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Creativity Quote by Naima Adedapo

"It's funny because a lot of people that know me as a dancer, don't know that I'm a singer, and a lot of people that know I can sing don't know I can dance. And so, I feel like at some point I have to show them both and really be able to display it and showcase it, and put that out there"

About this Quote

Adedapo is describing a familiar modern problem: the audience thinks it knows you, because it knows one version of you. In an attention economy that rewards quick categorization, being multidimensional can feel less like a gift and more like a branding glitch. Her repetition of "a lot of people" and the mirrored structure ("know me as a dancer... don't know I'm a singer" / "know I can sing... don't know I can dance") makes the mismatch sound systemic, not personal. It's not that she lacks confidence; it's that the public file on her is incomplete.

The intent is strategic and slightly urgent. "At some point" functions like a soft deadline, the moment when ambition turns into a plan. "Show them both" isn't just about talent; it's about control. She wants to collapse two separate audiences into one cohesive picture and, by doing so, shift how she's marketed, booked, and taken seriously. The subtext is that industries still sort performers into clean lanes: dancer here, vocalist there, as if versatility complicates the pitch.

What's culturally telling is how she frames revelation as labor: "display", "showcase", "put that out there". Talent doesn't simply exist; it has to be staged, packaged, and circulated to count. The quote sits in the lineage of artists who've had to fight the algorithmic version of themselves, where identity is a highlight reel chosen by others. Adedapo isn't asking for permission to be both. She's signaling a coming rollout: a deliberate moment where the split narrative gets fused, on her terms.

Quote Details

TopicMusic
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Adedapo, Naima. (2026, January 16). It's funny because a lot of people that know me as a dancer, don't know that I'm a singer, and a lot of people that know I can sing don't know I can dance. And so, I feel like at some point I have to show them both and really be able to display it and showcase it, and put that out there. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-funny-because-a-lot-of-people-that-know-me-as-83169/

Chicago Style
Adedapo, Naima. "It's funny because a lot of people that know me as a dancer, don't know that I'm a singer, and a lot of people that know I can sing don't know I can dance. And so, I feel like at some point I have to show them both and really be able to display it and showcase it, and put that out there." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-funny-because-a-lot-of-people-that-know-me-as-83169/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It's funny because a lot of people that know me as a dancer, don't know that I'm a singer, and a lot of people that know I can sing don't know I can dance. And so, I feel like at some point I have to show them both and really be able to display it and showcase it, and put that out there." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-funny-because-a-lot-of-people-that-know-me-as-83169/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.

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About the Author

Naima Adedapo

Naima Adedapo (born October 5, 1984) is a Musician from USA.

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