I'm a singer. I was born a singer. Trained my whole life for the stage, the lights, the music, the vibe. I feel whole when I play, I know who I am when I'm behind the mic. Unstoppable, free.... Life is getting good right now. I grew up in NYC, went to LaGuardia, the high school for performing arts. But for the last 3 years I've been hibernating in Arizona, finishing school, perfecting my sound, writing my songs. Now I have a degree in anthropology (pretty much the study of people and how they express their culture). I focused on music from around the world. African music, South Asian music, Jamaican music, folk music, celtic music.... it's all rhythm, timing, melody, voice, harmony... we just express it differently. I hear the heartbeat in it all, don't you? Fundamentals of life, if you ask me.... if you ask any musician. My dad instilled some cool thoughts in my head about life and who musicians can be in this next phase the world is moving into. I'd like to be a part of the shift. I'd like to live my life in the flow. My dad is a world reknown guitarist, maybe you've heard of him? Stanley Jordan.... Maybe you havent.... regardless, you should..... he's a force to be reckoned with, to say the least. I'd like to think I possess similar powers. My mom is an important player in the battle to bring the arts back into schools. How could something so fundamental as music or art be considered the least important in academics? It's sad to me that there are kids who will never get the opportunity to feel a guitar in their hands or a djembe under their palms because someone made the decision for them that it's not important. I am who I am because of music. Mom has given me direction, shown me a cause to fight for. She gives me strength, and though she'd never tell you, she has the most beautiful voice.... so pure. I embody the duality of my parents.... Black and white, east coast and west coast, free thought and direction, drive and talent. Duality is the unification of two. I am both. Inspiration comes from sitting at the top of a cliff in the middle of nowhere, meditating, feeling the wind in my hair, giving into the flow, taking off my sneakers and dancing in the red dirt. I am a truthseeker..... and the answers are in the journey, not the destination.... searching for the point of duality and sitting in it, living in it. This is what I write my songs about. We can all find it within our willingness to relax into life, in our willingness to just breathe.....
NAMM 2008!!!! good times...
