HAPPY PRIDE!!! Did you miss us? Because we sure missed you! We've been up to so much lately, and we’ve got tons of exciting things coming your way. But today, we’re kicking it by shining a spotlight on one of our absolute favorites in Durham: the incredibly talented Sunny! This multimedia artist does it all—she sings, she performs, and her photography? Cuts deep!

Sunny, first of all, we love you! Your art and your strength inspire us. To start, please tell us more about your experience photographing Crystal Mangum for her interview that made global headlines. Your photo of her gave us goosebumps!

Hiiiii Kat. I love you too! Thank you for that intro. Sometimes I’m like, “Are you talking about me? Haha.” Crystal was… such an interesting experience. Never imagined it would become what it did, at the magnitude that it did, when I agreed to do the assignment with you. I’m so proud of how that photo came out, and I only have you to thank because you really pushed me when I doubted myself. You made it easier for me to celebrate.

Ok, let’s get weird: Is it possible to be both a brand and a person—or does one eventually consume the other?

It’s very possible, but it’s harder when you don’t have an alter ego or a brand that’s not attached to your name. That’s why I’m constantly reinventing myself, because I don’t want who I am at my core to get lost in becoming famous or presenting myself to the world in a certain way, or even clinging to how success looks for someone like me who wants to be in the music industry. You have to know how to detach from your brand and just be a person—not only for the people you care about in your everyday life but for yourself. I’m actually about to start rebranding into Sunny Da Soldier for my new rap project, so that’s exciting.

Are your fans leading you or are you leading them?

This is such a beautiful question. I think it’s both. My fans absolutely lead me because they motivate and inspire me. They affirm that I’m on the right path, not just through their words but by actually showing up for me. How I lead them is through creating, and in doing my job, I can inspire them to be whatever they want and keep going. Many supporters I know have shared that they love that I’m confident. Sometimes I’m actually not the most confident, but I pretend very well. I do it for the people who are afraid to speak up, who stay in the background but wish they were seen or heard, the ones who are counted out. I walk into any room with my head up like I belong because I want people to know they can do it too.

In a world where attention equals power, is controversy a strategy—or just inevitable entropy?

I don’t necessarily agree that attention equals power. Just because all eyes are on you doesn’t mean you have the power to influence. It’s what you do with the attention. Some do it for controversy, others have an innate ability to have the attention on them because they’re just that interesting or possess a certain energy. Those kinds of people tend to stick around longer rather than someone trying to manipulate their audience or the world around them. I’m not one for gimmicks. My strategy is to remain authentic, innovative, and consistent despite what’s happening around me. To me, that is real power.

If you could describe yourself with one word, what would it be?

Rare.

What’s love?

Love is the unconditional act of caring for others and yourself shamelessly and humbly.

If offered a free ticket to Jeff Bezos’ space tour, would you go?

Bye girl.

Sunny’s new album Emotional Wreck out now!

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Sunny

Eliza Redmann