Today we’d like to introduce you to Boma Cheetham-West.
Boma, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always loved music even before I could articulate my interests. I remember being in the car as a kid with my family and my mom and dad would play the coolest songs from Nigerian music to Country and everything in between. Throughout my childhood, my favorite memories were marked by music and when I got into High School I fell in love with Hip Hop. At the time I thought it would be so cool to be a producer or own my music label. Nothing came out of that but the love for music, other genres, and music history continued to grow. From then on and even after I graduated from the University of Houston, I would think about practical ways that I could express my love of music and honor God by using my gifts. Then BomaCurates happened!
BomaCurates started back in 2017 as a way of sharing playlists I curated on Spotify and Apple Music through my social media accounts for my friends and family to enjoy. Since then, I have started a blog to give commentary on playlists I’ve made and most recently, I started a Instagram page so I could share music type content in the moment instead of every now and then when I release a new playlist.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have definitely been some bumps along the way. I’ve wrestled with doubt and my ability to not just curate playlists but also my ability to be knowledgeable on music topics. I never used to consider myself a “creative,” so I always thought I was missing something that music curators were supposed to have. Now I see that’s not true and everything I need I already have through Christ. I’m so thankful for my friends and family who have encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to stop doing this or when I didn’t see a future. Honestly, if it wasn’t for them encouraging me along the way I probably would have stopped on several different occasions!
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
BomaCurates is a look at music from my point of view. I curate playlists, write on music topics, and really invite the listener or reader into a deeper enjoyment of music. My goal with BomaCurates is for people to genuinely enjoy music and engage with it on a deeper level in whatever way that looks like for them. I enjoy talking about meaniful topics in music and curating playlists that are purposeful and that mix different genres and types of songs. I believe different types of music are more connected then we may think. Whether it is to encourage the listener or to convey a topic, I love using music to express myself and I’ve enjoyed inviting the listener/reader into that.
It’s still so cool to me that people like my playlists and my music choices. I’ve gotten the opportunity to curate custom playlists for people and it’s an honor to be trusted with music or to be seen as a resource for music things. It’s really encouraging! I love that what I enjoy is resonating with so many people and that they enjoy it too.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have believed in myself sooner. I’m so thankful for the people in my life who have encouraged me. Without them I would have quit for sure. If I would have really believed what they were saying earlier, I wonder! I still would not change anything though. I’m excited for the future!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://BomaCurates.com
- Instagram: bomacurates
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