Not many musicians have mastered the art of social influence. Singer/rapper eyeamki (rhymes with sky), however, has made social media her playground. With a steady drip of singles and an endless stream of intimate close-ups of her bald baddie persona and out-of-this-world fashion and music drama, she has amassed a loyal audience of three million and counting.
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It’s not like she’s slacking on the music, either. eyeamki hasn’t even dropped a full album yet and has already garnered billions of streams. But, it’s her authenticity and unapologetic approach to beauty that seem to resonate even more with her fans.
If you had to compare her to someone, she’d be the love child of a three-way between Grace Jones, Eartha Kitt, and an animé character. Yeah, we can’t explain it either, but her fans love every over-the-top minute of it. Even her haters tune in daily to see what she drops next.
And, her sweetness is contagious. With her haunting vocals perched atop a punky bed of theatrical pop singles like “Great Big Party” and “Madam!” you can’t help but stay tuned in.
Here, we catch up with the rising diva between gigs to learn more about her boundary-breaking beauty and creating her own lane to pop stardom.
REFLECT BEAUTY: The last time we chatted, you were dubbed “TikTok’s Reigning Pop Star” by “Paper” magazine. How has life changed since then?
KI: Lots! It’s so divinely aligned for my greatest and best good. I’ve garnered millions of streams and an even more loyal fanbase.
RB: Being an artist in this era almost always means becoming a social media influencer — but you took it to the next level! Was that comfortable for you?
KI: I used to be a NARS Cosmetics makeup artist, so I’ve been selling makeup through social media longer than I’ve been making music.
Being a businesswoman first is always important while being an artist. So, promoting products on social media, doing my makeup, and slaying extravagant ‘fits are my primary sources of income and support my musical career.
RB: Wait, you do all of your own makeup, too?
KI: Yes, my makeup is always a good thermostat of how I’m feeling — whether I’m serving captain or Camp or I have an optical illusion on my face with a smokey eye. Or just white pearlescent eyeshadow with red lipstick. It’s all me
RB: And, you’ve been a bald baddie for some time now. What inspired you to break that beauty boundary?
KI: Evie from “V for Vendetta,” which is my favorite film and graphic novel of all time. But really? It was my push to appear as less human looking as possible. At the time, I was in high school when that [part of me] came to life. All the limits of the clicks, trying to fit in.
I realized my hair and our “things” define where we belonged. From friend groups to even how I saw myself. I wanted to be free of that pressure and just be me. I saw myself and reasons, even in Evie for V. It is and was my liberation from “themselves” and “they” and the beginning of me.
RB: How do you define beauty?
KI: Beauty means, to me, being your unique and original self. It means authenticity. Everyone has beauty, they just need to believe in their positive attributes and focus on that instead of the flaws.
RB: When did you first know you were beautiful/find the beauty in you?
KI: When I wrote “Madam,” my second official single that sheds light on bullying in every medium. It came from a dream where my mouth was taped up and I couldn’t speak. In that dream, the tape was removed and I suddenly had a voice. My own voice! **sings** “Pardon me, mister! I’m madam glitter”
RB: How do you see yourself defining and redefining beauty?“KI: Through my performance art looks and always being myself to every degree. I believe beauty comes from within and by taking care of my mental health and honoring my self-worth. From there, I get to live in my purpose, which is to inspire the world to start loving and appreciating themselves.
RB: How do you reflect beauty in the work you do?
KI: I reflect beauty through my music and my musings. Whether I’m singing, dancing, or just simply styling my ‘fit for the day. I get to decide what is beauty to me and hope to give others the courage to do the same, their way.
RB: Tell us about YOU. What one thing do you wish people knew about you/your brand?
KI: That I’m only here to kill negativity and make fabulous theatrical pop for your sonic inspiration.
RB: What else are you working on?
KI: I just landed my first acting role in Fiend: The Awakening as Sophia Allure, the first-ever female vampire hero popstar. It is directed by Andrea Ward and will feature some other polarizing, historic rock stars that I’ve been looking up to since I was a little girl.
RB: Congratulations! Do you see yourself doing more acting or staying in music?
KI: Being a musician first! I have projects musically that I feel like I’ve been formulating forever, but I have my debut album along with a few products such as interactive merch for my fans aka the “eyelites.”
Other than my acting role in Fiend, there are a few surprises that I hope will be done soon in the NFT/VR/AR world.
RB: With your background in beauty, do you have any plans to launch any beauty offerings in the future?
KI: In the future? Indubitably! I have to say makeup is one of my favorite outlets of expression. Surely expect me to enter the beauty world this year.
