Anayka She On Taste, Trends, and the Power of Being Seen

Anayka She is as witty as she is talented. The Flatbush-born content creator turned singer has built an impressive following by being unapologetically herself. Whether she’s cracking jokes, cutting through the noise of trends with her sharp takes on taste, or reminding her audience that what’s really cringe is caring too much about what people think, what makes Anayka so magnetic is the same quality that fuels her music: a refusal to play it “too cool,” and instead a determination to be seen, heard, and felt. With her blend of humor, honesty, and artistry, Anayka captivates both viewers and listeners alike. Catch her live on August 29th at The Bowery Electric, where her fearless energy will no doubt take center stage, and follow along for our honest conversation about the state of internet culture, and what it means to hold influence.

@anaykashe: People are too embarrassed to live their life. To me, it is way more cringey to be that self conscious or try to make yourself seem cool. And it really does annoy me. Like when people are around me, say like you scream or you just do something crazy. And they say “stop, stop, stop, people are looking,” who cares? Nobody cares. And when it's just you, you don't care that much. If somebody outside does something crazy, the most you'll do is maybe laugh with your friends, but this person will have made your day. You'll have been like, “yo, this person was crazy today. Hahaha.” I hate that “too cool” thing. It’s extended to artists and creatives, which is the complete antithesis of being an artist. You have to be not afraid of being seen. You have to be seen trying. You can never be successful if you just want to cool your way into it. 

ShelfMAG: In your opinion, what separates taste from trend?

@anaykashe: Well, obviously taste is personalized. It's the result of your experiences, your viewpoints of the world, your influences. Whereas trends are just the things that collective masses have decided are socially acceptable. I don't think there's anything wrong with trends or participating in them, but I think it's important to have your own personal taste to know who you are as a person.

ShelfMAG: How do you protect your own taste from being diluted by an algorithm like your For You Page?

@anaykashe: This is hard for me personally. I don't know, it depends on what kind of creator you are, what type of platform you're on–whatever it is. I'm a black girl and there's different niches of black girls on the internet. I have always been a chatty patty– say whatever, do whatever, whatever I want–but as I've been doing this longer and it's become more public facing, I do more public engagement things. And I see other black girls around me. For a second, it felt like I was slipping into black girl luxury–that aesthetic of sew-ins, clean girls. I had to really slow myself and think, “do I like these things because I like these things or do I like these things because I'm trying to emulate an image that I think people think is valuable?” And I think what really helps me try to differentiate between trends and my personal taste is I try to write. I journal a lot. You know, it's really important to write your thoughts down because it helps me work through my thoughts. I also try to keep things. Not everything is online for me, so I like to keep things personal for me. Like, I play video games. That's something that I don't necessarily want to be influenced out of. I try to keep things to myself that I don't want to be influenced on. And I try to keep a personal connection with myself through journaling.

ShelfMAG: You are so aware about the way you consume media and your relationship with social media.

@anaykashe: I'm a doom scroller, but I'm aware I’m doom scrolling because all of a sudden I see three avocados now and I’m like “Oh, my goodness, I really want some guacamole.” I know what these things are doing to me, so I try to make a conscious effort to fight it.

ShelfMAG: Do you think taste is more powerful than influence right now, or is it the other way around?

@anaykashe: I think at this point in the game, taste is definitely more powerful than influence. We're also in a time where everybody wants to be an influencer–be a tastemaker, but not even necessarily for the right reasons–because that's what an influencer is. They're a person who has taste that you want to emulate. They have personality traits, quirks, and different things about them that you're like “oh my god, that's so cool, I like them.” A lot of people today want to be an influencer for money, which makes sense with the wealth disparity in the world, but it kind of dilutes the whole genre of influencers. 

Now, influence in itself is less powerful than the few people who have earned their influence and have been here for a long time, like Jackie Aina. Things like that. I think influence has less power than actual, unique, taste that you've made yourself. I think that is more powerful because we're seeing a lot of the same things. You know, everybody's house is gray and white, everybody has french nails. 

ShelfMAG: It's crazy how trends trickle down into every aspect of your life–from the boho braids and the sew-ins to the rings that you have on your finger. 

@anaykashe: It trickles down into everything. It starts with the home–the millennial gray, the white, taking away all color–then it goes to the wardrobe. Everybody wants to be the color gray. And I don't like that. 

ShelfMAG: Do you think people trust creators more than traditional tastemakers? Like editors at legacy media publications? 

@anaykashe: I am going to vote no. I don't think people trust influencers and online creators more. I think there was 100% a time where they did. There's obviously the relatability aspect, but again, as the influencer world is growing and expanding and more accessible to people, I think people will trust traditional forms of media and tastemakers over influencers. Because even though those celebrities and editors are a part of a big machine, and usually have an ulterior motive, they tell you face forward what they are. A lot of times, influencers have so many scandals and you’re like “this person is secretly not who you think they are, they're lying.” I feel like there's an inherent distrust in a lot of influencers. 

Initially, when somebody first blows up and they're still in their mom's house and they still have a job, there's a lot of trust there. But as people elevate through life, they lose their relatability. I think big media still has trust because they still have an actual–I don't want to say code of ethics or a handbook, but they have certain things that they have to abide by. Creators online are individuals who could do and say whatever they want. They can make up lies, whereas big media have to kind of follow the law a little bit.

ShelfMAG: What do you think gives creators emotional authority–what keeps the audience who love them coming back? 

@anaykashe: It's relatability–it's people seeing themselves in you. It takes a different person to be able to respond to that in the correct way, maintain it without being parasocial, and be honest. I think a lot of that emotional power comes from relatability. That's really it.

ShelfMAG: What was the last piece of media that genuinely moved you?

@anaykashe:  I just saw it last night and it was on my Shelf. This documentary called Icarus on Netflix. I like documentaries. I like informational stuff. I love learning. The documentary is about a whistleblower from Russia. He basically ran an entire doping organization for Russian athletes. It sounds weird and boring, but no, it’s a gag. It is a gag.

Curious about what else Anayka is into? Get real-time updates at shelf.im/anaykashe