REALITY CHECK: JYLISSA QUINONES
Bronx, new york | JylISSA QUINONES
interview terrell “realife” black PHOTOGRAPH @MakeawishStar
“I’VE LEARNED PEOPLE WILL JUDGE YOU REGARDLESS SO WHY NOT HEAR IT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH. I’M NOT ASHAMED OF ANYTHING I’VE DONE IN MY PAST... IT STOOD IN THE PAST FOR A REASON AND WE ALL HAVE A STORY. I’M JUST TELLING MINE.” -JYLISSA QUINONES
VALIDATED: YOUR STEADFAST WORK ETHIC, WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?
JYLISSA QUINONES: MY STEADFAST WORK ETHIC COMES FROM POVERTY… FROM HAVING NOTHING AND NEEDING AND WANTING A LOT. NOT ONLY DID I KNOW FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE I DIDN’T WANT TO WORK FOR OTHERS BUT I’M THE OLDER SIBLING AND HAD A VERY BIG IMPACT ON MY SIBLINGS UPBRINGING. BECAUSE OF THAT I KNEW I HAD TO BE SOMEONE OTHER THAN WHAT MY ENVIRONMENT HAD TO OFFER.
VALIDATED: WHAT ROLE DID YOUR GRANDMOTHER PLAY IN YOUR LIFE GROWING UP?
JYLISSA QUINONES: MY GRANDMOTHER RAISED ME. MY MOM WAS A TEENAGE MOM AND BEING A MOTHER MYSELF NOW I KNOW AND UNDERSTAND IT ISN’T ALWAYS EASY. IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD, BEING IT 2 OR 20 PEOPLE. LIFE WAS ROUGH AND THINGS WEREN’T ALWAYS GREAT BUT BOTH WOMAN SHOWED ME STRENGTH IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
VALIDATED: A SINGLE MOTHER OF A YOUNG DAUGHTER, AS A PARENT WHICH TRAITS DO YOU WANT HER TO PICK UP FROM YOU?
JYLISSA QUINONES: MY STEADFAST WORK ETHIC FOR SURE! I HOPE SHE SEES AND ONE DAY UNDERSTANDS HOW HARD I WORK AND THOUGH SHE’S LUCKY TO HAVE AN AMAZING DAD BY HER SIDE I WANT MY DAUGHTER TO PICK UP MY INDEPENDENCE. IN THE SAME SENSE I EMBRACE HER BEING HER OWN CHARACTER AND PRAY SHE’S 10 TIMES THE WOMAN I COULD EVER BE.
VALIDATED: YOU STARTED OUT AS A VIDEO VIXEN AND MODEL, WHICH ARTIST HAVE YOU WORKED WITH?
JYLISSA QUINONES: I’VE WORKED WITH G4 BOYS, MADMUZIKCALI SWERV (SOME UP AND COMING) AMONGST A FEW OTHER NAMES. I’VE ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH A FEW OTHER MAGAZINES ALONGS THE LINES OF YV HIP HOP MAGAZINE, WCW MAGAZINE AND OTHERS.
VALIDATED: WHAT WAS IT ABOUT MODELING THAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST INITIALLY?
JYLISSA QUINONES: GROWING UP I WAS ALWAYS TOLD I HAD A DIFFERENT LOOK… SOMETIMES GOOD, SOMETIMES BAD. BUT PEOPLE WOULD ALWAYS TELL ME I SHOULD SERIOUSLY LOOK INTO MODELING. ALTHOUGH I HAD AN INTEREST IN MODELING I DIDN’T THINK I COULD, AFTER ALL AT THE TIME MODELS WERE SEEN TO BE SKINNY AND TALL AND I WAS NEITHER. LOL EVENTUALLY I CAME ACROSS A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO WAS EAGER TO USE ME AS A MUSE AND I THOUGHT “HEY WHY NOT? IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US BOTH.” FROM THERE ON I STILL GET NERVOUS BUT I LOVE THE CAMERA AND PEOPLE AND THE CAMERA SEEM TO LOVE ME.
VALIDATED: WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE LOOKING TO GET INTO ACTING OR MODELING?
JYLISSA QUINONES: I WOULD TELL THEM TO BE THEM! EMBRACE THEMSELVES, EMBRACE THEIR PAST AND NEVER LET SOMEONE TELL YOU YOU CAN'T! IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE, IT’S HOW YOU LIVING. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE YOU COME FROM, IT’S WHERE U WANT AND MAKE SURE YOU’RE GOING TO BE!
VALIDATED: YOU WERE A CAST MEMBER OF THE 8 EPISODE REALITY SHOW “BOXER WIVES” STARING ZAB JUDAH ON BOSSIP.COM, WHAT’S IT LIKE HAVING YOUR LIFE PLAY OUT ON CAMERA?
JYLISSA QUINONES: AT FIRST OF COURSE FOR ANY ONE HAVING THE WORLD SEE YOUR LIFE ON CAMERA IS BEYOND NERVE WRECKING BUT TO BE HONEST IT’S MY LIFE. IT’S WHAT I LIVED, IT’S WHAT BROKE ME AND IT’S WHAT MADE ME. I’VE LEARNED PEOPLE WILL JUDGE YOU REGARDLESS SO WHY NOT HEAR IT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH. I’M NOT ASHAMED OF ANYTHING I’VE DONE IN MY PAST... IT STOOD IN THE PAST FOR A REASON AND WE ALL HAVE A STORY. I’M JUST TELLING MINE.
VALIDATED: WAS THERE EVER A TIME YOU FELT A SCENE WAS OVER EXAGGERATED FOR THE CAMERA?
JYLISSA QUINONES: I THINK EDITING CAN SOMETIMES BE TERRIBLE. LOL IT CAN MAKE ANY SITUATION GO FROM CORDIAL TO MESSY INSTANTLY. I DON’T THINK ANY OF MY SCENES WERE EXAGGERATED THOUGH ONLY BECAUSE FOR ME AT THE MOMENT WHAT WAS SEEN ON CAMERA WAS HAPPENING IN MY REAL LIFE.
VALIDATED: YOU ALSO DO SOME ACTING, ANY UP AND PROJECTS WE SHOULD BE LOOKING OUT FOR?
JYLISSA QUINONES: SO HOPEFULLY A SECOND SEASON OF BOXER WIVES SHOULD BE UP AND COMING BUT IF NOT I HAVE A FEW OTHER PROJECTS IN THE WORKS. YOU GUYS MAY ALSO SEE ME ON A NEW SHOW COMING OUT IN THE FALL HOPEFULLY AS THE HOST AND CORRESPONDENT.
VALIDATED: CAN YOU GIVE US THE NAME OF THE SHOW OR IS IT TOO SOON?
JYLISSA QUINONES: UNFORTUNATELY NOT YET BUT YOU GUYS WILL HEAR ABOUT IT VERY SOON.
VALIDATED: DO YOU PREFER MODELING OR ACTING? WHICH ONE COMES NATURALLY FOR YOU?
JYLISSA QUINONES: BOTH COME NATURAL I THINK. I’D PROBABLY SAY MODELING ONLY BECAUSE WITH ACTING IF IT IS SCRIPTED I FEEL LIKE IT CAN TAKE ME A BIT LONGER TO CATCH THE HANG OF IT. WHERE AS WITH MODELING THEY’LL TELL ME WHAT TO WEAR AND WHERE TO LOOK AND BOOM I’M IN CHARACTER .
VALIDATED: KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT PIECE OF MAJOR ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
JYLISSA QUINONES: I WOULD TELL HER TO FOCUS MORE... BOYS WILL COME LATER AND EDUCATION IS KEY. I WOULD ALSO TELL HER NOT TO BE SO HARD ON HERSELF BECAUSE LIFE IS HARD ENOUGH THINGS COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE AND IT HAS TO GET BETTER .
VALIDATED: WHAT’S NEXT FOR JYLISSA QUINONES?
JYLISSA QUINONES: TV SHOWS ARE NICE BUT I’M DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO BROADEN MY HORIZON. JOURNALISM IS SOMETHING I’VE ALWAYS BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT BUT HAVEN’T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON SO MUCH. NOW GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY MY NEXT STEP IS TO ELEVATE MYSELF IN THAT LINE OF WORK... EVENTUALLY MAYBE WORK ON SOME PROJECTS OF MY OWN BUT FOR NOW I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING MY NEW STRENGTHS IN EVERY PROJECT OR OPPORTUNITY GIVEN. ALL WE CAN DO IS WAIT AND SEE.
VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS?
JYLISSA QUINONES: INSTAGRAM - @JYLISSA_LALI