MIC/LINE is HYPEBEAST Radio’s music-centric show that looks to deliver in-depth conversations with your favorite artists, digging into their origin stories and asking the questions you want answered. For the Season 4 finale, we sit down with Justine Skye.

It may seem like Justine Skye has just popped off, yet at the same time she is very much established in her career. The R&B singer most recently dropped her latest EP, the acclaimed Bare With Me — a project that comes from a new place of self-love and centeredness.

Born Justine Indira Skyers, the New York native achieved early fame via Tumblr, where she built a fanbase through a niche community. Simultaneously, she had been dropping YouTube covers as well as her mixtape Skye High on Datpiff, and at the turn of high school graduation she landed a record deal. Having been exposed to the industry through her music attorney mother, Justine expresses that despite the connections, she had to prove her worth to be taken seriously.

Formerly signed to Atlantic and Roc Nation, the songstress is now an independent artist and admits that while she was “scared to get off a label,” she’s finally at peace with having full creative control to produce the music she’s always wanted to make. The “Build” singer is honest and aware that her previous music was “not her”. 

“I feel like I’m in the best place I’ve ever been in my life, where I’m just not being as passive as I once was. I would just let people step on me. At the end of the day, only you know what’s good for yourself. There will be people who want to turn you into whatever it is they want you to be. I realize that may work for some people, but for me that doesn’t work.”

As the singer reflects on turning 24, she tells us that it wasn’t too long ago when she had nearly wanted to quit music. Overcoming the most difficult time of her life, she’s learned to defend herself and put forth this vulnerability in her music. Her most recent EP showcases her growth and sense of self-reflection. No longer feeling pressured to be palatable to mainstream audiences, Justine is focused on making the most authentic music she can. While there will “always be that top 40 person,” she says she’s not just here for “today or tomorrow” but “trying to be here forever.”

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