R&B singer takes inspiration from her father, singer for Kool & the Gang

By Tanya Gamble

Nellé Mignon (pronounced // Nell – lay // // Men – yon // ) is an inspiring entertainer who desires to follow in her parent’s footsteps.

Mignon’s father is Shawn McQuiller, lead singer of American band Kool & The Gang since 1991.

“My dad ended up being the lead singer of Kool & The Gang and he’s been with them ever since,” Mignon said in a recent interview. “Still touring with them as we speak. That definitely played a big part in me wanting to be an entertainer as a whole.

“Growing up going to shows seeing my dad travel all over the world and perform always inspired me. I just knew from the moment I could talk and walk that I wanted to perform.”

Mignon described being the daughter of a famous person as “Definitely different. To me, he was just my dad, but to know the legacy of the group he was a part of was really big!

“But it was also so inspiring to me seeing my dad live out his dream, doing what he loves, and still being such a humble genuine person. That was always so cool to me and showed me how you really can do anything you put your mind to. You just gotta go for it, stay consistent, and the work you put in will pay off!”

Mignon said getting used to her father going on tour took some getting used to.

“Being younger, it definitely was a hard adjustment because he can be on tour for different periods of time,” she said. “So some things we would miss back home but anytime he’s off the road he’s always been about his family time and getting together.

“When he would be gone, my mom was always holding it down making sure that I was on top of anything I had going on. Dance classes, recitals, performances, modeling, etc. My mom is the real MVP.”

Mignon said, “I’ve never been on the road with him while he was touring especially since majority of the time I was young and in school so they really didn’t want me to miss out on my education. But anytime he had shows that were in town or close by, I’ve always went to hang backstage, watch the show and see my dad do what he does best and be a great performer!”

As for her own music, she said, “I just love the process of making music. I really enjoy the process of starting with an idea and then the finished product. I think that to me is just so cool.”

“Respectfully” is one of the songs on her latest mixtape “Not 2 Be Played With.”

“’Respectfully’ was one of my most favorite songs to write and bring to life as a whole,” Mignon said. “That [song] was so much fun because I literally remember when I was writing that song, I was going through a break-up. I knew I wanted to write about how I was feeling without it being a sad song. When I was writing it, I knew this would be something that others could relate to, especially women who have felt the same way. ‘Respectfully, you just weren’t the man for me.’ It’s cool, it’s no beef. On to the next.

“The end of something doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. I feel like some people are just so afraid of starting over or letting something go so new things and new blessings can come your way. So it’s just like when you get out of that mentality of wanting to hold onto stuff and just be willing to let go then it will be so worth it.”

“Not 2 Be Played With” has been out just a couple of months.

“I’m really excited and happy about this project because it’s been quite some time since I’ve released a project,” Mignon said. “What I’m excited about with this project is just the fact that for the listeners you can hear my growth with just my vocality, cadence and my pen. Everything that the music embodies is me and I’m just growing into being a young woman. When I first started, I was like 18 years old and for me to be 27 now, it’s just refreshing, new and exciting.

“It’s just feel good music. I feel like this music just makes you feel good, it makes you wanna love, it makes you wanna dance, it makes you wanna move, it makes you wanna sing your heart out. You wanna ride around to it.

“It’s just one of those projects that we just need right now. I’m so happy and excited that it’s out and I’m happy to see what everyone thinks about it and what their favorite song is and what song they connect to the most and I hope they enjoy and love it as much as I do.” 

Mignon says she desires to captivate that ’90s and ’00s R&B vibe in her music.

“I just love that artists at that time wanted you to feel how they felt. Whether it was going out and having fun, being in love, or being sad, you felt it in the music,” she said. “At least with my music, I really want to be one of those artists who is still keeping that goal of just being true to myself. I want people to feel what I’m saying and to really feel me and  hear me. I just want you to [listen to my music] and vibe out and really enjoy it and let it be something that’s refreshing.”

Mignon said she’s been putting a lot of focus on health and wellness as well as music.

“I’m actually a pilates instructor,” she said. “I  just really want to push the importance of really just getting your body moving. You know, just getting mobility back into your body, stretching and finding that flexibility. Really just working a lot of those muscles in your body that help with posture and just day-to-day things like sitting at a desk all day being hunched over – just all those little things our bodies help us so much with.”

Mignon is supportive of other local artist, and was particularly enthusiastic about Jay Dense and Kane Wave.

“Jay Dense is another artist that gets slept on. I feel like he’s creative, he’s dope, he has his own vibe and swag to him and I just love how courageous he is,” she said. “Between his shows, his music and his demeanor, he’s a really solid guy and he actually is what inspired the name of my project ‘Not 2 Be Played With.’

“He was really the one that pitched the idea that the project should be named ‘Not 2 Be Played With.’ Definitely got to give him his flowers.

“Shout out to Kane Wave. Me and him go back. I’ve known him even before the music – back when we were kids. [We used to] sing battle with each other. Just being goofy and it’s just dope to see how much we’ve progressed in music. Just conversations we’ve had. Just wanting to pursue ideas that we’ve had and how much we’ve done along the way is very inspiring to see, so that’s family for life.” 

You can check out Nellé Mignon’s music videos and music. You can also find more information on her music on Instagram.

Tanya Gamble is an arts writer from Cheektowaga. She received her journalism degree from Buffalo State University in 2023.