For Monika Judkins, music is where she has always felt most at home. Born and raised in Brooklyn, her musical roots started in gospel music. From the age of three, she began singing in school and church choirs. These experiences developed her passion and spiritual connection to singing, which continues to this day. Her musical influences span all genres—from rock, to gospel, to opera—which she tends to blend together.  No matter the song, the passion of her voice takes audiences on a spiritual journey.

At the age of eight, after an aunt commented on her talents, Monika’s mother encouraged her to develop her voice. 

“My mom was my first vocal coach. She was the first person who pushed me to sing. She saw the talent in me and decided to push me where I needed to go, including bussing me out to the other side of Brooklyn for junior high and high school, to study singing.”

Monika went on to earn a BA in Music History at Baruch College, expanding her knowledge and musical influences. After graduating, she knew she wanted to do something with her music but was not sure in what capacity. She decided to spend the next two years focusing solely on developing her voice. 

“Although I went to schools for performing arts, I did not get much one-on-one training. So I just wanted to study my craft. For a good two years I was practicing and reading about singing. I worked to understand my own voice and how the voice works in general. As I kept singing in church, people noticed a difference in my voice and they asked me what I was doing. When I told them, they asked if I could I teach them what I learned.”

Monika began teaching her mother and three of her friends, which soon developed into a larger practice. In 2016, Monika began MVA (Monika’s Voice Academy), formally offering voice lessons and hosting Open Mics for her students and the public. Tailoring her lessons to each student, Monika focuses primarily on developing the confidence and unique voice of each singer, rather than a strict technical set of rules. 

“I believe each voice is beautiful in its own way. If you sing, and you like to sing, then you are singer.”

Since 2017, Monika has been an elder of the South Bushwick Reformed Church. In 2018 she became the official Music Director, where she weekly brings music to the community. Her faith and ministry are deeply important to her, as is her love and openness to all people. 

“With my music, I feel like I try to take people to church, without having to actually be in a physical church. I want to take that stigma out of being in church, or feeling like you have to be a certain way to be a part of that spiritual journey. When it comes to music, in whatever I sing, there is some spiritual aspect to it. When I say ‘spiritual,’ I mean it more-so about the spiritual aspect of us as human beings, telling our stories, telling how we feel in the moment.”