Gabrielle Solange, aka 7HO3NIX, was born in Ohio. Raised in an artist family, she began recording original songs by age 7 on a cassette recorder and writing and illustrating fiction stories that she dreamed of sharing with the world. At age 13, she was placed in the foster care system after running away from an abusive home. She says, "My imagination was my escape and songs were my sanctuary. I felt that through songwriting and poetry, I could truly connect with God and feel my worth and purpose. I always knew that somehow art was the superpower I was given to overcome the darkness in this world. It is the lens through which I can look at ashes and see beauty." By age 15, she was discovered out of an inner city music program and signed to Sony records as part of the band Fatty Koo. After starring in a reality tv show on BET, ranking in Billboard's top 200, and scoring songs in mainstream movies, the band fell apart due to label complications and industry politics. Devastated, she released the viral song, Survive, with producer, Toby Gad (John Legend, Beyoncé, Demi Lovato) before leaving the music industry for over a decade.