Cedrice, Star of NBCās āThe Voiceā, Gets Real About Her Journey
There are many words you could use to describe Cedrice [Webber]: intelligent, kind-hearted, beautiful, talentedābut the one she would probably agree with the most is authentic. Cedrice The Voice
But this authenticity didnāt come naturally to the singer at first. At the age of 10, the same time her parents were going through a divorce, the singer was diagnosed with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that caused her hair to fall out.Ā
āWhen I lost my hair, I was looking for something to identify with,ā she explains. āI looked in the mirror and didnāt like what I saw. My hair was falling out in clumps, and everyone was teasing me. I didnāt look like I belonged anywhereāI just kind of looked like this little awkward being.āĀ
Cedrice retreated into the desire for normalcy.
At the time, she was enrolled in a performing arts school to sing. When her parents divorced, she stopped singing and began paying more attention to what wigs she was wearing to deflect attention from her hair. āI learned how to fit the mold of everyone else in order to not stand out,ā says Cedrice. āI didnāt start singing again until I got past the wigs and the autoimmune disorder.ā
For years, the singer wore wigs to fit in, but she found that in the process of concealing her alopecia, she was concealing herself as well. She noticed that whatever wig she was wearing that day would dictate how she expressed herself in other ways, including how she spoke.Ā
āI really used hair to cover myself up. My hair determined how I spoke to people, how I moved my body and how I dressed,ā Cedrice says. āI used to wear a particular styleālong, straight and dark.ā
While this wig resembled her Filipino motherās beautiful locks, Cedrice knew that this look strayed from her natural hair.Ā
āBack in the ā90s, there wasnāt a lot of promotion of natural hairāwhich is deeply rooted in me because Iām also Black,ā she explains. Growing up during a time where natural hair wasnāt really supported (it wasnāt until this year that the CROWN Act, which forbids discrimination against natural hair, was passed in California), Cedrice was often teased when she wore a wig that resembled her natural hair texture. āSo the hair that I chose to wear was appropriate for the larger scale of society,ā she continues. āIt was long, straight hair, and that equaled feminine.ā
While the wigs made her more comfortable with her appearance, they were itchy, hot and high-maintenance. So, when she was older, she decided to join her mom on a quick errand to the store without a wig or headscarf just to see how she would feel.
āI hated it,ā she says. āI was like, āEveryone is staring at me; whatās wrong with me?ā Everyone stared and my mom kept whispering to me, āEveryone thinks youāre so beautiful.āā Despite her motherās encouraging words, she still felt the need for her wig.
She kept working on going wigless, though, with small steps like going out to get the mail, walking the dog and eventually going back to the store. āI would take all these little quick trips in order to inch my way out of feeling uncomfortable without my wig,ā Cedrice explains, āso as I gradually stepped away from the wig, I started stepping into myself.ā
āI didnāt have a choice when I was 10 years old to keep my hairāit just came out,ā she continues, āand I had to face myself in the mirror and decide how long I was going to keep this act up.ā Cedrice The Voice
Something that helped Cedrice with this transition was music. āWith music, when youāre on stage, people donāt care. They expect you to be different and unique,ā she says with a smile. āItās a different expectation when youāre an artistāyouāre free to be whoever the hell you want to beāso I gave myself the permission to do that when I became a singer.āĀ
Cedriceās journey into her musical career began when she was 24 years old. Although she was enrolled in a university with a major in communications and a minor in theater, she didnāt feel that she was on the right path. āI didnāt really feel the calling to do anything in particular,ā Cedrice explains. āI was kind of searching for something to be passionate about.ā
He asked her to sing a few barsānaturally, she nailed it. Then he invited her to join his band, and the offer felt like a true welcome. Before that, sheād tried a Pacific Islander music club, a gospel choir and theater, but none ever felt like home. In her 2017 TEDxSan Diego Talk, “Tell Me About Your Identity Crisis,” Cedrice shared her journey. She largely discussed searching for where she truly belonged.
āI was confronted with more obstacles. First I didnāt speak Tagalog, so I wasnāt Filipino. Then I wasnāt dark enough to be considered Black. And I certainly didnāt look White,ā she explains.
This new band blended R&B, jazz, hip-hop and soulāa mix that helped Cedrice finally find her rhythm. Through that sound, she saw how music connects people everywhere. That realization shaped how she shares herself with the world today. āIn a way, I definitely identified with music because I was looking for something to identify with. I was looking for something to hold me above water, and music was that for me,ā Cedrice continues. āAnd itās elevated me to so much more than I expected.ā
This newfound authenticity opened Cedrice up to new opportunities. Her time on āThe Voiceā (Season 18) allowed her to grow as an artist. āAs far as my music goes,ā she says, āI would be a lot less interesting if I hadnāt gone through the identity challenges that Iāve been through.ā
āYou know, everyone can front like theyāre perfect on Instagram and social media,ā notes Cedrice. āI think thereās something really powerful about the anti-hero. Iām not necessarily the anti-hero, but I most certainly am not perfect, and Iām okay with sharing that.ā
Cedrice reflects this in āWoman,ā a song she wrote two years ago. Particularly in the line: If I am the only one / I am the only one telling the truth. āIf I wasnāt going through any challenges at all, no one would be able to identify with me,ā she explains. āIām human. I have to have some sort of substance behind my musicābehind what drives me.āĀ Ā
Now through her music, time on āThe Voiceā and growing online presence, Cedrice shares her story to uplift others facing similar challenges. āSharing my struggles keeps me accountable for who I am and what my journey is,ā she says. āI wasnāt given these gifts and these challenges to act like everythingās great and dandy and that Iām perfect. Iām here because Iām supposed to be sharing my struggles and giving other people inspiration to share theirs and to be okay with that.ā
In a time when content is so easily accessible due to the internet and social media, representation is a powerful and necessary element. Cedrice has become an honest and empowering representative to several types of individuals, including people with alopecia, multi-ethnic individuals and new musicians.
āIt really does humble me when people say that Iām a role model or that Iām interesting,ā says Cedrice. āI know my life, I know what Iāve gone through. The fact that Iām growing from all of that and people appreciate me sharing my adversity, itās really, really humbling and itās really great.ā
With a career thatās only just beginning to fully blossom, the singer and actress is happy and ready to bring her talents, authenticity and sense of identity with her into the spotlight.
āI feel like I have the responsibility to turn the narrative around for my people. Representing myself as a person who is confident, for the most part, in my own skināto walk out without hairāand to help be a role model for those who are struggling with alopecia. I love that I can be a Filipino woman and a Black woman on TV and represent someone with poise, grace and eloquence,ā Cedrice says. āI really do see myself as a vessel: there is so much that I have to learn…and I choose to identify with someone who has been given gifts, a platform and opportunities to communicate with people, to have fun and to live my life unapologetically and inspire people through that.ā
Photo Shoot Location: Cedrice The Voice
Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa
9700 N Torrey Pines Rd
La Jolla, CA 92037
855.318.7602 Cedrice The Voice
Born and raised near the Pacific Coast, Jordan Nishkian is a California girl through and through. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a BA in Creative Writing and a BA in Anthropology, and her favorite place to be is curled up in a comfy chair with a book in her hand and a pen in her hair.
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Jordan Nishkianhttps://localemagazine.com/author/jordan-nishkian/
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Jordan Nishkianhttps://localemagazine.com/author/jordan-nishkian/
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Jordan Nishkianhttps://localemagazine.com/author/jordan-nishkian/
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Jordan Nishkianhttps://localemagazine.com/author/jordan-nishkian/
Michael Wesley is a San Diego based lifestyle photographer who brings a unique eye for style and color to any project. With travel in 26 countries, a die-hard love for the ocean and an appetite for adventure, this California surfer is always on the hunt for capturing the coastal lifestyle that he is so lucky to live. Check out his work atĀ WWW.BLUEWESLEY.COM
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Michael Wesleyhttps://localemagazine.com/author/michael-wesley/
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Michael Wesleyhttps://localemagazine.com/author/michael-wesley/
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Michael Wesleyhttps://localemagazine.com/author/michael-wesley/
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Michael Wesleyhttps://localemagazine.com/author/michael-wesley/
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Janelle Arreolahttps://localemagazine.com/author/janelle-arreola/