Queenie Lasoul’s music is bold and brash in a way that pays homage to the past while leading the way into the future.
A key ingredient to music is authenticity. More than any other sport, music requires an individual to put themselves into it or risk being labeled a novelty. For Latifah Clark, creatively known as Queenie Lasoul, being true to herself was the only option from the get-go. Her music, like her life, is an amalgam of different influences and sounds. As a child, she spent her formative years soaking up the rich musical history of her family and the New York music scene. Now, as an adult and indie artist on the Atlanta indie scene, her goal is to share her world with others and empower them to be free.
Born in New York, Queenie spent her formative years in Brooklyn, briefly living in Panama before returning to the states again. At an early age, Queenie’s was exposed to several musical genres, from reggae to soca, reggaeton, and rap, which helped broaden her musical palette. Her family’s diverse background brought all the genres into her house. “My cousin traced our lineage, and it went back to Jamaica. It made sense though because we grew up with a mixture of things that affected my music.” Queenie first delved into artistry at ten when her older brother wrote a rap and taught it to her. “My brother, who’s a poet, had this idea to write rhymes for me and my cousin. He saw us becoming child stars. But that was the beginning of me seeing that this was even possible.”
Inspired by it, Queenie began writing rhymes. Later, as a teenager, she moved to GA, graduating from high school and experimenting with college. “It shaped me a lot. It made me who I am today. Going from Brooklyn to GA was an out-of-body experience.” The change in speed and scenery was a change for Queenie, who took that time to learn herself deeply. In 2017, the powerful Hurricane Irma ripped through Florida, destroying everything in its path, including Queenie’s apartment in Miami.
“I lost my job. My apartment was flooded. I felt like it was a calling from God. It was time for me to do what I needed and wanted to do. I spoke with my cousin and he told me- it was more than me. It’s not about me. It was about the people I could inspire using my gift.”
Driven to act, Queenie moved back to Atlanta, embracing her mission. Drawing her name from Queen Latifah, with whom she shares her namesake, she donned a new identity, Queenie Lasoul.
Queenie’s first project, Before the Getaway, and the follow-up, The Getaway Car, released in 2020, introduced the world to her brand. The Getaway, a metaphor referencing the need for a person to escape their troubles, became her central theme, encapsulating her desire to transcend the world musically. After leaving Miami, Queenie needed a place to stay and someone to help make her dreams come true. Aligning herself with her friend and producer, Danny Lewie, she built momentum and found stability as she connected her rhymes with the sound.
“This was my way of saying I was getting away. It was my escape. I lost my car that I worked hard to get at the time and it showed me how insignificant that item was because it was gone just like that. “
Through hard work and authenticity, Queenie’s brand has grown. Her two biggest songs on Spotify, “Chillin in Our Ways” and “Be Free”, have 81,000 and 26,000 streams respectively, and just last month the North Star’s “These Songs of Freedom” featured her on their live show segment. Queenie sees herself as part of a musical lineage that inspired black youth to be great.
“I’m just trying to give variety to a young female out there like me who needs to see me.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6g0KRqgg01VnLxa4cEpuet?si=tYCuWDu-QLKepLSsCPSj2Q