Jon StojanEvelyn Nelson, AKA Silver Streak Lady, describes herself as a woman of faith and a passionate musician grateful for the dashes of devastation and flashes of blessings in her life. This resilient woman’s story is one of lifelong adversity that blossomed into a profound mission of enriching humanity – a mission she fulfills at the helm of Livly Nest, an organization empowering youth to stray from the wrong path. Reflecting her belief that unbridled creativity and verbalizing trauma are the keys to healing, she announced the launch of Still Singing in the Shadows, a heartfelt, authentic memoir of a foster child who found the way to light.
In a bold step toward redefining authorship, Evelyn fuses literary and musical artistry, assigning a different song from her vibrant repertoire to each chapter. With that, the author hopes to invite readers to embark on an inspiring odyssey through raw emotions, obstacles, and the things that kept Evelyn sane – God and music.
Growing up in an abusive foster home, Evelyn couldn’t indulge in childlike carelessness like most of her peers, forced to grow up much too soon. The first life-defining moment happened when she turned 10 and found out that seven of her biological siblings – all of whom shared a mother – had lived within a 30-minute distance from each other for their whole lives. At that time, all Evelyn ever knew of her mother was that she passed away from a sickness.
At 13, while attending a family reunion with one of her biological sisters, Evelyn was exposed to the truth – the way her mother died wasn’t an illness but a malicious murder. “Looking back, I’m grateful I found out in my teenage years,” she shares. “That news would have been too traumatizing for a 10-year-old girl to process.”
Image Credit: Evelyn Nelson
In adolescence, Evelyn found solace and purpose in faith – through prayer and her church community, she rediscovered hope and happiness. At 17, Evelyn’s love for God became an integral part of her life; kicked out of her foster home for reaching ‘adulthood,’ she enrolled at a Bible college in search of better opportunities. Though filling her heart with divine power, college was also where she first encountered direct racism – too colored to be accepted by her white colleagues and too ‘prim and proper’ to fit in among Black students, Evelyn struggled to find her place, slowly getting used to the harrowing feeling of rejection.
Despite her early adulthood years centering around bullying and suffering, Evelyn stayed true to her core values, always transforming every challenge into a lesson for bettering herself and those around her. Whether inspiring her bullies to turn their lives around or helping others combat addiction, Evelyn has always been a source of support and inspiration for those around her.
A time that profoundly impacted her mind and soul was meeting her biological father – an ex-kingpin. When he walked through the door to meet his daughter for the first time, a strong man with a pronounced Puerto Rican accent, Evelyn sensed an authentic connection she had never felt before. After hours and hours of talking, she found out that he, a fugitive and former gang leader, sought to find Evelyn when she was 13, but to no avail.
Put to rest at the age of 39, her dad became Evelyn’s inspiration in life and music, igniting her to write Love Fugitive, a song about a man constantly running from love and happiness. Before his passing, Evelyn interviewed her dad in a TV show, where she gave him an opportunity to share his life’s challenges, triumphs, and regrets. After that experience, the former gang leader’s mindset changed, prompting him to terminate the growing drug scene in his area.
A culmination of her diverse life filled with tears, laughter, spirituality, and self-discovery, Evelyn will release Still Singing in the Shadows, a unique literary memoir merging authentic emotions with impactful storytelling and music. “That book has my spirit. It’s everything I have seen, loved, learned, and feared,” she shares.
Divided between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, Still Singing in the Shadows explores the most pivotal moments of Evelyn’s life, from her first experience with music at the age of four to growing up in an abusive foster care home and meeting her biological father – an ex-kingpin. Through all the ups and downs, she remained a beacon of hope, inspiring those around her with positivity, faith, and authentic lyricism dressed in captivating melodies.
“Everything that happened, happened for a reason. I was traumatized, tattered, and torn, but I chose to be better, not bitter,” shares Evelyn. “Where we come from doesn’t define us. Everyone has the power to free themselves of the past and sail to tranquility. It’s all about how we respond to adversity. Through everything, one question haunted my mind: Do I want to stay in the abyss of trauma or keep singing in the shadows? That’s what my book is all about; instilling hope and proving that in the gray shades of darkness, we can find light.”