#NewMusic: Mashonda Shares Life Lessons and Affirmations in ‘Note to Self’ EP

(Photo Credit: Suzanna Hallili)

Singer-songwriter Mashonda has worked with Jay-Z, DMX, Lil’ Kim and Raphael Saadiq throughout her career, and she’s returning to the music scene with her five-song Note to Self EP.

Co-written and co-produced by Mashonda and The Millennials, Mashonda combines affirmations with music in a way that can serve as inspiration and self-reflection for listeners. She shares lessons learned while navigating romantic relationships throughout the last five years.

“This project is a return to my first love, music, on my terms,” Mashonda said. “Note to Self is a diary that explores the navigation of love and pain and the transformation that comes with that journey. Every word of this EP is inspired by my personal experiences through the human emotions that come with love.”

Mashonda’s sensual vocals navigate listeners through songs that tackle bliss (“Positive Distraction”), sexuality (“Forbidden Fruit”), heartache (“Runaway”), compromise (“Complicated”), and enlightenment (“Note to Self”). Mashonda compliments the music’s healing, therapeutic mood with interludes that serve as affirmations.

Note to Self EP tracklist:

“God’s Plan” (affirmation)
“Positive Distraction”
“Purity” (affirmation)
“Forbidden Fruit”
“No More” (affirmation)
“Runaway”
“Complicated”
“Note to Self”

Mashonda’s latest video, “Complicated,” tells the story of a couple working to make the relationship while pulling inspiration from one another. While directed by Mathieu Turk and Luke Pulver, it’s a visual story Mashonda said was just as important as the music.

“While writing the treatment, I was intentional about layering in parts that are uniquely me,”Mashonda said. “From shooting in my old neighborhood in Harlem, to the juxtaposition of the clothing to the settings, I wanted it to be as carefully curated as our complex relationships with humans are; every time we think we understand the picture, there is a deeper meaning to explore. Everything in the video — the movement, the artistry, the love interest, the city — represents the complexity of relationships — the love and the pain — sensuality and dismay.”

Download the Note to Self EP here.