A Journey to Celebration: Music, Art and Black Joy
As my artistic path has developed, I’ve been thinking deeply about the inner workings of systems that our collective societies uphold, and who are most favored as dreamcatchers. When it comes to race, Black bodies are often rewarded only up to the point that they do not disturb, offend, or even slightly interrupt the status quo. The price for entry is almost always some form of silence, and our systems are so effective that they can engender our silence subconsciously, even when we are not aware. I have come to believe that it is only through actively resisting silence that our fullest expressions can be awakened. For me, this has led to writing and releasing my own music for the first time in my life — music that is deeply rooted in a celebration of self and my people.
It has, however, taken me some time to get here. I first started dabbling with my creative voice through my love for opera, where I found access to distant cultures and languages through song. I began by curating performances that functioned much like a classical voice recital, while switching up my musical selections. I also played with a band instead of piano and organized setlists that included folk songs from regions in the Middle East, the Balkans, Brazil, and Venezuela; replacing traditional classical programming that is centered around the compositions of 17th and 18th century European men. My goal with these performances was to share in a discovery that artists and creatives have long known — that human beings are constantly exploring and making sense of the same things: our humanity.
Yet, somewhere along the way, I realized that silence had still found me. I began wondering if, in only looking out to the many beautiful musics of the world, I risked sacrificing the depth of my own journey. So, I decided to turn my artistic practice of exploring human truths on myself, investigating my own people through music, a path which has coincided with a major cultural awakening for my country.
Of all the critical social revelations that we have learned in 2020, it is imperative that we all continue to insist that Black bodies have the right to assert themselves — to declare our troubles and our joys in public. We have the right to exist, to lead with our whole selves, and, for that alone, to be met with nothing less than goodwill. In this spirit, I have created this song and accompanying video.
‘Soul’ and its visual are a celebration — a tribute to being Black and being musical, and to a Black woman’s love both for herself and for Black men. It was created to celebrate our bodies, minds, and glorious presences, and to honor our sisterhood and the wisdom of our hearts, while uplifting the lives we have lost in the long battle to reclaiming our joy.
The video also pays homage to a city that I have called home for close to a decade. New York City remains as vibrant as ever, breathing life into this Black woman’s blues.
I hope you enjoy.
“Soul” is from the Some Hidden Treasure EP by Alicia Waller & The Excursion. Download the album now at https://smarturl.it/4xnc0z.
Follow my work at www.aliciawaller.com
