LATEST MUSIC ON

SOUNDCLOUD | AUDIOMACK | BANDCAMP | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

PEOPLE NOT THINGS

THE ALBUM

Artist Statement

I can't describe how relieved I am to have this project out in the World. Three years in the making, People Not Things is a testament to bold whimsical LOVE, a glimpse into my romantic mind and a self-critical reflection of my relationships with women.

Growing up a student of Hip-Hop, I didn't see women who looked like me and loved like me represented in the music videos and the love stories of my childhood. As a queer woman, I've navigated some wild shit in this industry... often suppressing my own voice and narrative because I was told that "no one wants to hear that gay shit" among other eloquent arguments meant to diminish my visibility and authenticity. I've dreamt of creating this project since I was fifteen. I just want to add balance to the narrative.

I grew up a tomboy and consider myself an androgynous presenting woman, I've always dated and been attracted to femmes (feminine presenting women specifically). I realized throughout the years that I wasn't immune to exhibiting problematic behaviors, language and thoughts that are meant to demean or disempower femmes. As “woke” as I am, Patriarchy has an eerie way of seeping into all fabrics of our psyche, often portraying our femme counterparts as somehow weaker, less visible; a pretty accessory to our egos and goals. I want to challenge the way we see and treat femmes with this project, especially in the music industry.

I realized it is not enough to LOVE women, we must listen to, believe in, learn from and SEE women. You would think I already know this (lol) being a woman. But here we are. Most of the songs on the album reflect a pure love that lives outside the bounds of Patriarchy and supremacy, but others reflect my own entitlement to femme attention and energy, a manipulation of emotion through sex and affection... I'm sure many will relate to these songs, if you are being real with yourself. I trust that my audience is smart enough to read between the lines underneath the wavy flow and melody. It's definitely a vibe.

Whether you identify as a man who loves women, a woman who loves women, Two-Spirit, non-binary, trans... if you love femmes, I want you to take a moment to listen to this project and reflect on your own thoughts about your partners past and present. Much of the femme energy we see in mainstream music, from lyrics to imagery, is written by and distributed by men. I needed to write a project where the lyrics, music videos and Executive producers were all Directed by and featuring women. I needed to give that to the World, if I do nothing else with my music career.

Let's be self-critical in recognizing all the ways, big and small, that we perpetuate violence and micro-aggressions against our partners. Let's not pretend that queer relationships are immune to emotional, verbal, physical abuse. I've both perpetuated emotional abuse and have been on the receiving end of it from my partners. It happens, let's have these conversations publicly because no else will have them for us. Definitely not in the mainstream media.

Thank you to all the women in my life past and present who informed the lyrics of this body of work. Thank you to all the women in my life who help me be better each day even though it’s not your job, I appreciate you. Thank you to all the women who are lovingly critical of my work, thank you for trusting me to utilize your feedback to serve as a learning moment. It feels good to release this work of vulnerability. The moment I’m unable to be 100% raw with my audience, I’ll quit doing this thing called art. Anyways, women are People, Not Things.

Credits:

Executive Producers: Genesis Be & Ebonie Smith

Featured Vocalist: Nova Cruz

Producers: Mors & Doc J

Label: Gender Amplified

Engineered, mixed and mastered by Richard James

Album cover photo: Benjamin Benson

Cover styling: FVWL and Cyrus The Stylist

Thank you Tylea Simone Jabari