Cheryl Cooley, the original member of the all-girl band Klymaxx, is an award-winning artist and an undisputed icon of the music world. You surely cannot have forgotten their smash hits, ‘Meeting In The Ladies Room’ or ‘The Men All Pause’, which continue to resonate with audiences to this day. It is worth noting that several viral videos have surfaced recently, featuring young influencers emulating the iconic video for ‘Meeting in The Ladies Room’.
When did you know you wanted to become a singer/entertainer?
When I was a kid and I saw the Beatles performing on television, I thought, “Gee, I want to do that when I grow up”. My parents always gave me a toy guitar every other Christmas, so I would say the guitar chose me, lol. When Sly and the Family Stone introduced funk music into the music industry, I felt in my soul that funk music would be the style I wanted to learn and play. My sister was married to a Jazz musician, Hubert Laws, and one day he had his guitar at my parent’s house and I told him I had (a toy) one also. So I played a little tune on it and my sister, screamed, “Let’s get Cheryl some guitar lessons” and that was the start of my musical journey.
What would you say made your band so unique?
Kymaxx is a self-contained all-female band; this means we play every instrument live with arrangements. At this point, I feel like I’ve had to be very specific that we are women who play musical instruments and we are properly trained to do so. And at this point in time is STILL the only R&B all-female band that has charted on Billboard Magazine. There are still a lot of people that have not seen an all-female band ’till this day and I hope to keep changing that with our performance tours. Quiet as it is kept, KLYMAXX paved the way for many of the more prominent female artists of this current generation, such as Beyoncè, Lizzo, and Fantasia to have all-female bands. Women can do so many incredible things, such as giving birth to a human, why would anyone think we could not be killing musicians as well? Many times during my sound checks, I have to deal with men who size us up, and secretly stand on the sideline wondering if we really are good enough, but Baby you should see their faces after I get off stage or finish one of my guitar solos!
What do you define as success?
First being happy with yourself knowing that you are doing your best in your life situations. I think having a comfortable life with financial stability matters to me and defines success. In this industry, there are many ups and downs but having the level of financial substance that allows for basic essentials and extra for the extras in life without worry is a blessing. Now the “Bonus Track” to my life, would be following your passions, developing your occupation, and establishing hobbies. A little known fact, I like building Legos and watching Murder and FBI series.
What’s your best piece of advice for new singers and performers?
Learn everything you can about your craft. How to properly perform your instrument. Like if you are a vocalist, learn how to breathe properly when singing. If you’re an instrumentalist, learn how to hold and play your instrument properly. Learn how to read music and how to read contracts. Maintain your health. The most important tip I always tell aspiring artists… SAVE MONEY, PUT MONEY ASIDE. There are going to come those times when the music productions and gigs will slow down and you want to have enough to sustain yourself now and even later in life without the stress of not having enough.
Learn More on Cheryl Cooley:
Website: https://klymaxx.com/
