With their shimmering harmonies, towering hair and classic soul songs, the Womack Sisters might appear to have traveled in time from the early ‘60s. But a conversation with the trio immediately dispels this impression. As modern independent artists, sisters BG, Zeimani and Kucha are in control of all aspects of their ascending career.
The Womack Sisters are heirs apparent to a remarkable legacy. They were born to songwriters and performers Cecil and Linda Womack (who recorded as Womack & Womack), their late uncle was Bobby Womack and their grandfather was the illustrious icon of American Music––the great Sam Cooke.
The Womack Sisters take this stellar ancestry to the next level, with a modern bent. “We can’t help but be true to our generation, but we’re old souls and we love the classics,” says Zeimani. The sisters say their forthcoming EP spotlights this essential style. “It’s going to be in the same vein,” says BG. “We want to reintroduce this generation to the wealth of music that existed, with a little bit of now.”
Their debut single, “Darlin’,” was co-written by the sisters. “We get together and discuss topics that are personal to us,” says Zeimani. “We were inspired by older songs, but we flipped it.” The corresponding video featuring the trio in resplendent costumes amid saucy choreography is now on YouTube.
The harmonies of the trio reflect not just their shared bloodlines, but also the amount of time spent perfecting their fusion. Notes Kucha, “We’ve been singing together since we were little. We’ve been inspired by harmony groups like the Marvelettes and our dad used to have us harmonize to ‘My Girl’ by the Temptations. We’re songwriters as well, so we start with that. Usually the heart leads the way and the words just come—especially when we’re dealing with so much in life.”
In addition to penning songs for their own forthcoming EP, the sisters have additional writing credits with artists including B.o.B, Mya and the Game. “We were working and a couple of writers invited a few of us to another session. We’re going to pursue more songwriting,” says Zeimani.
The sisters were also well schooled in the business of songwriting and publishing. “Our parents made sure of it,” says BG. “We had to understand the legal part. They had us reading books about the music industry on a daily basis. I guess that explains why we stood back and took our time with this. We were offered a lot of things in the beginning that were just not right on any level.”
This knowledge, too, is a family tradition. Very famously, Sam Cooke was the first African-American entertainer to own his own recording, music publishing and management enterprises. “The music industry started off very similar to the slave trade. You worked and worked, and you never got anything. These days they haven’t really liberated too far from the original, but it’s changing now because we have options and we are exercising them. We’re proudly independent,” says BG.
“It’s really about the creative aspects,” adds Zeimani. “As an artist and a creator you’re stifled by someone telling you to only create one type of music. To be in charge of your music is the inspiration behind being independent.”
Sending out support to other independent artists is vital to the trio’s message. “I’m hoping that we inspire a lot of other independent artists,” says Kucha. “So many of us are pressured to change everything that’s good about us. We said ‘No!’ many times.”
For more information, visit thewomacksisters.com.
