Hello hello,
What a holiday week over here! Doing all the things – entertaining kids who are home for break and going to 4 year old christmas concerts (which should be considered an act of charity) … Then, I had a one-two punch today. One: My 6 year old saw me this morning and asked, “Mommy, why do you have on your fancy clothes?”…. I was in khaki pants and a sweatshirt. So I’ll let you infer what my typical wardrobe has been lately… Two: I went to pick up my 4 year old from daycare and one kid said, “Leo, your Mommy is here!” and another kid said, “Leo, your gramma’s here!”, and the new teacher looked over at me and said, “Leo, your gramma’s here!” LOL #winning
I’m in a real deep rabbit hole these days – this year, I saw Ed Sheeran live in Minneapolis and then saw him again in Santa Clara a few weeks later. I’m totally wrapped up in his recently released music as well as his whole life (thank you Disney+ for a docuseries about him!) Ed collaborates with so many Black artists, both African American and African, and he seems to have genuine friendships/bonds with these artists. These friendships appear to be authentic and also happen to create a magical, musical fit – but I pause to really ask myself why? What’s working within this dynamic and ultimately who’s benefiting?
It can feel random – You think you’re watching a Nigerian music video and half way thought this short, ginger, white man pops in! #thisismymostplayedsongin2023
I feel like Ed is SO lucky be invited into this space. And then I wonder if Flyboy DML instead feels lucky that Ed is on his record. Isn’t that an interesting idea – if they feel equally lucky, it’s probably a great, non-exploitative collaboration? That’s what I’m really wondering – is someone being exploited in this arrangement?
Do you think Ed has some kind of savior complex? Like he thinks he’s making the careers of these artists? Does his own music benefit by co-opting African beats and sounds?? I mean, personally I now know about a Nigerian artist because of the collaboration with Ed Sheeran… is that good? bad? It’s like a gateway drug that results in a broader love and appreciation for an artist. I go back to the fact that Ed Sheeran doesn’t need this to boost his career. So, it’s authentic? Per usual, no answers, just thousands of questions and bleeding ear drums…
It does makes sense to me – Ed talks about feeling ‘other’ as a kid – ginger hair, glasses, and a stutter (#sexy). Black folks were/are also ‘other’ in British culture. This mutual rejection by the in crowd creates a common enemy. Ultimately – I’m thankful for this mutual, cultural rejection because it has led to a beautiful friendship / collaboration. This is a brilliant reminder that OBVIOUSLY talent is universally distributed, opportunity is not. Africa has an abundance of ‘undiscovered’ musical talent that doesn’t break through in America. Any/all exposure only benefits the listeners and the artists – right?
Wow. So much to think about here. 🙂 Happiest of holidays as 2023 winds down!
-Jessica