What do you believe qualifies you as a “power woman?” Are there any women you look up to as an inspiration?
A seed is one of the most powerful things on the planet. Most of the world’s population is fed by tiny seeds. My superpowers as a woman can be found in the small ways I share tiny seeds of light and inspiration.
How do you feel as though you empower women on a daily basis?
The most significant way women can empower other women is through their actions. Speaking and telling people what to do is one thing, but I’ve always thought the best way to empower others is by being living examples. How do we embody things that enrich and strengthen our hearts? So, I try to be busy being the kind of woman I want to see in the world.
What is your biggest motivating factor when it comes to gender equality and acceptance?
My ultimate goal would be oneness and equality for all living beings. It is achievable. If we see others as mirrors of ourselves, we could see ourselves in their situations. How would you like to be treated if the tables were turned? There’s a poem in my book called ‘Me as We.’ The message of the poem extends selfishness to every living being. Through seeing others as ourselves, would there be any change in how were late and our choices?
How do you handle individuals in your life who contest your music and your message to women?
Circles of protection and cloaks of invisibility can work wonders. May your messages be absorbed by those ready to receive them mindfully. Learn from those who disagree with your messages. Opposition is a great teacher that can either cause you to believe in your message more or embrace new opinions by being open to changing your outlook. Earth is a school, and we are here to grow. My music is only for some people. My message is for those who are open to receiving it or interested in opposing it with mindfulness and kindness in their hearts. We can live peacefully without all having to agree.
How do you propose a potential solution to the equal pay matter that continues to plague women?
Not to be funny, but they say a woman’s work is never done.
What would the world look like if women and their allies stopped working?
Around the Women’s March, many of us globally took the day off to protest. During the pandemic, the entire world, besides essential workers, stopped working. It shifted the energy of the planet. What Would a strike of all genders who genuinely believe that people should have equal pay for equal work look like? Women would be the hardest hit first, so how long could we hold out? What are we willing to sacrifice? With AI advances, will people of all genders ultimately find themselves in the place of being treated like women in the workforce are treated today? Will the playing field be leveled? Still, will we, the working class, find ourselves with less than the lowest paid? In 2023, a full-time job does not guarantee that we will make a living wage–especially for women of color. How will technical advances begin to bring us all collectively to an equally desperate level and deepen the divide between the working class and the wealthiest 1%? I believe in equal pay for equal work. There’s never been a more critical time to work collectively to bring equality. We are divided, with some men happy to go along, allowing women to be treated as second-class citizens while the system is being reshaped. Only collectively can we rewrite the algorithms and create a world where we are not all enslaved. I have no answers, only questions. What power and potential solutions can come from asking questions?
How has your childhood upbringing had an effect on your views toward diversity and inclusion as well as female authority in a male dominated world?
Yes, it is a male-dominated world, but in America,women have considerable voting power. Who are we voting for? Are we voting? The most significant percentage of women who can vote are white. Black women, Latina women, and women of all races follow that. Voting was very important to my mother, aunts, and grandmother. How many of us feel our vote counts? Beyond voting, how responsible are we for creating a more equitable and just world? To be a parent is one of the most remarkable ways of teaching diversity and inclusion. It starts at the kitchen table. It begins at home. My parents spoke about their challenges as a young black couple struggling to raise five children in the South. They showed us that those struggles could soften our perspectives and inspire us to dream. They could have decided to show us how their struggles could harden us, but that was not the world they wished for us to live in. For over 100 years, black people in America could choose a perspective. Many Zen masters worked the plantations fields. Those Zen masters are my ancestors, and where they could have chosen hate and retaliation,they learned that no one should feel the pain they endured. They chose joy.
What is your biggest inspiration when it comes to the creation of your music, and what are the motivating factors behind the lyrics?
Nature is the biggest inspiration for me musically. I Love listening to the wind. I love listening to birds.
You’re often considered one of the most electric talents in music, while being compared to Bob Dylan. How would you define yourself and your entrance into the music field?
I describe my music as emotional and raw. It’s not always meant to be pretty, but it is meant to make you feel something. My entrance into the music field is like a ballerina–stepping lightly and dancing freely.
What do you feel separates your talents from those around you in the music world, specifically in terms of male to female competitors?
Speaking of music in terms of com-petition strips it of the soul necessary to share authentic creations. Maybe that’s why sometimes it feels as if we are living in a time of musical mediocrity. With enough focus and the right team, anyone can do anything. The only thing a person will never be able to do is be YOU. Being yourself is the only thing that separates the talents of each artist.
Your newest book “Light Beams: A Workbook for Being Your Badass Self” was recently released and it discusses how individuals can find joy and empowerment in their everyday life. How do you feel the book truly inspires people, specifically women, to live a fulfilled life through dominating every aspect of the work field?
I am a world traveler and totally into the fru-fru yogi life, but I’m also a HUGE fan of seeing how our practices for wellness and well-being can be integrated into the way we treat each other and the planet. That gave me the idea for a workbook that takes some of the concepts we use for manifesting personal wealth and prosperity and uses them to generate richness for the heart and soul of each person. There’s nothing wrong with getting rich and being a successful individual, but how can that also be a means to uplifting all living beings? Is that much positivity even possible? If so, where does it start? To me, the only place to begin nurturing that type of beauty must come from the light beams we all have within.
How would you define a “badass” woman?
A badass woman is one filled with self-love, but also extends that in her actions to all living beings. How can being a badass uplift others? How will it open hearts?
Why did you initially choose the genre of blues and decide to produce a mixture of different music categories?
I have never chosen a genre for my music. My music is genre-fluid. Thanks so much for noticing that I make music in a mixture of categories vs. describing it as one genre. The music industry is changing, but the fact that I create whatever genre that comes to me hasn’t made it easy to thrive within the guidelines that shape the industry. A healthier way for the industry would require a huge change.
How do you feel as though you can truly create a platform in the music industry where women feel empowered to join, despite a lack of equality?
We are going to have to keep showing up and showing out despite having a lack of equality.
Which song would you classify as your most influential, and what was the motivation behind it?
The song “Astral Plane” is about finding our inner light and deciding to share it fearlessly. It’s a song for encouraging and inspiring us to live up to our highest potential.
Do you have any advice for women and young girls looking to enter the music field, or any career, where men are typically regarded higher?
Whatever field you decide to enter, do it because you love it. Create personal goals and write a story of what personal success looks like. Write the story that stays with you even if you fail in the outer world’s eyes. Because the external world has many societal structures that take a juggernaut to change, your story of success must be the framework for you to become an ancestor. How is your work allowing the dreams and wishes of those who come after you to soar? Sometimes, our sisters take from us and fail to lift us up. Someone can always imitate your words and actions. Regardless of gender, there will always be someone ‘higher or ‘better’ in the world’s eyes. Why are you doing what you’re doing? Why do you dream? Is there any power in a dream worked for but not fulfilled? If you can read these questions and still feel a calling to enter the music field, you know you’re on the right path. We do it for the adventures when we decide to follow a creative calling. Oh, the places you’ll go!
“… Speaking of
music in terms
of competition
strips it of the
soul necessary
to share authentic
creations… “