EXZENYA

Q What inspired you to open “International Power” with such a direct and confident statement about showing what power really looks like?
That opening line is intentional. I wanted to set the tone immediately—no build-up, no guessing what the song is about.
For me, power isn’t something you talk around or soften. It’s something you step into. And I’ve lived that in other areas of my life long before music—walking into rooms where presence mattered more than anything that was spoken.
So starting a cappella with a direct statement strips everything away. There’s no beat to carry it, no production to hide behind. It’s just the voice and the message.
It’s basically saying—this is what it is, now watch it unfold.

Q When writing this song, what does the idea of “power” personally mean to you beyond success or status?
Power, to me, isn’t about status, titles, or what people see on the outside.
It’s about knowing.
It’s knowing who you are, knowing what you’ve built, knowing what you’re capable of—especially when things aren’t easy or when nothing around you reflects that yet.
It’s also control, but not in the way people usually think. Not control over everything, but control over your direction, your decisions, and how you move forward regardless of what’s happening around you.
And a big part of it is presence. Being able to walk into a room and not have to prove anything, not have to be loud, but still be felt.
That kind of power comes from experience. It’s built over time.

Q You speak a lot about not following traditional paths like hourly work or industry expectations, was there a specific moment in your life that pushed you to take that route?
It wasn’t just one moment—it was something I’ve experienced repeatedly, both in business and now in music.
With this song specifically, a lot of it came from the feedback I was getting stepping into the music industry. There’s a lot of pressure to fit into a genre, to follow a certain structure, to do things the “right” way if you want to succeed. And a lot of that feedback isn’t always constructive—it can be limiting.
For me, that doesn’t work. Music has to feel right. The flow, the structure, the sound—it has to come from instinct. You can take in feedback, but at the end of the day, you have to trust your own direction and let the listeners respond to it. That’s what actually tells you if you’re connecting or not.
And this isn’t new for me. Even outside of music, I’ve always been told I think too globally, too broadly, too outside the box—that I should narrow things down. But that way of thinking is also what’s allowed me to build what I’ve built.
So this track is really a combination of both—pushing back on limitations, and standing firm in doing things in a way that aligns with how I naturally think and create.

Q The lyrics suggest you’ve observed how powerful systems work from the inside, how much of that perspective comes from real experiences?
All of it.
That perspective isn’t imagined—it comes from real-world experience over a long period of time. Building businesses, working across different systems, different countries, different environments… you start to see how things actually operate behind the scenes.
You see what people don’t talk about publicly. You see how decisions get made, how influence works, how information moves, and how access is created.
So when I write something like that, I’m not speculating—I’m speaking from observation and experience.
And that’s also where the tone of the song comes from. It’s not exaggerated. It’s not performative. It’s grounded in what I’ve actually seen and navigated.

Q The phrase “international power” feels like more than just a hook, when did that concept first come to you?
It didn’t come to me as just a hook—it came as a realization.
I’ve spent years building and operating across different countries, different systems, different ways of thinking. So “international” isn’t just a word to me—it reflects how I actually move and think.
The “power” part comes from that combination—experience, exposure, and understanding how things work on a broader level, not just locally.
So when the phrase came together, it just fit. It wasn’t something I had to force. It already existed in how I live and how I think.
The song just gave it a voice.

Q You describe yourself as a CEO in the song, do you see yourself more as an artist, a leader, or a mix of both?
I am a CEO. I’ve been one for a long time—both locally and internationally. That’s not something I stepped into recently, and it’s not something I separate from what I do now.
So yes, I’m an artist—but I’m also a leader, an entrepreneur, and an investor. That experience doesn’t go away when I make music. It’s part of how I think, how I move, and how I create.
The music is another extension of that. It carries the same mindset—building something, trusting direction, making decisions, and standing in them.
So it’s not really a question of one or the other. It’s all of it, working together.

Q Legacy is a big theme in the track, what kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind through your music?
Legacy, for me, goes far beyond music—but music is a part of it.
I’ve built things in my life that are designed to carry forward for my children, my grandchildren, and generations beyond that. That includes offshore foundations and international investments that are structured specifically to ensure that legacy continues long after I’m gone.
With music, it becomes another layer of that.
I’ve written thousands of songs, poems, and stories over my lifetime—more than I could ever fully complete or release myself. So part of what I’m leaving behind is a body of work that my heirs can step into, build on, reinterpret, or continue in their own way.
It’s not just about what I create—it’s about what continues.
And beyond my family, I also want people to understand that this kind of long-term thinking is possible. Even if you’re starting with very little, there are ways to build something that lasts. It takes time, persistence, and learning through setbacks, but it can be done.
So the legacy is both personal and broader—it’s what I leave behind, and what it shows others is possible.

Q You mention hard work, fear, and sacrifice, how important was it for you to show the struggle behind the success?
It’s very important, because that’s the real part of it.
People see outcomes, but they don’t always see what it takes to get there. The fear, the uncertainty, the setbacks, the times where you don’t know if something is going to work—that’s all part of it.
I’ve experienced all of that. Building anything—whether it’s business or music—requires you to move forward even when you’re not completely sure how it’s going to turn out.
So I wanted that in the song. Not just the confidence, but what sits underneath it.
Because the confidence doesn’t come from nothing—it comes from working through those moments.

Q There’s a strong message about achieving things without compromising your values, has that ever been difficult in your journey?
It can be challenging at times.
There are situations where different options are presented that might move things along faster or make something easier, especially when expectations are involved—whether that’s in business or in music.
For me, it comes down to checking in with what feels right. I’ll listen, I’ll consider different perspectives, but I also trust my instincts and the direction I’m moving in. That’s something that’s been built over time.
So it’s not about pushing against everything—it’s about staying aligned with what makes sense for me, even if the path looks a little different.

Q Independence is a core idea in the song, what does being truly independent mean to you as an artist today?
Being independent means having the ability to make decisions without being confined to a single way of doing things.
It means trusting my direction, my sound, my process, and allowing that to evolve naturally instead of forcing it into a predefined structure.
At the same time, independence doesn’t mean doing everything in isolation. It means having control over the vision and the direction, while still being open to learning, collaborating, and growing.
For me, it’s about freedom in creation—being able to move between styles, ideas, and approaches without feeling like I have to stay in one lane to be accepted.

Q The line about building your own table instead of asking for a seat is very powerful, have you always had that mindset?
I think that mindset developed over time.
There have been moments where I’ve looked at existing structures and realized they weren’t necessarily built for the way I think or operate. And instead of trying to force myself into something that didn’t quite fit, it made more sense to create something that did.
That didn’t happen overnight—it came from experience, from seeing how things work, and from recognizing that not every path is going to align with everyone.
So it’s not about rejecting what’s already there. It’s more about recognizing when something fits and when it doesn’t, and being willing to build something different when needed.

Q You talk about breaking rules and crossing boundaries, do you see yourself as someone who challenges systems intentionally?
Not intentionally for the sake of challenging them.
It’s more that I tend to see things differently, and when something doesn’t quite make sense or doesn’t align, I’ll approach it in a different way.
Sometimes that ends up crossing boundaries or doing things outside of what’s expected, but that’s not really the goal. The goal is to create something that works, that feels right, and that moves things forward.
So if that challenges a system or goes outside of it, then that’s just a result of following a different line of thinking rather than trying to disrupt something on purpose.

Q How important is it for you to stay “unboxed” and not be defined by genre or industry labels?
It’s very important, because that’s how I naturally create.
I don’t think in one lane, and I don’t experience things in one lane. Emotion, thought, and expression don’t come in one category, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to force that into a single genre.
When I’m creating, I follow what the song needs. Sometimes that leans more one way, sometimes another. The structure, the sound, the delivery—it all comes from what fits that particular piece.
So staying unboxed isn’t something I’m trying to do—it’s just how I am.

Q The song touches on defying geography and thinking globally, how has your vision expanded beyond local or traditional limits?
My thinking has always been global.
That’s not something that started with music—it’s something I’ve been told for a long time, that I think too broadly, too globally, that I should narrow things down. But that way of thinking is also what’s allowed me to build and operate in different places and understand things from a wider perspective.
Working internationally changes how I see systems, opportunities, and limitations. It shows that there isn’t just one way to do things—there are many.
So when that comes into the music, it’s natural. I’m not thinking in terms of one location, one audience, or one way of doing things. The vision is bigger than that.

Q You mention not fitting into algorithms, how do you navigate a music industry that is so driven by digital systems?
I understand the systems, but I don’t let them define how I create.
Algorithms are built around patterns, and they tend to reward consistency within a certain structure. But creativity doesn’t always work that way.
So for me, it’s a balance. I’ll learn the platforms, I’ll understand how they work, I’ll use them where it makes sense—but I don’t shape the music around them.
The focus stays on creating something that feels right and connects. The systems can support that, but they’re not the foundation of it.

Q There’s a balance between confidence and purpose in your lyrics, how do you maintain that without losing authenticity?
For me, the confidence comes from experience, not from trying to project something.
Everything in the song is grounded in things I’ve actually lived, built, or worked through over time. So it doesn’t feel separate from who I am—it’s an extension of it.
At the same time, there has to be purpose behind it. It’s not just about saying something strong, it’s about meaning it and understanding where it comes from.
So that balance happens naturally. When something is real and comes from a place of experience, it doesn’t feel forced, and it doesn’t lose authenticity.

Q The song also addresses gender expectations, did you feel a responsibility to include that perspective in your message?
It wasn’t about responsibility—it was about reality.
Even today, being a woman in business and leadership isn’t always easy. We’d like to think things have changed more than they actually have, but from my experience—across decades in corporate environments and now internationally—those biases still exist.
I started in management at 17, and I’ve been in leadership roles ever since, including as a CEO. Early on, there were two things that worked against me—my age and the fact that I was a woman. There were assumptions, doubts, and comments that made it clear I wasn’t always being taken seriously.
As I got older, the age factor faded, but the gender piece didn’t go away. There’s still an underlying mindset in many spaces that questions whether a woman should be in certain roles or operate at a certain level.
So that line in the song—challenging the idea that a woman can’t do something—that comes from real experience. It’s not theoretical.
At the same time, the message isn’t just about gender. It’s about pushing past limitations and expectations in general. But that perspective is part of my story, so it naturally belongs in the music.

Q When you wrote the line challenging the idea that a woman can’t reach this level, was that based on personal experiences?
Yes, that comes directly from personal experience.
I’ve heard variations of that throughout my life—sometimes directly, sometimes implied. Whether it was because I was a woman, or earlier on because of my age, there were always moments where it felt like I was being measured differently or not fully taken seriously.
And it wasn’t just one situation. It’s been across different stages of my life—corporate environments, business, real estate, and even now stepping into music.
So that line isn’t hypothetical. It’s a response to things I’ve actually experienced.
But instead of staying in that space or pushing back with words, I’ve always chosen to move forward through action. To build, to prove, to continue—regardless of what those expectations were.

Q Instead of arguing with doubt, you respond with action in the song, is that something that defines your real-life approach too?
Yes, that’s how I’ve always approached things.
There’s always going to be doubt—whether it comes from other people or even from within. But staying in that space or going back and forth over it doesn’t really move anything forward.
For me, it’s more productive to focus on what needs to be done and take the next step. Build something, create something, follow through on something.
That’s been consistent across everything I’ve done—business, investments, and now music.
It’s not about proving something to others as much as it is continuing to move forward in a way that aligns with where I’m going.

Q The imagery of bringing a storm when you enter a space is very striking, what does that symbolize for you?
It symbolizes power and presence.
Not chaos for the sake of it, but a shift—something changes just by being there.
I’ve experienced that in real life, walking into a room and feeling the energy change without having to say anything. That kind of presence doesn’t come from being loud or trying to be seen—it comes from experience, from confidence, from knowing what’s been built and what’s being carried into that space.
The idea of “bringing a storm” is part of that power. It creates a disruption—not in a negative way, but in a way that commands attention. It says, this is someone to take seriously, not because of what’s being said or how loudly it’s said, but because of the presence itself.
So it’s really about impact—how presence alone can shift a space.

Q You repeat “I’m gonna show you” throughout the track, who are you speaking to in those moments?
It’s not directed at just one person.
It’s directed at anyone who’s ever had an opinion on what something should look like, how something should be done, or what limits should exist—whether that’s in music, business, or life in general.
At the same time, it’s also internal.
It’s a reminder to myself to continue forward, to trust what I’m doing, and to follow through on it. Not just say it, but actually do it.
So it works both ways—it’s outward, and it’s inward.
It’s not about arguing or explaining. It’s about showing through action.

Q There’s a strong sense that your journey is ongoing, do you see “International Power” as a milestone or just the beginning?
It’s more of a milestone within a much larger journey.
I’ve already built a lot in other areas of my life before stepping into music, so this isn’t the beginning of everything—it’s the beginning of this chapter.
At the same time, there’s still so much ahead. Music is something I’m continuing to grow into, expand on, and build over time.
So I don’t see it as a final point or even a peak. It’s part of the progression—something that marks where I am right now, while still moving forward into what’s next.

Q How do you stay grounded while expressing such a high level of confidence and ambition in your lyrics?
Staying grounded comes from knowing where everything actually comes from.
The confidence isn’t separate from the work—it comes from it. From the experiences, the setbacks, the things that didn’t work, the things that did, and everything in between.
I’m very aware of all of that. I don’t forget where I started, and I don’t overlook what it takes to keep things moving.
At the same time, I also recognize what I’ve built and what I’m continuing to build. So it’s not about lowering confidence—it’s about keeping it rooted in reality.
That balance keeps it grounded.

Q The final idea of being a lasting force is very powerful, what keeps that drive alive in you every day?
It’s built into how I think.
My mind doesn’t really stop—it’s always moving, always processing, always building something, whether that’s in business, music, or anything else I’m working on. There’s always another step, another idea, another direction to explore.
At the same time, there’s a bigger picture behind it. Everything I do isn’t just for right now—it’s for what continues beyond me. The legacy, the structures I’ve put in place, the work I’m leaving behind for my children and future generations—that keeps everything moving.
And then there’s also the creative side. I have thousands of pieces I’ve written, ideas that haven’t even been touched yet. There’s always more there than I could ever fully complete.

Q If listeners take one message away from “International Power,” what do you hope it is?
That power doesn’t come from fitting into something—it comes from knowing who we are and moving forward with that.
There are always going to be expectations, opinions, and structures that suggest how things should be done. But not everything is meant to fit into those spaces.
So the message is to trust that instinct, to continue forward even when it doesn’t align with what’s expected, and to recognize that power isn’t always loud—it’s often in presence, in consistency, and in knowing.
And that it’s built over time.