Cassy Renee performs original music with personal lyrics
Soulful, melodic and rhythmic are just a few words that describe Cassy Renee’s music.
The local R&B and soul guitarist, singer and songwriter plays original music in the heart of Columbia.
Renee, originally of Florence, came to Columbia in 2006 to study English at Columbia College. It wasn’t until she finished college that she began to take her music in a more serious direction.
She had always performed in church or with her family, but she recently branched out into the local scene to spread her work.
Renee’s goal now is to perform as much as she can in order to attract other musicians. She performs solo, but she said she hopes she can find band members and take her sound to the next level.
“Columbia has the perfect scene for that, and it’s a great place to grow as a artist,” Renee said.
Although her music career is just be taking off, Renee said she’ll always remember her lyrical and artistic roots. From when she was a child, Renee has written about what was happening in her life or what she observed.
She puts her thoughts into words, like in her song, “Sunday Morning Brew,” in which she sings, “I’ll shower you with empty sorries, lean into you as I rise to my feet. Then I’ll softly clear my throat and let the butterflies go.”
“I never really realized they were songs,” Renee said. “I just wrote down lyrics that were going on in my life.”
Her music sounds a bit like Nina Simone and Corinne Bailey Rae mixed in with Norah Jones.
But above all, she emphasized, it sounds like Cassy Renee. She doesn’t like trying to define her own music.
“If you get caught up in how you categorize your music, you end up putting it in a box,” Renee said.
Renee has been performing at open mike nights around Columbia like Drip in Five Points and Art Bar in the Vista.
She does not have any shows planned because of a minor hand injury, but it shouldn’t be long until she is performing again.
Cassy Renee’s covers, original songs and live performances can be found on YouTube or on her ReverbNation page.
Check out this cover of “By Your Side” by Renee.