themysticmuse

[themysticmuse]

With love, Solange

You may have to do a double-take when you see Solange as she bears a striking resemblance to Beyonce, and that's because she's her sister. Creating her own space within the entertainment industry, this week's Mystic Music first came on to the scene as an actress in the popular movie "Bring it On" and even creating the opening theme song for the Proud Family. These past projects bear little resemblance to the type of music she has been working on as of late. Most recently, her visual album "When I Get Home" was a mystifying tale of self-discovery and homeland appreciation.

H-town born and raised, Solange Piaget Knowles truly found her voice when she released "A Seat at the Table" in 2016. With this album, she was able to create her own record company, Saint Records. This album depicted themes of empowerment and bravery, especially so for black women. Solange tackles harmful stereotypes that are associated with black women when they express their emotions, such as anger and despair. Solange advocates for self-protection, the preservation of one's energy, all while singing ballads that could soothe a crying baby to sleep. It's meanings hit deep, yet the music itself is so soft and melodic, you feel like you're quiet literally dancing on air.

In a recent interview with New York Time's Magazine, Solange is asked if "artistry and fame...are at odds" in her world. Solange states, "There are people before me who have done the work,” she finally responds. “Grace Jones did performance art and navigated between those worlds decades before I was even a thought, (Mathis). In this way, I deeply appreciate Solange's sense of personhood and her extensive understanding of her place within the world at large. Solange caters to her audience, black women, and speaks to us in a way that says, "I hear you," and soothes our minds and hearts when we need it most.

Sources:

Mathis, Ayana. “Solange, the Polymathic Cultural Force.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/t-magazine/solange-interview.html.

[themysticmuse]

The Spectacular Esperanza Spalding

An absolute star that heralds from the halls of Berklee College of Music, Esperanza Spalding is this week's Mystical Muse, which just so happens to be one of our most scholarly submissions to this music blog. Born in Portland, Oregon, Spalding is a classical bassist, singer, and composer who has performed for the likes of President Obama at the prestigious White House Poetry Jam. Currently a practicing music professor at Harvard University, Spalding is one of the greatest jazz musicians of our time.

Spalding's continuous choice to rock her natural hair in spaces that would otherwise deem this showing of individuality inappropriate is a statement in itself. She commands attention, gracefully, and has continuously shined in her performances throughout the years. The amount of focus, soul, and fire she has inside of her is apparent as she grips her bass with absolute precision and pride. Spalding is a trailblazer in her own right, acquiring over four Grammy Awards, a Soul Train Music Award, and was also recognized for her accomplishments with a Boston Music Award, the home of her alma mater.

Writer Lara Pellegrinelli of NPR's Texas Public Radio writes, "When we see Esperanza Spalding playing her instrument as she sings, in front of her own band, in the context of the new musical worlds she has created, we bear witness to a woman who is so completely in control of her own context that she dwells at the foundation on which it stands," (Pellegrinelli). Spalding is utterly captivating both on stage and within her classroom as a music professor. If practice makes perfect, then innate talent such as Spalding makes true excellence.

Sources:

Mathis, Ayana. “Solange, the Polymathic Cultural Force.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/t-magazine/solange-interview.html.

[themysticmuse]

FKA Twigs, The Voice of Truth

Healing and protective would be two words that could describe the essence of FKA Twig's music. Her beautiful, melodic way of storytelling is both heart-wrenching and yet hopeful when you understand the trials and tribulations she has endured throughout her adulthood. Recently coming forward with her story of abuse at the hands of actor Shia LeBeouf, she is reclaiming her power by sharing her voice with the world. 

Tahliah Barnett is a multi-trained artist, musician, and professional dancer. Her first album titled "LP1" was well-received enough to catch the eyes of major labels XL Recordings, but low flying enough to where she seemed to tether off from the mainstream media for some time. Often hidden in the midst of her previous celebrity partners, Robert Pattinson and Shia LeBeouf, she continued to express herself on her social media platforms. In her second album titled, "Magdalene," she challenges some of the deepest feelings and experiences she had within those relationships, and the strength it took to overcome their terrible endings.

FKA Twigs is well known for routinely incorporating pole dancing in both her performances and music videos. In an article published in The Greats by the New York Times, it beautiful states "This is the bind of Black performance, especially for Black women: If you don’t excel at everything, they’ll say you don’t deserve to be here. If you do, they’ll say it must have been easy precisely because you have done it," (Lordi). This perfectly depicts the dilemma that FKA Twigs faces as such a talented, black woman. As a Mystic Muse, she will continue to defy those expectations and breath life into the world using her bountiful gifts en mass.

Sources:

Lordi, Emily J. “FKA Twigs Has Reached New Heights.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2020, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/19/t-magazine/fka-twigs.html.

[themysticmuse]

Doja Cat's Feline Fantasy

If Doja Cat hasn't been on your radar for the past few years, then where in the world have you been? This feline prowess has the pop industry in a chokehold, and I don't really mind at all. This week's Mystic Muse is no other than Amala Zandile Dlamini, popularly known as Doja Cat. Born in Tarzana, California, Doja Cat was both musically inclined and a gifted dancer by birth. In her teens, she discovered the platform Soundcloud where she routinely uploaded self-made songs. One popular song in particular titled "So High" led her to sign with esteemed record company RCA shortly thereafter, and the rest is history.

With three Grammys under her belt, Doja Cat continues to defy all expectations of what people expect from a female rapper. She can dance, she can sing, and she has one of the most interesting flows I have heard in years. Doja Cat is the full entertainment package and continuously hypnotizes her audiences with her spectacular displays of creativity. At this point, the number of renditions that she has done for her hit song "Say So" would be enough to satisfy any pop creative for a lifetime.

In a recent article published by Insider, it states "Her provocative, bubblegum aesthetic hasn't pigeonholed her, and Doja Cat's fanbase has only continued to grow with experimental tracks like "Bottom B----," which samples Blink-182," (Tenbarge). This is exactly why Doja Cat will continue to thrive; her never-ending desire to create music that contains out-of-the-box thinking. Doja Cat is here to stay, and let her mighty roar echo throughout the chambers of musical history.

Sources:

Tenbarge, Kat. “Doja Cat Harnessed Viral Moments to Reach No. 1 on Billboard, but Her Online Past Has Also Resulted in Controversial Moments for the 'Say so' Singer.” Insider, Insider, 26 May 2020, www.insider.com/doja-cat-songs-bio-famous-tiktok-dance-say-so-2020-3 #she-picked-the-stage-name-doja-cat-because-of-her-affinity-for-marijuana-and-weed-culture-as-well-as-her-love-for-cats-2.

[themysticmuse]

Willow Smith, the Rock Star

The origin of the name Willow means "Freedom," and the trees themselves are known for their grace and elegance within nature. Willow Smith is no different from this definition, as she inherited both of these qualities from her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her tenacity from her father, Will Smith. Continuously expanding her definition of style and musicality, this week's Mystical Muse has been able to carve a name for herself within the music industry as both an R&B artist, and most recently, the frontwoman of her own alternative rock band.

Within the realm of her R&B album, “Ardipithecus,” she covers topics that are psychedelic in nature. She effortlessly skates around what could only be described as the forefront of her own consciousness within her songs. Being born from two mega-celebrities, her advancement in the entertainment industry was to be expected, but not in the way that she has chosen to do so. In fact, I am quite fond of her choice of self-expression because it mirrors what I personally admire in most artists; originality. She did not follow the safe footsteps of pop musicians, but rather veered off and created her own space in the world.

I was not surprised to hear that Willow decided to create rock music, as her mother Jada was the frontwoman of Wicked Wisdom in the early 2000's. In a recent interview with The Face, Willow stated, "Black people created rock music...But we have been so indoctrinated, so conditioned to believe that we only thrive in certain categories of creativity and entertainment. And that’s just not OK.” I personally am inspired by her decision to pursue rock music and can only hope for continued success for this young, promising Mystic Muse.

Sources:

Pometsey, Olive. “You Can't Touch Willow Smith.” The Face, 8 July 2021, theface.com/music/willow-smith-interview-2021-lately-i-feel-everything-album-music.

[themysticmuse]

Sovereign Zigzag Allah AKA “SZA”

As lovely and mystical as the crown that sits upon her head, this week's Mystical Muse is none other than the current R&B princess, SZA. It's almost as if she is immune to negative forces, as her career has seen nothing but well-revered critiques and never-ending praises. She is both well known to the public yet elusive in nature, as her private life is not well known and she does not do very many interviews. Within her lyricism for her first studio album, Ctrl, she tackles topics from the likes of adultery, narcissism, and sexual power ​that can take a casual listen off guard. 

Born Solána Imani Rowe in St. Louis, Missouri, she had a very soft opening to her music career releasing three EP's, each titled with letters from her moniker, "SZA." She attributes this artist's name to be a reference to the Supreme Alphabet, which is used within the Five-Percent Nation, a secular following of Islam. With such a thoughtful meaning to her name, it's not hard to understand why she chooses to cover deeper, more controversial topics within her music. SZA was also able to catch the eye of rapper Kendrick Lamar, who quickly propelled her name within the music industry after signing to his record company, Top Dawg Entertainment.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, SZA stated, "I decided I’m going to choose that shit for my f*cking self, for real. I feel like I’m only trying to make music that I care about, and I’m trying to work with people that will f*ck with me for real. That’s it. I’m just trying to do everything that is meaningful, and do shit that’s passionate, and remind myself that I’m worth something and talented and a nice girl. Just basic shit," (Carmichael). Having the ability to make choices within this life and manifest your own goals is one of the most important things I think a young woman could ever hope to learn. SZA could definitely be the poster-child for this particular life lesson, if I do say so myself.

Sources: Carmichael, Emma. “The Rebirth of SZA.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 1 July 2020, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/sza-interview-new-music-950364/.

[themysticmuse]

The Puerto Rican Supreme: Princess Nokia

There’s no better way to start off this blog by discussing an artist that exudes mysticism, power, and raw talent, the self-proclaimed “Supreme,” Princess Nokia. Born Destiny Nicole Frasqueria, this week’s Mystic Muse has ancestral ties to the same homeland that I reign from, the island of Puerto Rico. Although Nokia is Boricua by blood, she was actually born and raised in The Bronx, New York City. Consistently inspired by her unique upbringing and colorful surroundings, she created her first studio album titled “1992″ as a homage to both herself and the city she loved so much.

  1992 was a gritty, down-to-earth hip hop album that took the indie music scene by storm. Although Nokia was able to create a name for herself from this phenomenal showing of lyricism and relentless flow, her second and third album releases, Everything is Beautiful/Everything Sucks, were a surprise to many. They featured a back and forth motion of sound, with one clearly influenced by melodic R&B, and the other by a darker, alternative-rock sound. To me, the versatility of Nokia's sound is just another strength that she can add to her musical resume.

In an interview with NME magazine, Nokia stated, "I know what it’s like to feel confined. It’s a beautiful thing that art has transcended and young people get to be themselves and to explore themselves,” (Kasambala). Not many people can pull off the intricacy it requires to successfully produce different genres of music under the same moniker, yet Princess Nokia seems to have pulled it off effortlessly. With that being said, I would urge you to check out Nokia's latest song, "It's Not My Fault," a true anthem for women who were seemingly born with power and the go-getter attitude to match.

Sources:

Kasambala, Natty. “Princess Nokia: ‘I Have a Very Resourceful Spirit – a Survivor's Spirit.’” NME, 23 Apr. 2021, www.nme.com/big-reads/princess-nokia-cover-interview-2021-its-not-my-fault-2925543.