Creative Bloom: The Story Behind the Art with April Rayne

A Hopegrown series showcasing art from up-and-coming artists

Introducing Creative Bloom - our new series highlighting up-and-coming artist. And where creativity and soulful pursuit come together. Check out this week's talented artist and feel free to Buy Me A Coffee if you'd like to support their art.  

Exploring the personal journey, creative process, and healing power of music

In this edition of Creative Bloom, Hopegrown sits down with musician and poet April Rayne to explore the deeply personal journey behind her art. Rooted in authenticity, emotion, and healing, April’s music flows beyond genre—guided instead by feeling, lived experience, and spiritual truth.

Below, April shares how poetry led her to music, how vulnerability fuels her creative process, and why authenticity is the foundation of her artistry.

The Story Behind the Art

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what first inspired you to start creating?

Music wasn’t something I ever planned. My love was poetry—sparked by “Hey Black Child, Do You Know Who You Are?”—and I filled notebooks with poems. There was magic in words for me. A dear friend who was an artist later introduced me to the idea that my poems could become melodies, helping me discover an ability I never knew I had.

2. How would you describe your art to someone who’s never heard it before?

My art is raw and authentic. My music is drawn directly from personal experiences, emotions, and moments in time that have shaped who I am.

3. What’s the story behind your creative journey—how did you discover your medium or style?

My style flows from emotion rather than genre. I’m drawn to different musical styles, letting each feeling decide how it wants to be expressed.

4. What themes, emotions, or experiences influence your work the most?

While I’ve written many poems, music brings them to life in a unique way. Certain sounds pull words from me instinctively, and some poems naturally align with specific melodies—creating a seamless connection between word and sound.

5. Can you walk us through your creative process—from inspiration to completion?

My creative process is always evolving. Sometimes a song begins as a poem, sometimes as a thought, and other times a melody comes to me acapella and the production follows later.

I once wrote a deeply personal poem and sang it acapella for a producer friend, asking them to create a track around it. While it felt good, something was missing. About a year later, I shared the same poem with another producer—and everything aligned. The production finally created a true marriage with the words, drawing out emotions I hadn’t fully felt before.

In other moments, music plays in the background and the words simply flow, capturing a specific moment in time. My process can’t be confined to one method—it moves with feeling.

6. How do you stay inspired or overcome creative blocks?

Authenticity is the only way through creative block for me. When I’m vulnerable and truthful, creativity no longer feels blocked.

7. What message or feeling do you hope people take away from your art?

I hope listeners take away a piece of my healing journey. Each song reflects the truth that none of us are perfect—we all experience pain, growth, love, and healing. I want people to feel the humanity in my music and know that I am just as human as they are.

8. Are there any artists or experiences that have deeply shaped your work?

Music was constant in my home—skating, riding in the car, listening to the radio. I was immersed in sounds from the ’70s and ’80s, inspired by my family, and exposed to music from the 1920s through the 2000s.

Music became a bookmark for different periods of my life. Some of my biggest influences include Sade, Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, the Andrews Sisters, and Aretha Franklin.

9. How does your art reflect who you are or what you believe in?

My art reflects who I am at my core. It gives voice to the doubts, fears, and emotions I’ve experienced along the way.

10. In what ways has creating art healed you personally?

Music has healed me because it requires honesty. If you’re not being truthful, something always feels missing. Creating music forces me to reflect deeply, confront my feelings, and grow. Art always tells the truth.

11. What’s been your proudest or most meaningful moment as an artist?

Creating a song with my son has been my proudest moment. Even though we’re on different journeys, knowing he believes in me enough to share a track together is incredibly special.

12. How do you hope your art contributes to your community or the world?

My art is rooted in my spiritual journey—truth, authenticity, and self-expression. If it reaches others, I hope it encourages them to be more fully themselves.

13. Where can people see or support your work?

14. What advice would you share with other creatives?

Music took time for me because learning to be authentic took time. Opening up was part of my growth. There’s no deadline on becoming yourself—what matters most is choosing growth whenever it arrives.