Check out Grammy nominated superstar actress,singer & activist Antonique Smith as she covers the new issue of Enspire Magazine. For the first time ever the the independent positive lifestyle publication dedicated to highlighting those who are making a difference in their communities, will release its first ever fashion issue so it only made sense that they chose someone who radiates with style on & off camera.

The critically acclaimed Broadway, film, and television star Antonique Smith has been on everyone’s radar over the past 12 years. with starring roles on Broadway (Rent) to breakout roles in major box office films (Notorious), and a critically acclaimed performance as Aretha Franklin’s mother in National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha , It should be very clear why she’s their cover star .The New Jersey native exudes female empowerment in every way possible on and off screen, which she does easily does with poise and grace as you can see. Get into her cover story as she opens up about her journey to Hollywood as a women , her love of fashion , her starring role in Genius : Aretha, being an activist for climate change , Black Lives Matter and so much more in the new issue available for purchase now via Magcloud.

Cover Story Excerpt

Now you went from the silver screen to a Grammy nomination with your first single as an indie artist. How was that journey for you?

Oh man, that was crazy being independent, that’s a different kind of grind. That grind is no joke, but what a blessing it was to put out my first single and to have it be nominated for Grammy. I owe a lot of that to my manager Darryl Farmer. He produced the song, co-wrote it, and the marketing which pushed it to California radio, and then that got us the nomination. Now although we didn’t win, It was totally a dream come true.

Antonique Smith as Barbara Franklin in ‘National Geographic’s : Aretha’

With the recent release of ‘Genius: Aretha’ once again you come full circle because you studied this iconic woman at a young age, and now you’re playing her mother in the critically acclaimed series. What was it like, transforming into this character? How was your experience working on the show?

Oh my gosh, it was an incredible experience. You know…that was one of my heroes. Like I said, I truly, truly studied her. Now what I had to study was her actual life, her personal life. And so it wasn’t until I was doing the show and doing research and prepping. Then I found out, how crazy her personal life was. I studied her voice, her art, you know her expression, her creativity, and arrangement. That’s what I studied, so it was like whoa, shocker when I was preparing for the role. And, you know, it was her mother who heavily influenced her. It was her mother who taught her how to play the piano; that incredible piano playing that we heard Aretha do that was just more amazing than most people realized, or gave her credit for. That was all inspired by her mother, so it was really an honor for me to give her voice and let people see who she truly was and what she meant to Aretha.

This Fashion Issue will also feature men, women, and youth, (BIPOC & LGBTQ inclusive) who have built brands in their respective fields within the fashion industry. ENSPIRE looked for those whose passion came from something personal, an experience or a dream and they could build from it.

Among those who will be featured is designer Brandi Russell Wallace of Sacred Heart Collections, FUBU co-founder J.Alexander Martin, New York fashion designer Mugzy McFly of Signed by McFly, African fashion designer Fatim Sylla of Sirani’s Fashion and designer Paris Campbell for her new Cultural Pride Fabrics collaboration with JOANN.

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