statement of my mood or what I’m feeling.

My Hair and my eyes are talked a lot about also, haha
I believe that my energy sets me apart from others. I think I am different, and I love it.

Since Music is my main focus, I want to be more on the scene with it now. I’ve been doing multiple college shows with bands I sang with. But because I’ve been so particular with my music I didn’t release anything in the past because I wasn’t satisfied but this is changing now.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I think this a tough question.
I think I’m still figuring it out.

But for me, now, it is a life of love, joy, and happy moments.
I want to live life, create, heal, teach, and restitute from what’s been taken. Flow

I want to have my dreams accomplished a full life and spent with beautiful individuals as well.

you know, tell a story. My story, our story

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yeni.walker?igsh=bDE5aWo3NXhya3Z2&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@whereisyeni

Image Credits
Yeni Walker