

BOSCO Went From College Kid To Multimedia Artist & Entrepreneurial Girl Boss
Savannah-born singer BOSCO moves to the beat of her own drum as an artist who also doubles as a CEO of her own creative agency, SLUG. In the past, the singer has had her music featured on HBO's Insecure as well as been featured on everywhere from NPR to Billboard.com.
BOSCO's humble beginnings as a freelance artist and server/bartender prepared her for the arduous life of a recording artist and entrepreneur. Speaking on her experience working in both she notes, "you know how the game goes in the freelance world, it was important for me to have something that generated a steady flow of income." After college, she took up a job in marketing and creative direction at Factory Studios (now GUM Studios) in Brooklyn, NY. She remarks about that experience saying, "I grew so much during that time having a space that nourished my artistic endeavors on and off the clock.
Luckily for BOSCO, she had a key mentor at her job who pushed her in the direction of her dreams. "My boss, Carrie White, was a huge part in the turning point of my career encouraging me to really pursue music. She actually directed my video with DJ Speakerfoxx 'shooter' and my first real video ever 'Names' with producer and DJ Treasure Fingers was shot there."
Recently xoNecole caught up with the singer at a lowkey brunch spot in the West Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles to talk more about how she's grown in the past year and what's to come in 2019:
How would you describe your unique sound of R&B?
Cameron Kirkland / Courtesy of BOSCO
I would describe my sound of R&B being a mixture of influences I grew up with. I'm from Savannah, GA by way of Atlanta. Being from a coastal beach city, you get R&B, soul, blues, but then you get a bit of funk and rock because of the artsy scene around the beach. So I would describe it as feel-good alternative R&B.
Who are some women mentors that have supported you throughout your journey?
One of my mentors is Fadia Kader. She has been mentoring close to 10 years. I would say also my manager Danielle Quebrado. She's been an instrumental part in the elevation of my career. I've been BOSCO but sometimes it takes a certain person to elevate you and see your potential to get further. I would also say Lacey Duke. She's a director that's really coming up right now and I would say she is like my digital sister. In addition, my mom is my greatest supporter and my backbone for when I wanted to give up. She provided a safe space for me to blossom into not only woman I am today but also as the artist.
I grew up listening to Sade, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Brownstone, and others in the back of my mom's Toyota Camry. Those were very pivotal moments in my life.
What is some cliche advice you received early on as an artist you embraced or dismissed now that you've grown and been in the industry for a while?
Salim Garcia / Courtesy of BOSCO
You have to stick to one thing. I think when I started doing music, social media wasn't as prevalent as it is today and being a multimedia artist, a lot of people didn't know how to package them. But I've always been dabbling in different mediums and I'm glad I didn't stop. Now we are in an era where as an independent artist you have to do everything yourself. A lot of artists do their own graphics, their own video treatments, cover art, etc.
You don't have to choose one thing. Yes, you can be creative in one lane but don't ever stop using other gifts you have that God or the universe has given you just because someone doesn't know how to package it into a box and use it for themselves.
What is a time you wanted to give up but you pushed through and kept going?
It was two times. Right before I got signed to Fool's Gold, I was recording and releasing records on my own. I did a video and the last video I did they reached out to me. Another time was...well, I have this thing where in-between projects, I begin to doubt myself. I start asking if there's space for me as an artist and if people want to hear me.
The internet has a way of making you wonder if there's not enough space for artists.
Granted, there is a lot of noise and it's harder to decipher one artist from another but I just have to remember that what I contribute to the narrative of the musical landscape is something that no one else can do but me or take from me. I really had to understand that there is room for my music and people want to hear what I have to say. It's about conditioning your mind to make the decision to do the right thing everyday and work towards that.
You recently premiered your video "Cruel" on NPR, which invokes nostalgia of the 90s and what many call one of the golden eras of R&B. What are some records you listened to as a child that stuck with you and you may have had in mind for inspiration while making the video?
During that time, I was listening to Brownstone's "Love Me", En Vogue, a lot of TLC, etc. I tend to lean a lot on the 90s sound because it's music that resonates with me. Total and TLC are my go to groups. For me, Pam and TBoz have parallels to me in being tomboys but chic. They were sexy and laid back. Left Eye was kind of quirky and cool. That's some of the people I was listening to and drawing inspiration from.
Why is it important for you to house your creative agency SLUG in Atlanta and how is the city significant to you in relation to your hometown of Atlanta?
Salim Garcia / Courtesy of BOSCO
The concept of SLUG came to me in two parts. Because I grew up in Savannah, there was a lack of resources [in the] media I envisioned myself looking like. I would go to Barnes & Noble and take pictures of things in magazines I couldn't afford and read books envisioning a world that didn't exist in Savannah. I knew there were qualities and characteristics inside of me that I know I needed to nurture but I didn't know how to. I ended up moving to Atlanta after college.
I always say Savannah birthed me but Atlanta raised me and when I say 'raise me,' I mean in aspects of my artistry in terms of visual art and music.
I wanted to create a platform in Atlanta because it's up and coming and growing to provide kids that look like me with talent that's untapped a chance to work with big brands and cultivate their gifts. Above all, it's like a family and a collective that sticks together and show the landscape of the south in a different way. It's not just grass, trap, and hood shit. It's also a wealth of knowledge, art, street artists, fashion designers, and more that's overlooked. If I can contribute my very small piece to the puzzle, then I feel like it's what I'm meant to do as part of my destiny.
In the context of the #MeToo movement, how do you feel about the climate of the music industry as a black woman?
Different parts of me feel different ways about different things. Looking at it on a very surface level, I feel there has been a big progression in the visibility of our talents as a whole, not as a narrow perspective of this one-dimensional way we are. I feel like the elevation of that is great. The other part of me feels like when it comes to sexual abuse or, things of that sort, when you want to wear a bikini top and some low rise pants, in the industry standards today it's saying, "Oh you want a guy to come touch you." This becomes the narrative more than another reason like, "Oh I was dealing with depression and I just lost 15 pounds. Therefore I want to wear something cute and go outside because I don't have that depression hanging over me today." Those types of things make me feel uneasy.
Then on another aspect, it feels like Black women are exploited, whether it's hair, skin color, or being called hyper-sexualized.
Even when a black woman speaks up about being violated or having something that happens to her in her life, society is not always convinced and believes the story [society tells] because of misconceptions of what a black woman is and her standards are.
What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?
Exquisite Eye / Courtesy of BOSCO
I want to win a GRAMMY or be nominated. I want to definitely have my own record label. I want to have a brand of collector's items, be it toys or apparel. I would like to do more tangible things with SLUG. I might even throw my own festival. I always want to go on a world tour. It's an ongoing list for sure.
For more of BOSCO, follow her on Instagram.
For more of BOSCO, follow her on Instagram.
Featured image by Cameron Kirkland / Courtesy of the artist
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Black Girls Tennis Club Is Empowering Black Women and Girls To Reclaim Their Space On The Court
The face of tennis is changing, and it’s about time. Over the years, if you were asked to name any Black tennis player, two would come to mind: Serena and Venus Williams — and rightfully so. But as new tennis sensations like Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka rise to fame for their athleticism and tenacity, it’s clear that there’s a new era of tennis taking shape to bring forth a fresh take on representation and reclamation on the courts.
For that reason alone, there’s no better time than now for Black Girl Tennis Club co-founders Virginia Thornton and Kimberly Selden to lead the charge of making tennis more accessible to Black women and girls so the next Serena and Coco can emerge.
What began as your everyday lunch chat between friends to discuss their mutual dream of owning a boutique hotel turned into a proposition to start a tennis club together. With Virginia being a tennis player since adolescence and Kimberly entering the sport as a hobby in her adult life, the two jumped at the idea of making a space where Black women could discover a new hobby and not feel like the “only one” on the tennis court.
“The club kind of started for selfish reasons, but not in a bad way,” Virginia tells xoNecole. “We realized that there was actually a need for this.”
Kimberly adds, “Now we're literally disrupting a whole industry. We didn't plan it, but it felt divine; like we were called to do this. Black Girls Tennis Club has been a catalyst for personal growth in all areas of life, and we would have never anticipated that.”
Since establishing the Black Girl Tennis Club in 2022, the two have made it their mission to cultivate a space for “Joy Equity and Radical Wellness.” Their platform serves as a means to inform, inspire, motivate, and reshape the narrative around Black women and girls in the tennis world while highlighting the transformative power of sports and play for liberation.
With approximately 78% of tennis players being white and only 6.8% being Black, and the average cost of a private tennis lesson being $60 per hour, racial and economic disparities within the sport are vast. To help close this gap, the two founders have banded together to develop free tennis instruction clinics for girls aged 8-18 and local tennis events that bring adult offerings through programs like the Self Love Tennis Club and Cardio Tennis Classes to HBCU campuses in Virginia.
Both Virginia and Kimberly understand the power of their mission and believe that they were brought on each other’s path to execute it together. “It’s the power of alignment,” Kimberly says. “I think when you're doing the right thing and you're obedient, and answer the call, that’s when things start to happen, and the universe conspires to make them happen.”
We caught up with the founders to discuss their mission, the importance of representation, and how they plan to disrupt the tennis industry one court at a time.
xoNecole: Could you talk a little more about your CARE pillars with change, access, representation and exposure?
Kimberly Selden: As we started to do the work, we saw that there were so many equity issues. Although we knew from our own personal experiences that there are barriers to tennis being an expensive sport, we just acknowledged it as the culture of tennis. Because it's predominantly white, that transfers over to the fashion, the dynamics on the court, the attitudes, and the mindset. And so we knew this required a culture shift for us to ever really feel comfortable.
We were exposing kids to tennis, and then after the clinics, they're like, "Okay, now what?" It's still expensive, and they still may or may not have had access to it if they're not with us. We don't want to just pop in like, "Hey, here's a clinic, bye!" So, the culture change is just a reflection of what our existence looks like. Access is about being able to access the sport through courts, programs, or a coach. Representation is that we can't believe it until we see it.
Granted, there are a lot of pro Black women tennis players taking off, and we love that. But we think about media representation as well [as] representation within the USCA, in the boardrooms, and the people that are making the rules around the game.
xoN: Why do you all think it’s important for Black women and girls to reclaim their space on the tennis court?
Virginia Thornton: It's rare, at least in my world, where you're in a space and see nothing but women who look like you. But it makes me feel great when I can be my authentic self, especially on a tennis court. Just shedding all the weight of pretending to be anything else. You feel at home when you're around nothing but Black women. Even small things like seeing a young Black girl being okay with how God made them is amazing.
KS: [In] the Atlanta clinics we did, everyone was crying. It's just clear how desperately we need it. Connection is the key to a long life. So many of us — especially from the pandemic and working from home — are isolated. With every clinic, it's just fun to be there, and it just fills you up. I think people need hobbies. I think a lot of people, especially people in big cities, feel that way and were confronted with that during the pandemic.
xoN: How did sports play a role in helping you two find your voice and confidence both on and off the court?
VT: I think what people don't realize is that tennis is such a mental sport. You could be a 4.0 player and have a bad mental day, and you will play like you've never picked up a racquet before. So, the mental piece is super important. For me, it's like ‘you against you,’ even though you are playing somebody.
If you're able to work through those mental pieces with yourself on the court, that will translate off the court. I had an issue on the court where I have a habit of saying, "Sorry," — I think a lot of Black women do, honestly. Then I realized that they wouldn't say sorry or they’d use my kindness as weakness. I've learned a lesson in that because everything translates on and off the court.
"If you're able to work through those mental pieces with yourself on the court, that will translate off the court."
KS: It's easy for me to do things that I'm good at, but it's not easy for me to do things that I'm not good at. Tennis is still challenging for me, but it pushes me. It’s a reality check for me; I know when things are aligned, and when they're not. It feels like a big metaphor for me because it's pushing me to do something that's uncomfortable and makes me work for myself more.
xoN: What do you hope the long-term impact of Black Girl Tennis Club will be?
VS: We want to have a space for people who might be workaholics or might be going through depression. It's always great to have a hobby, whether that's knitting, sewing, or what have you. For me and Kimberly, it’s about creating hobbies for Black women and girls but also knowing that it’s okay to not be amazing at it. You don't have to be amazing at tennis; you could hit around the court, and that's okay.
The next Serena or Venus might come from Black Girls Tennis Club.
To support Black Girl Tennis Club’s mission, donate to their cause here and follow their Instagram page to stay up to date with new clinics and events.
Featured image by LumiNola/Getty Images