Sevyn Streeter is out here living her best life during an 18-city national tour.
The singer sat down with PEOPLE to share how she makes it a priority to stop by as many Boys & Girls Club locations while traveling.
“I started working with the Boys & Girls Club around 2013 when I was on my first tour with K. Michelle, and it’s just something that’s stuck with me,” she said. “Every chance I get when I’m on the road, I love to do it because the road life can be really stressful, and it gives me a great appreciation for why I do what I do.
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“For them to see an artist literally standing right there in front of them and hearing ‘I came from a really small town’ or ‘When I was your age, I had a lot of dreams and aspirations’ … for them to be able to sit there face-to-face and have a conversation is why I’m drawn to it. I see myself in them,” she said about meeting the Boys & Girls Club kids.
Sevyn came onto the music scene in a girl group, but quickly made her mark as a songwriter for Chris Brown, Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys and Kelly Rowland. She also found herself in the news after the Philadelphia 76ers stopped her from singing the National Anthem because of the “We Matter” jersey she had on—a nod to the Black Lives Matter movement. The organization later apologized and asked her to come back and sing.
Sevyn’s third studio album Girl Disrupted is due in Spring 2017.