In today’s trend-captured world, people are leaning more and more towards hip-hop and R&B music. In the modern-day, demand for simple yet classy, indie music is slowly fading away. The genuine voices are now widely replaced by autotune. Due to this, many artists have shifted their music styles to best serve the demands of today, even if it means abandoning an entire music genre.
Among the rare and few artists still making indie music is musician Romana Snijder who has won the hearts of people and the respect of the industry simply by holding onto her music taste and being as genuine as she can be. Romana started off making indie music because that was what she loved, and that’s what she continues to make. However, Romana’s life has seen much more; hardships and tough times are nothing new to her. After all, success requires hard work and years of dedication.
Romana arrived in New York with her parents as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to circumstances back home that forced them to flee. Arriving in a completely new country surrounded by new people, Romana and her family faced new issues every day.
However, as time went by, Romana saw her parents work hard and build a life for themselves and her. However, they never lived extravagantly, nor did they have too much to spend. This is why from an early age, Romana saw that the value of money was significant, but it was never above friends or family.
At the age of 12, Romana started to watch music videos, and she became deeply interested in music. She had just started exploring an area that would define the rest of her life.
In the coming years, Romana learned how to play the guitar, piano, and a little bit of violin. Her passion pushed her to learn. When she was 20, Romana got a scholarship to The Juilliard School in New York. From then on, Romana attended college doing what she loved most. As she graduated, she had already signed a music label. She flew off to LA.
Romana took some time to adjust to the fast-moving and creative city of Los Angeles, but she did adjust to the new environment. Her first-ever single titled “Time Machine” was a tribute to her parents and their efforts to provide her with a better life. The single instantly became a success, going up to number 5 in the Californian iTunes Charts. The fact that she never gave into the temporary trends and made incredible indie music became her trademark of authenticity.
As of now, Romana has over 2 million listeners on Spotify and another 1 million on Apple Music. She’s working on her next album release, and she even has a music video coming out. Romana wants everyone, especially young girls, to know that even though life might be difficult at times, we should always hold onto our ability to dream and find something that brings us joy. That is the starting point of turning it into something more.
With her level of dedication, Romana is set to become an icon of success for women all across the country.