When Deva Rani talks about music, there’s a spark. But what’s most captivating is her ability to articulate her creative process with honesty and warmth. “In terms of lyrics, I strive to be at Frank Ocean's level of lyricism. I typically use my own conversations with myself for inspiration,” she laughed. “My best lyrics have come from when I’m just sitting somewhere thinking about my situation, and the words just flow out of me.”

Deva Rani’s journey into music started at a tender age, four years old, to be exact. Her mother enrolled her in classical piano lessons, which, at the time, felt more like a chore than a passion. “I protested a lot,” she admitted with a smile. But as time passed, she started to appreciate the foundation it gave her. “I started noticing how fun it was to get really good at it. I treated it more like a sport.” That discipline and understanding of music became the foundation of her current production style. Even though classical piano wasn’t her first love, it laid the groundwork for her ability to improvise and experiment with different genres.

Her musical taste growing up was anything but one-dimensional. Thanks to her dad’s influence, she was exposed to everything from country and soul to funk. Her older sister introduced her to Alicia Keys, which she credits as a pivotal moment in her artistic journey. “Seeing someone who played the piano and wrote her own music was so inspiring to me,” Deva Rani recalled. “The culmination of all the different genres I was exposed to is something I carry with me every day, even if it’s really far in the back of my mind.”

When Jujuan Lewis talks about fashion, you get the sense he’s building something bigger than just clothes. He’s building a legacy. That legacy is Arius Juan, a luxury fashion house rooted in Americana aesthetics and shaped by Jujuan’s memories of school uniforms, the hand-me-downs, the creative spark he carried for his brother, and the deep desire to design the things he never had growing up.

“I didn’t think I was creative,” Jujuan said. “I was the numbers guy. I studied finance. But during the pandemic, everything shut down, and suddenly I had time. Time to see what creativity could look like for me.”

Arius Juan began as a shared vision. Jujuan had hoped to launch the brand with his brother, whose creativity had been stifled by personal challenges. “I wanted to keep him creative,” he explained. “But when he couldn’t be part of it, I had to decide. Do I stop or carry this on? I chose to carry it.”

Lindsey Monet didn't set out to change the world of children's fashion, but sometimes purpose finds you when you least expect it. As a new mom, she was searching for clothes that reflected her vision of the world she wanted her son to grow up in. A world where Black and brown kids could see themselves represented. But what she found instead was a glaring gap in the industry. "I didn't see many kids that looked like my future son, that looked like my friends, and that was very problematic to me," Lindsey shared.

The idea for Soul Maison was born in 2020, at the height of conversations about supporting Black-owned businesses. But Lindsey didn't have a background in fashion. "I actually did marketing, music marketing," she said. "My path just didn't take me there." So she took her time, dedicating four years to learning the ins and outs of the fashion industry, from how to work a sewing machine to understanding patterns and grading. It wasn't until April 2024 that Soul Maison officially launched.

A Mother's Leap of Faith

Lindsey credits her children as the driving force behind her brand. "Honestly, I would not be here if I did not have my kids," she said with conviction. "I wouldn't have taken this leap in the way I have if I didn't have my kids." As a mom of three, Lindsey understands the balancing act between parenting and entrepreneurship, but for her, the lessons she learns from parenting often mirror those in business. "In parenting, you have to learn how to pivot, roll with the punches, and unlearn things," she reflected. "I use a lot of what I learn in my parenting in owning a business, and it parallels perfectly."

When Mark Antony Howard was younger, someone once told him, "You remind me of Sammy Davis Jr." At the time, he didn't even know who that was. "So I looked him up," he said, "and I was like, wow. I could see why they said that." What started as a casual comparison turned into something deeper. He watched interviews, studied performances, and wrote papers on him in school. Years later, when a short film casting call for a Sammy Davis Jr. role came up, it felt too perfect. "If they don't pick me, that's going to be wild," he remembered thinking. He nailed the audition, then waited six months with no response. "I was a little upset. It was one of those auditions where I couldn't let it go." Eventually, the callback came, and Mark Antony landed the role. "It was everything I imagined it to be," he said.

The truth is, he had been preparing for it long before he got the part.

Mark Antony Howard is the kind of multi-hyphenate whose creativity comes from every direction. Actor. Singer. Dancer. Illustrator. Photographer. "My mom was an actress and a visual artist. She used to direct church plays, and I was in them. My dad was an illustrator. It all just… feels natural to me," he said. "I've been doing this since I was a kid."

The first time STANLEY made a CD, he was five. Not "I made a song and sang it for my parents" five — we're talking "burned CDs and sold it to family and friends" five. "It was called A Swim in the Ocean," he laughed. "Five songs, me on keys, playing and singing." With help from a piano teacher at his church and his mom running point on the packaging, STANLEY wasn't just dreaming of being an artist; he was already one. "A little entrepreneur," he grinned.

That early spirit hasn't gone anywhere. These days, STANLEY is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and self-sustaining creative force who just dropped his most personal project to date. His new EP, Chapter II, is a reflection of that evolution. It is the first project he has entirely produced, mixed, and recorded himself. No studios. No outside producers. Just him and the tools he taught himself to use. "I always had the capability," he said, "but I was working with other people, co-producing, paying production fees. And then, one day, I left a session and thought, I can do this at home. I'm too talented not to."

That decision unlocked something deeper. Chapter II feels like STANLEY at his most grounded, creatively and personally. It blends the smoothness of classic R&B with funk, pop, and whatever else feels true in the moment. "Sonically, it touches a lot of spaces," he said. "It's my favorite body of work so far. I hope every project I make is my favorite at the time."

Before picking up a camera, Keye B. was already an artist in every sense of the word. With crayons in hand and a vivid mind. From doodles in the margins of school assignments to working with acrylic paint, her earliest instincts were visual and tactile, grounded in curiosity and joy.