Fourteen-year-old Merdix Antwinette (formerly Giovanna Cesarè) has had her eyes set on stardom since the age of six. After years of training, she landed the role of Jessy in Street and starred as Sarah Lapp in the TV series Amish Haunting. However, the teen is most well-known for her role as Nina in the award-winning film The Kids From 62F. In 2018, Antwinette won Best Actress at the Young Entertainment Awards, a reflection of her acting skills. When she’s not on the big screen, Antwinette records trap music, with songs streaming on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Apple Music, and iHeartRadio. She also appeared and performed her hit single “Obsessed” on the Boys of Summer 2019 Tour, meeting fans in a range of cities across the US. With several film projects in the works and songs being produced in the studio, Antwinette took the time to discuss her career:

Why does music hold such a special place in your heart?
I was born into a super musical environment. Music was always playing in my house, whether it was American jazz standards, musical showtunes, pop, Latin jazz, classic rock, hip-hop, or even doo-wop—you name it. I’ve been singing as long as I’ve been speaking. Music is always there for me. I can remember my mom teaching me the National Anthem at age six—we would sing it over and over until I could nail each note.


Who are some of your musical inspirations?
My musical inspos would have to be Lil Miquela, Post Malone, Blackbear, Kehlani and Skrillex.


What singer do you dream of collaborating with?
Of course, Post Malone, my trap idol. 


How would you describe the style of your music?
It’s called trap with an added drop. It’s unique, and I recently discovered it. It’s a trap beat with a dubstep mix at the chorus.

Describe the typical process of producing one of your songs.
I collaborate with my insanely talented writing team, artists Alicia Madison and Lachi. They compose lyrics to stories and ideas I give them about what’s currently happening in my life. From there, they compose the music around those lyrics. Then, I fly to NYC to lay down vocals in the studio with the writer, producer, and a sound engineer. Within a few days, I have a rough demo in my inbox of what we recorded, mixed, and mastered in the first draft. Later comes the tweaking by my manager, Gary Salzman, who adds a featured artist, for example.


How did you land the role of Jessy in Street? What was the audition process like?
It's a crazy story. I was on an indie movie shoot in Washington State when I met Kerry Wallum, partner of ‪Willie Nelson‬ in Luck Films. Kerry thought I was a solid actress—I was about eight years old at the time. A few months later, Kerry called and said one of his friends was shooting a movie called Street. They were looking to cast a Disney star in the role, but Kerry insisted that the producers see me. The producer, Lyle Howry, hired me, and the rest is history.


What song you've written are you most proud of?
“1-2-3 Gone” is my fave track. Even though I didn’t write it, I inspired it. It’s written by the crazy talented Alicia Madison, who is able to nail exactly what I’m expressing in a song.

What has been the most exciting moment of your career thus far?
Meeting Gary Salzman and being under his mentorship as an artist. I’ve met a lot of people in the biz, but Gary is the first person/manager to not try to change me, my genre of music, or my image. He accepts me for exactly who I am and the music I want to make.


What is your endgame?
Hopefully, I can bring my style of trap music into the mainstream with global concerts, tours, and meet and greets with fans. I want to pursue a life in the arts while being able to give back in ways I couldn’t dream of before. I’d also love to co-write and produce, and possibly even star in my own sci-fi Netflix series that involves hybrid humans or AI robots.

What piece of advice can you leave readers with as they work towards achieving their dreams?
When you find a passion or interest that really drives you, work hard at it for a long time. Don’t give up and don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t do it. If I had listened to the first few critical people I met in the movie and TV business when I began, I wouldn’t be here talking with you today. It takes a lot of “no's” to get to one “yes.” I get emails daily asking how I did this or that, and I think kids today believe there’s a shortcut to everything because of how accessible most things are. If you want to be in the creative arts industry, you need to find your niche and work hard and steadily at it for a few years. Success will come through your perseverance.

This or That:

Acting or singing? Both.
Taylor Swift or Missy Elliot? Missy—I’m a huge fan.
Rap or pop music? Both. Trap is a combo of both.
Netflix or live TV? Definitely Netflix.
Social media or IRL? I can’t choose. Both are big parts of my life.

Follow Merdix on Social Media:

Instagram: @merdixantwinette or @gigicesare
Facebook: @gigivcesare