Groove Theory Project is a platform for dialogue around music and culture. Co-founded by Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and editorial writer Neijah Lanae and film producer and DJ Arniesha Williams, the podcast combines informed musical analysis with personal insight, examining how sound intersects with memory, identity, and community.
Neijah’s training in vocal performance—developed at Oakland School for the Arts—and her work in editorial writing position her to approach music as both structured discipline and social commentary. Her lens is shaped by storytelling, with a focus on cultural context and lived experience. Arniesha, a DJ with a background in performance and a deep grounding in music history, brings a precise, archival approach to sound, shaped by her work in entertainment production and a strong curatorial ethos.
Together, they’ve created a platform that revisits foundational figures in music while spotlighting emerging voices. In this Q&A, they reflect on creative process, intergenerational continuity, and the courage required to speak publicly with intention.
What inspired you to create Groove Theory Project and how do you define its mission in your own words?
I think the seed of the idea was planted by a conversation we had at a music-lover’s event called Vinyl & Vino. We were there to explore and analyze Erykah Badu’s debut album Baduizm and its cultural relevance. We bonded over our love and appreciation of neo-soul and the theoretical interest of music, art, and process. Neijah later presented the idea of a podcast and we began the ideation process soon after.
Through engaging experience, including our podcast that dives into culture, research, and artistry, we aim to inspire meaningful conversations about music’s role in shaping our world.
Describe your creative roles behind the scenes. How do you divide the vision, sound, and storytelling between you?
We partner closely on all we do. We have similar perspectives and a clear vision of what we want to do, and our individual backgrounds are a huge help in fine tuning what we put out. We both pitch creative ideas, help refine and execute them, edit, and research.
Your podcast celebrates both legends and emerging artists. Why is that intergenerational dialogue important right now?
It’s always important to know the history behind something you love. There is so much rich history in music and it always informs where it is going in the future. Speaking to legends often helps ground topics and give a broader perspective of how music has evolved and how newer artists are carrying the torch in their own way.
Neijah, as both a singer-songwriter and editorial writer, how do you see your voice shifting between music and the written word?
As an independent musician, I have full creative control over what I write and how I express myself. My voice is entirely my own, shaped by personal experience, emotion, and intuition. In contrast, my editorial writing lives in the world of marketing, where creativity is guided by brand strategy and larger business goals. While I still bring my unique voice to that work, it’s always in service of a broader vision beyond my own.
Moving between these two spaces has taught me how to be flexible with my voice. I’ve learned when to lead with instinct and when to shape it around a specific message or audience. Having experience on both sides has been valuable in unexpected ways. Each side sharpens the other: music keeps my writing grounded in feeling, while editorial work strengthens my clarity and discipline.
Arniesha, you’re a DJ with a deep knowledge of music history and performance. How does that shape the way you curate sound?
Understanding the roots of different genres lets me tell a unique story with each DJ set. Because I know where sounds come from and how they’ve evolved, I’m intentional about how I mix genres. I don’t like to just throw tracks together… I think about the significance behind them and how they relate to the story I want to tell. I love weaving deep cuts and unexpected edits into my sets. I like to find obscure tracks and reintroduce them in fresh ways. I try to take the crowd on a sonic journey with the sounds that I curate. My style of Djing is largely about context and discovery.
Tips for anyone who wants to start a community-centered music platform or podcast? What do they need beyond a mic?
Definitely a period of development to explore and hone in on your purpose, content structure, logistics, distribution, and overall branding. It’s nice to be intentional about starting a podcast, there are so many of them out in the world.
What’s been the most surprising lesson from building Groove Theory so far—creatively or personally?
One of the most surprising lessons has been realizing just how much courage it takes to share your thoughts and opinions publicly. Even though the conversations on Groove Theory Project feel natural and honest, there’s still a level of vulnerability that comes with putting our perspectives out into the world.
It’s also been a personal lesson in patience and practice. Articulating complex ideas about music, culture, or our own lived experiences doesn’t always come easily in the moment. Over time, we’ve both learned to trust our voices not just in what we say, but in how we communicate and collaborate with each other. That trust has helped us grow more confident in how we express our thoughts on the podcast, and it's made our conversations feel more grounded and intentional.
A day in your lives; what does it look like balancing independent music, storytelling, and production work in LA?
It takes lots of time management, lots of scheduling, and lots of intentionality to pour into the things that matter. We took a lot of time to develop this concept before releasing it to the world, which helped a lot with the episode shoots and editing process when it came time to execute.
While we do have busy lives day-to-day, working on Groove Theory Project often feels rewarding because it is something we are building ourselves and feel passionate about.
Three values that ground how you approach creativity and collaboration.
Intentionality, preparation, and communication.
What do you want people to feel or walk away with after listening to an episode of Groove Theory?
We want them to feel inspired to continue the conversations that we start, create their own dialogue, and engage in their own ways with the same topics.
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