ARTIST & MUSICIAN TO KNOW: ANGEL BOYD
ANGEL BOYD
Angel Boyd is an NYC-based creative director and vocalist in the sibling band Infinity Song which is signed by Jay-Z to his record label RocNation. With a deep belief that all humans are creative at the core, an evolving faith in God, and a commitment to intuition as a creative practice- Angel’s desire is to follow the path God reveals to her.
Photography by Tianna Howard
SHEER: In your own words, who is Angel Boyd? What do you want us to know about you?
Angel Boyd: I feel like what truly defines people is what they believe and value not a title or career.
SHEER: So what do you believe?
AB: I believe that I am a seeker. An independent thinker. An individual. A spirit. A lover of God. A lover of good things. Creative by way of the Creator and always finding new ways to be alive and realize who I already am, versus holding on to all the hard shell and protectionary ways that I’ve adapted to. I’m currently in a process of shedding that to get back to who I came into this world as- my dauntless childlike self.
SHEER: How would you describe your path to becoming a creative?
AB: To me there is no other path. The creative path is just the life path. A lot of times creative paths can be thought of as a certain career or thinking style, but regardless of what career you land on, the creative path is just the path of life. We are creators by nature. Whether it’s in tech or finance, I’m always looking for the person who understands that about themselves as a human. I don’t care if you are a banker, you are a creator and that is your art form: numbers, organization, etc. I genuinely believe everyone is creative and I would love to see more people know that instead of thinking it’s something that they have to go find or learn.
Angel photographed by Tianna Howard
SHEER: Love that. I feel like being a human by default makes you a creative. That’s a part of the human experience. Speaking of being creative, there’s a process that comes with that. Walk us through your process and how you approach expressing yourself and your ideas.
AB: My process for everything is different. If I’m cooking a meal I have a process. If I’m conceptualizing a photo shoot, that’s a completely different process. If I’m writing a book, that’s its own process. The common starting point for all of them is internal movement or an inkling.
For example, when cooking I don’t use recipes. Sometimes, I’ll let go of the need for written out instructions and realize I already have an intuitive roadmap for how ingredients should come together. Recently I made a sweet and spicy stir fry without having a recipe and while I was at the grocery store, I saw this package of peppers. They were round, small, and bright green with a wavy texture and I’ve never seen them before. I had no reason logically to pick up those peppers but I was just drawn to them. And they were the starting point to my entire meal and it just flowed. And every day I try to exercise that same flow and energy of leaning into my instinct vs. rationale. It turned out amazing and was the best meal I made in a very long time.
SHEER: And it’s that spontaneity that’s so important. Sometimes we can be too controlling of our process and the outcomes.
AB: Yes, it’s easier to not be worried about the outcome in low stakes situations haha (like cooking). But the creativity also comes with a sense of confidence in knowing that I have a vision and thus the power to shape the way it turns out, even if it takes me multiple tries or drafts. I’m excited to see the outcome and have a sense of confidence about my ability through the process to affect the outcome.
SHEER: That’s a good metaphor for life honestly, I like that.
AB: I think confidence is most important in the process rather than the outcome.
“The creative path is just the life path. A lot of times creative paths can be thought of as a certain career or thinking style, but regardless of what career you land on, the creative path is just the path of life. We are creators by nature. Whether it’s in tech or finance, I’m always looking for the person who understands that about themselves as a human.”
Angel photographed by Tianna Howard
SHEER: What part of the process brings you the most joy?
AB: I need to enjoy the process more. I get so lost in the vision, conceptualizing it, communicating the vision because often times that requires proposals, building the vision, and fighting for it to come to life. When the outcome is brought to life, sometimes it’s not as important to me anymore. Especially in photography and filmmaking, you can’t always control the outcome even when you’ve done all this work in pre-production. You have to trust it will come out beautifully and it is what it’s supposed to be even if it’s not what you had in mind.
A lot of my creative journey has been learning and thinking “I had this performance and it didn’t sound exactly how I wanted it to sound,” but everyone in the audience is still applauding and coming up to me afterwards saying it was amazing and I have the voice of an angel. I’ve had to learn how to release the outcome into God’s hands and be like “God, this is my mustard seed of faith, please use it”. I’ve built a career off of the outcome being God using experiences to open up opportunities for more performances and more shoots even when I didn’t meet my own expectations.
SHEER: And that reaffirms that we really are just vessels. We think we can control what’s happening but the beauty and purpose will still shine through regardless of how we wanted things to go.
AB: Yes, exactly.
“I believe that I am a seeker. An independent thinker. An individual. A spirit. A lover of God. A lover of good things. Creative by way of the Creator and always finding new ways to be alive and realize who I already am...”
Angel photographed by Tianna Howard
SHEER: What makes your creative journey true to yourself?
AB: Currently I’m going through the realization process of what I want my own voice to sound like as a singer and a musician. Even though I’ve spent the entirety of my musical career in a band so my specialty is blending in and supporting vocals and being a part of a bigger picture. As I find myself really trying to dive more into myself as a solo artist, it’s forcing me to strip away some of the old ways of thinking about voice. In a way, you have to suppress your individuality to be a part of a bigger thing which is fine because that has its own purpose.
SHEER: So where do you draw the line?
AB: I think that’s what I’m learning right now haha.
SHEER: And that’s real. You’re in the process and you’re learning.
I’m so impressed with all the different outlets you use to express yourself creatively. As a creative director, photographer, writer, musician, and much more, how do you balance these channels of creativity in so many versatile ways?
AB: It’s interesting because it’s all the same thing. You’re impressed because it all looks different but I’ve learned it’s all the same. I can get overwhelmed when I start thinking about how to label myself because I do come with a lot of labels. You’re this, you’re that. Everything under the sun. For me, singing is the same thing as photography. Writing is the same thing as singing. Putting on an outfit and styling is the same thing as anything else. It all comes from the same place. Which is why, in some ways, the process of cooking a meal can resemble the are of giving a performance at Carnegie Hall. It’s the process of not knowing what you’re doing until the moment presents the ideas and actions to you. It all comes from the same place and goes to the same place like a rotating cycle. It’s faith in yourself.
Angel photographed by Tianna Howard
SHEER: So there’s one source for all of those different outlets?
AB: Exactly, and in a way it’s all the same process mentally. An internal instinct showing me where I need to go, what I need to do, what I want to explore. I use that same thing every time I sit down with a pen and paper or every time I notice a moment that would make a beautiful photograph, I can mentally file that moment away. This is helpful with my style of photography, which is more spectacle and compositional, less documentary.
I was sitting on my roof the other day while my neighbor was out sweeping his roof and it was just a beautiful picture of a man with a broom on a roof. I thought wow, I’m going to tuck this mental picture away because from that starting point as a canvas, I can create a whole fashion editorial of a girl in a dramatic gown with a broomstick on a rooftop just sweeping. I can go so many ways with that.
SHEER: I love this holistic approach to your creativity and this all goes back to our point about everyone being a creative or being a muse in their own way but we’re just exploring different paths.
AB: It’s just living in a way..
SHEER: Yeah, it’s just us existing.
You're in an incredible band with your siblings called Infinity Song. How has it been performing and making music together?
AB: It’s terrible. It’s beautiful. It’s emotional. It’s easy. It’s fun. It’s hard work and excruciating. Painstaking…
SHEER: Yes to all of the adjectives haha.
AB: …It’s colorful. It’s boring. It’s exciting. It’s purposeful. It’s personality. It’s style. It’s substance. It’s words and thoughts. It’s purpose.
Cover art for Infinity Song’s latest album, Mad Love
SHEER: What has been your most memorable experience performing?
AB: Meeting Jay-Z, singing for him, and then being signed by him was a very, very memorable performance. It was nerve wracking. We met him in his office and he called all of his staff at the label to come into the hallway and goes, “Hey guys, everyone come together, we have some kids who are gonna sing for us.” So we walk into this hallway with fifty people standing there waiting for us to give them a show and we did it and they all loved it. All his top executives were in the office that day, it was amazing. And that was the start of our relationship with him and it was just such a defining moment to do something like that together as a family.
SHEER: I think that’s a pretty big one, that’s incredible. What would you say grounds you creatively? Spiritually?
AB: The ability to talk to God and keep talking until I get an answer for whatever I need or am asking for. That’s really what I wait for everyday. I just want to find the feeling of God in it. Some days I’ll wake up and say “God, I need your help” or “God, I need you to be with me in this day.” It’s the feeling of getting started even when I don’t feel great, and when I do hear from God, I feel light and lifted and I can get through this. And I have a purpose in this no matter what the task is.
“I can get overwhelmed when I start thinking about how to label myself because I do come with a lot of labels. You’re this, you’re that. Everything under the sun.
For me, singing is the same thing as photography. Writing is the same thing as singing. Putting on an outfit and styling is the same thing as anything else. It all comes from the same place.”
Angel photographed by Tianna Howard
SHEER: What do you hope people take away from your creations and what you’re putting out into the world?
AB: I always want people to feel like they have a friend in me. I’m writing a book now and there’s no better feeling than closing the pages of a book you read and feeling like you just got off the phone with a friend.
SHEER: I like that.
AB: And not just any friend, but an actually really good friend because some friends are more like acquaintances. It’s feeling like “Wow, I can do this”. And I have a new empowering way of looking at the world and what scares me. Life doesn’t have to be so hard. Life can be beautiful, and easy, and fun and I’m going to go make it that.
FOLLOW & SUPPORT ANGEL BOYD BELOW
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FOLLOW & SUPPORT ANGEL BOYD BELOW 〰️
Photography by Nabila Wirakusumah
NYALLAH is known for blending elements of neo-soul, R&B, hip-hop, and West African rhythms while exploring themes of self-expansion, transformation, and love. With their latest project, R+B, recorded in phases spanning a near-death bike accident and an eye-opening trip to Costa Rica, R+B navigates relationships, desirability, and self-awareness from a black queer perspective. Through enchanting vocals and vulnerable lyrics, NYALLAH reminds us that desirability is not love and our liberation lies in de-centering ourselves and prioritizing collective care.