Today we’d like to introduce you to Christineh Menaskanian.
Hi Christineh , so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
At this point in my life, I am a 36-year-old independent recording artist and singer/songwriter, single mom, and entrepreneur. I have many things going on and, in the works, and all of this happened in the past 2 and a half years. I have lived a fairly normal life, had a nice childhood growing up in Glendale, CA. My parents and family have always been amazing, I was a daddy’s girl and got my love for music from my dad and love for singing from my mom who would always sing at family gatherings. As a kid, I was interested in entertainment and music but never pursued it for one reason or another. I got into a serious relationship pretty young and eventually ended up a housewife with one kid. So, starting out in music in my 30s was a bit of a challenge, especially I the community I live in where it is definitely not common for a mother in her 30s to suddenly become a singer and be accepted by the majority. I got separated from my longtime spouse of 15 years in 2018 and officially divorced in 2020. I began my career in music in May of 2020 and it was definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done. Prior to this, I didn’t know anyone in music, so I had to find a way to work with people who I didn’t know and I had pretty bad stage fright. I was very afraid to sing in front of people, especially songs that I had written myself since I felt more exposed sharing my own thoughts in that way. It feels like it’s been much longer than 2 and a half years, I have released 9 songs at this point and recorded many more. I overcame a lot of anxiety and dealing with situations that were not ideal and where I didn’t feel in control. Now, I feel like I have a much better understanding of how to handle this world and the most important thing to me is to stay true to myself and to my art. In some ways, I feel like I am back in high school and have a second chance to really do what I always wanted to do. It’s amazing that we live in a time and place now that you can truly go after your passions no matter you age or circumstance.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road, as is with anything someone is passionate about. I am very detail-oriented and would prefer to be able to do everything myself in order to get the exact outcome I have played out in my head. However, after many breakdowns and stressful situations, I learned to accept that every song is not going to be exactly how I imagined it and that I am going to have to improvise a lot of the time. Working with others has been both a wonderful learning experience and also extremely difficult at times. There are people who have helped me a lot and given me great advice and taken time to explain things to me about the industry that are important, and there are also people who just saw me as someone new who doesn’t know much about the industry and who can be taken advantage of. I have mostly had to work with men since music is a pretty male-dominated field and some of these guys have been amazing while others have been a total egotistical nightmare. I’m sure many women in music know exactly the type I am talking about and luckily there are always other options now I have learned how to spot that type of guy in the industry and make sure to not work with those types. One of the biggest lessons I learned is to always listen to my intuition. I have made the mistake of ignoring my gut feelings quite a few times like about titles of songs, how much I’m being charged for work, and other things that my gut kept telling me seemed off and I ignored all these feelings and had to learn the hard way that my higher self was telling me all along the reality and I didn’t know how to recognize those feelings and act accordingly. I have finally learned my lessons and it should be a smoother road from here on out.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a singer/songwriter I have to say what I’m most proud of is my writing and lyrics. For me, it all truly comes from the heart and I do love to express myself. I sing as well but singing has always been something fun for me that I just do at home, in the shower, or singing along to my favorite songs. Honing the skill of singing has been more difficult for me than writing which is more my specialty. I feel like what sets me apart is my concepts and visions are different than anything I’ve ever heard and my style of writing is also very specific to myself. I don’t feel like I have a specific label or style that I have to stick to but no matter what type of song I’m doing a lot of the time the message remains the same and I write from my own experience and feelings. I’m known for my motto: Zenning Out, it’s the main theme of my first song “432 Hz” and it’s what I live by. It’s about being on a higher vibe and not letting the low vibrations bring you down. Writing and singing definitely keeps me on that higher vibe and I just launched my website ZenningOut.com which features my music, bio, services I can provide and best of all merch! So, everyone can Zen Out along with me. Life can be really hard at times, but we have to ignore the things that bring us down and focus on the positives and things we love.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I like to read mostly educational and self-help or self-care books or things that talk about the universe etc. Apps right now that I’m enjoying are Envol which is helping me take time out every day for meditation and Glowbe which is basically facial yoga exercises.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ZenningOut.com
- Instagram: @Christineh_Music
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfEpQCScb8vxVmbSnC6b4ng; https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCe-lkRqYTjUrKv5b_w1Vcig?feature=share
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4npby4o5zW0xFNqsqrX6fI?si=c6ee93aSSUe-2AKWKIB0kg
Image Credits
@eminehdesigns
@TheKeyCaptures
@Trips2Rome
