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Annual Retreat
Top L-R: Daniel Pak, Brian Myers, Carrie Siahpush, Krista Welch, Jon Stone, Amr Awwad, Wendy Simmons, Thaddeus Turner, Mirabai Kukathas. Bottom L-R: April Nishimura, Matt Sablan, Barbara Mitchell, Zoser Dunbar, Shawna Angelou, Paul Laughlin.
By Daniel Pak
On Sunday, March 31 our board, staff, and interns took over a conference room at The Collective, a dope social club, workspace, and “urban basecamp” in the heart of South Lake Union for our annual retreat. Rainier Valley Corps Director of Capacity Building April Nishimura started it off with a comprehensive assessment of Totem Star based on an organization-wide survey. Here’s a quick summary of the results:
Top Strengths
- Our staff does their job well and work as a team.
- Our work is strongly informed by diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- We have a strong board, deeply invested in our mission, values, and strategic planning.
Top Needs
- Space! We’ve outgrown our 225 square foot space and recently launched a New HQ Task Force.
- Fundraising with a specific emphasis on individual donors.
- More staff members to support our work and life balance.
Thanks for the presentation April! Board President Jon Stone then led us on an amazing ride up a bell curve of strategic planning. We dug deep into who we are (value proposition), the ecosystem in which we exist (industry structure map), variables that affect our organization (context map), and some aspirational goals (five bold steps). So much to dive into, and thanks to an amazing lunch from Marination, we made it!
Totem Star is currently in a phase of growth, but no matter how much we grow as a community and as an organization, we will always be a family. It brought so much fulfillment and joy to see our deeply engaged board of directors, our caring and hard-working staff, and our inquisitive and inspired young interns all in the same room together, planning the future of Totem Star.
L-R: Deputy Director Paul Laughlin, Amr “ZAG” Awwad, Teaching Artist and Program Coordinator Matt Sablan, Zoser Dunbar (cheesing), Mirabai Kukathas
It’s a blessing to be working with such loving folks, and to close I want to share a quote by a high school history teacher who recently brought his class to Totem Star to interview our artists for their project on race in 21st century America. Later in the evening after the visit he wrote me and said, “Still reflecting on our conversation. You have a good group of people you get to spend time with - people who seem filled with purpose and joy. I aspire to the same.”
Amr “ZAG” Awwad. Photo by Daniel Pak.
Zoser Dunbar. Photo by Daniel Pak.
Mirabai Kukathas. Photo by Daniel Pak.
Throwback: Winter Magic
Winter Magic 2018 was a blast!!
Performer & Host Mirabai
By Zoser
With the lovely Mirabai hosting, her casual jokes and love for Christmas lifted the spirits of the crowd. Ran by the interns of Totem Star, the night behind the scenes went smoothly. It was a very different experience for me and rapper, Primoe, with us being stage managers. Most of our lives we’ve been the act, but to manage the acts themselves was a challenge. The constant running around made us feel like we were apart of something that we were building.
ZAG spitting truth
Luckily it wasn’t just us who were dictating where the vibe of the night went. Our DJ and Totem Star artist, ZAG, displayed his knowledge of music while on the decks. According to ZAG, “It’s always good to be a DJ because I get to dictate what the mood will be like.” Mirabai calls ZAG a “benevolent mastermind.” He even played “A Whole New World” off of the Aladdin soundtrack to make me feel like a cloud in the sky. The night was elegant and benefited Totem Star as a whole. With the many donations that we received, Totem Star will live to see many more days, and years!!!
Teaching Artist Matt and Totem Star Artist Primoe
I took one thing to heart that night. My family is more than just my mom, or my grandmother. It’s the community that brought me in when I felt alone. It’s the community that let the artist be true to themselves. It’s the community that makes us want to show what we’re all about. Totem Star will be my family for as long as I’m alive; and Winter Magic will be the biggest memory that I’ll have of them.
Totem Star Artist Zoser performing Small Worlds by Mac Miller
ALLI 2018 Throwback
Photo by: Amy Piñon
By Amr Awwad
Summer of 2018, I had just wrapped up an awesome month-long program with The Residency as I got into ALLI, the Arts, Leadership, and Liberation Institute. It’s a two-week intensive summer program put on by Arts Corps, Youth Speaks, Massive Monkees, and Totem Star where 28 youth are trained in artistry, social justice and organizing. Youth leaders develop as cultural workers in four arts pathways: spoken word poetry, music production, visual art and breakdance. This cohort of youth hones their arts and organizing skills, while deepening their understandings of race and social justice issues. They collaborate, build community and create art that challenges oppression and envisions a more just world. Personally, I chose the music pathway, as I wanted to learn more about how to be a DJ. But anyways, that article isn’t about me. I’m here to talk about the program, and boy, was it dope.
Photo by: Amy Piñon
At the beginning of each day, we’d have everyone in one room to partake in different activities, meshing social justice and art in our work. For example, on one day, we were split into different groups and had to work with a quote that was given to us by the teaching artists. My group’s quote was about Revolution, and we had to create a performance piece that included all 4 pathways and perform it in front of the other groups. Overall, the activities were really good at giving youth the inspiration and creative path to fuse art, in its various forms, with elements of social justice.
Photo By: Amy Piñon
In each pathway, youth would practice on refining their craft but also delve into unknown territory in terms of new skills to learn. For me, before ALLI, I had ZERO knowledge on how to DJ and what it takes to mix music. By the end of the two weeks, I was able to DJ a 30 minute set in front of over 100 people. I also grew a passion for DJing and now get to DJ at other events.
Photo By: Amy Piñon
The day of the ALLI showcase, we had many people from the community come to see what we’ve been working on. They got to see a gallery of paintings made by the visual art pathway, and also attend an open mic that was hosted by two of our poetry pathway students, Bitanya and Suraya. For the show itself, which was hosted by Kid LIO, every ALLI participant got to shine on the stage and share their unique experience through their art.
The Spotlight 2018
By: kidLIO
I was the host for Totem Star’s 2018 Fundraiser, The Spotlight. Lemme tell you how that was.
On October 12th, 2018, The Spotlight came together as less of a fundraiser and more of a family showcase, afters weeks of preparations, meetings and rehearsals that saved us from our daily schedules.
4 performances from 6 different artists that represent separate genres of Totem Star but the entirety of the Totem Star family. We’ll have testimonies from some of the artists that graced the stage- effecting us all with their love and passion for music, family, self-development and improvement. The Spotlight reminded me, as the host and a fellow intern and artist of Totem Star, of the importance of the youth movement that is this non-profit, the fundraisers and every performance we put on for groups of amazing audiences and other fam that chooses to support our cause and giving us all the chance to get better at our crafts and craft better spaces for us to create and invite more family in.
It was always an honor to be in the room full of artists that made up the family that changed my life when I was 14.
Rushing back and forth through the fill-in venue, a certain tension cursing my veins not to rest the last 30 minutes before showtimes, I found my anxiety restless. Tonight was not one of intended perfection, but of telling so many stories that all had one thing in common: this is my family and this is what family does for one another. I knew I had a duty— 17, a high school senior and no where near a professional entertainer, I had to put forth my best foot to make tonight one that everyone who left remembered.
Itinerary in hand and one of my best fashion statements, I tried to take deep breaths before I stepped on stage.
Many pep-talks and back pats later, Bestock tells me that he is on his way up to the booth to present me. I’m short for breath and can’t find my heart anywhere except in my stomach and it’s beating erratically. It’s actually ridiculous how many times I’ve performed on the Thelma DeWitty theater stage in Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, and yet each time the feeling is more life-or-death than before. I realize as my name courses through the speakers in the theater, that this is what I live for.
The anxiety, the pounding in my chest, the sweaty palms, the passion to make every performance better than the last, to make my family proud.
I look around at the crowd. These awesome youth artists ready to sing their hearts out. I take a gulp of water, and deep breath—
“Welcoming your host for the Spotlight—kidLIO!”
Horns by Bryce Fox slams through the speakers, and it’s like a white light envelops me for the rest of the night.
The night was opened by Red Eagle Soaring with a beautiful introduction for the Native space.
Interviewed Daniel Pak—a mentor and co-founder of Totem Star about his passion for helping us youth.
Then, our first performer after a dope interview with a fellow artist Zo— a Georgia state—singing an original song, gave the audience an fun beginning to our showcase—leaving everyone gleaming in that experience. He spoke in our interview together about his first time performing at a talent show and how he got made fun of by kids he knew from school. How he has progressed anyhow past the hate and I’m sure it’s only the beginning for his journey through music, startling crowds with his honesty and talent to make any song lit! He tells us about his night went:
My time on the late night show with LIO was absolutely fantastic. I felt like my presence had meaning and my life was unfolding like a written script for a new tv show. I met a slew of people who wanted to know about Totem Star as a whole and why I joined the organization. The Spotlight was truly an experience to die for; and it’s all because of Daniel Pak and our amazing MC, LIO!
Following the first performance of the night, was a dynamic duo, Justus and Sarah— whose cover of The Moon Song, surely left everyone swooning for their chemistry on stage and the amazing clashes of their voices. In our interview, we spoke about they decided to collaborate on a song, what brought them to Totem Star and their choice of song. It was all genuine to the idea of them wanting a place to be their best artistic selves and have a chance for the world to see that.
They, indeed, left quite the impression on every person in the crowd— who all rooted for this collaboration. We’re hoping to see them perform together again soon at another Totem Star event.
Promptly after these two performances, the crowd were just left dazzling in fire from the heat of these awesome inside look to the passion of these artists and how we come together. Little did they know, the night was far from over and there more amazing performances to come.
After we thanked our sponsors and volunteers for the event (Food & Sh*t, A DJ & A Cook, That Brown Girl Cooks!, Sam Choy’s Poke To the Max), I found myself settling back into my Jimmy Fallon chair next to another artist, Zoë Roberts, a singer-songwriter from Washington. A native to Totem Star since she was a pre-teen, we sat to talk about her experience as a singer and how it can get scary to perform songs so full of emotions to audiences unknown. As fearless as they come for her age, Zoë still performed an original song entitled, Why?
Later, she shared her experiences of the night:
The spotlight was such an amazing night where people from all over got to see how amazing and influential our program is. They got to see us all working together as a family, and I realized how lucky I am to be a part of Totem Star, and how I probably wouldn’t be a musician still if it wasn't for all the love and support I have got from everyone there.
Zoë exited the stage with everyone in tears, her heartfelt performance obviously striking each individual beautifully.
Although there couldn’t ever be anyone that follow up the raw intensity of every artist before, my colleague, Mirabai Kukathas, found her way onto the stage and spoke with me briefly about a song we were performing together following the setup of the stage.
We spoke about how we wrote the song Rise, LIO the primary lyricist for the entire song, and Mirabai helping create melodies.
Her mention of her experience at The Spotlight:
Singing, speaking, just being at, and helping to organize the Spotlight was a real honor. I love this community so much, and anything I can do to be here, let alone help, makes me so happy. I got to sing a beautiful song I wrote with one of my best friends, I got to talk about what makes this community so great, and possibly best of all, I got to meet and be around some truly wonderful people.
After our small session of LIO: Jimmy Fallon who? with Totem Star artists, we settled onto the stage with:
Daniel Pak on drums, Justus on bass, Matt Sablan on guitar and Michael Grant on piano keys for our song Rise.
The crowd: our family, was so amazing at supporting. A photographer for the event, Danielle Elliott even caught a few pictures of the incredible participation for this moment.
Once Rise closed the night, before our Raise the Paddle, our DJ for the night, ZAG plays us all out as we exit the stage. He says this about his opportunity to be DJ for an event like the Spotlight:
It was so awesome being the DJ for the night. I got to compile a list of 70s and 80s Soul and Funk, which was a challenging because I’m not familiar with the genres but it was fun digging through the music and picking my set. It made me step out of my comfort zone in terms of what music I’m DJ’ing, but it’s definitely good for my artistry and the diversity of music I have to expose myself to.
The night went beautifully.
The rush I get from performing Rise as a black rap artist is constantly a new experience. I find happiness in our origin of creativity and the stage is one of the places.
I can’t believe that I went from the studio to that stage and every time my story is still being told.
The way I find myself as an artist is also the way I find myself as a human being— the type of artistry I put out into the world is all effected by the spaces they come from, what spaces harbor that energy and what spaces allow me to process those emotions.
The Spotlight was only one of the times that I found myself being listened to, that I watched artists be shown that if they chase their dreams they can meet them at the finish line.
Photos: Summer Kickoff Kicks Off in High Gear Once Again
On Friday, June 15, 2018 we hosted our fourth annual Summer Kickoff youth arts showcase at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Hosted by emcees LIO and Mirabai Kukathas, the showcase featured nearly two hours of songs and poems by some of the dopest and wokest young artists to set foot in our studio. The showcase was also the official release party for the Respect the Vibez mixtape, our third compilation album to date, featuring the recordings of thirty Totem Star artists. Check out these photos from the celebration, which take you from the behind-the-scenes pre-show huddle into the action and lights on the stage.
The Origins of Totem Star
Totem Star's Inaugural JRA program in 2010
Written by Mirabai Jyothi Kukathas
Totem Star is a truly special place. Here young people can make music, learn from one another (as well as from talented teaching artists) and develop a sense of community. Everyone I know involved here has a deep appreciation and love for this space. But how did Totem Star come to be? It didn’t just emerge from the ether fully formed; it was a labor of love to bring this place into reality. So, I asked co-founder Daniel Pak to recount the origin story of Totem Star.
Mirabai: Pak, what were your goals and hopes for Totem Star when you and Thaddeus founded it in 2010?
Pak: Funny thing is we didn’t even know it was going to be Totem Star when it all started. The Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (JRA) called in 2010 about doing a two-month summer work training program with ten young people who were just released from detention. We started with ten and ended with ten, which just shows how consistent engagement can do wonders for young people who want to express themselves through music and the arts. I think we called the program Making The Band, or Bars & Beats, or something like that. Not one month after our program ended, we found out that half the group got locked up again. And then we lost one of the leaders of the group. And that’s when we realized this was our calling. We had to ensure that young people had a safe and encouraging place to go to make music and find a creative sanctuary away from the chaos of the streets. So we started applying for grants, and amazingly we were awarded funding, and that’s when we realized we were developing an organization. That’s when Totem Star was born.
M: What kind of challenges did you face when bringing Totem Star into reality?
P: Funding and space have always been the biggest challenges. Without funds we can’t keep the studio open, and even when we have funds, where is the studio going to be? For the first four years we were strictly a mobile operation. We packed our recording studio into a suitcase and lugged it all over the city, from Rainier Community Center to the Northwest African American Museum to the Metrocenter YMCA down to YouthSource in Renton. When our program partners asked what kind of technical support we needed we said we just need a room, a table, and a power outlet. We’d set up the rest and BOOM! - recording studio! Then another challenge arose - we realized that because we had so many different program partners with different pools of young people, we’d see this group of young people for six weeks, develop amazing relationships with them, run out of funding, and then it was "good bye, have a good life" and that never felt good. That’s when we realized this mobile operation wasn’t working and we needed something more sustainable. That’s when we talked to David Bestock at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center and he gave us the keys to the recording studio there, and that’s where we’ve been since 2013. Our humble studio has transformed into a hub for young recording artists and we are full every day of the week with motivated artists making incredible music and building a strong community of voices in the process. Though we are thriving as a community today, funding and space remain our greatest challenges, as constant fundraising is the only way to keep the studio open, coupled with the fact that our current studio space is far too small for the number of youth who come in. We need our own building, with multiple studio rooms for our artists, our own performance space, and an artist lounge where young people can gather and relax in a creative environment.
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
M: Totem Star constantly evolves and changes, but when did you first feel like Totem Star found its groove or that you started to feel more at ease running it?
P: Totem Star definitely found its groove (and a home) when we made the move to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in 2013. To be welcomed as a tenant organization and as part of the amazing arts community there is such a big deal. Young people come from all over the city and from as far as Shoreline, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, and Tacoma for The Studio and The Stage. The family vibe in the studio is always warm and uplifting. And in 2015, we received a major gift - an email from Paul Laughlin who was moving to Seattle to pursue his MPA at the University of Washington. He was asking about a possible summer internship and after a wonderful meeting with him, we onboarded him as a development intern. Paul changed everything for us. He started writing grants, helping develop infrastructure around our development strategy, began helping with programming, handling administrative tasks, organizing our board, and so much more. Today he is our Director of Development and Operations and constantly pushes us forward. I am certain that we would not be where we are today had we not received that email from Paul back in 2015. He’s the ultimate game changer, and to answer your question, we are all more at ease because of him!
M: What are the biggest changes Totem Star has undergone in these past 8 years?
P: I would say other than the move to Youngstown and the addition of Paul as part of our team, the biggest change is the number of diverse young people who find out about Totem Star and want to get involved. We get inquiries every week, which is humbling and overwhelming at the same time. If we had a bigger space and more hours to keep the studio open, everything would be better. We are always under pressure to fit in as many young people into the studio as possible, sometimes having to physically move our workstations to other locations that open up in the building so that more young people can work on their projects. The word on the streets about Totem Star is spreading, and more young people are finding out about Totem Star and wanting to get involved. There is a huge need, which very much reflects the state of how educational institutions are not able to provide music and arts to all young people, especially those from communities with less resources. Once again, there are young people coming from as far as Bothell and Tacoma to get in the studio. What does that tell us about the arts education and opportunity gap for young people? This heightened attention to our programs has definitely brought in more press and recognition by larger organizations, foundations, and even the Seattle Music Commission. All of that attention is great, but at the end of the day, the biggest change that we need to see is more funding, or else this all could go away.
M: What about Totem Star do you most wish you had access to when you were in high school?
P: Mentors. Positive adult role models who really care. Mentors who live and breathe social justice just as much as they do compression and equalization. I never really had a mentor when I was in high school. And maybe that was my fault for not reaching out. And as an adult, I’m always looking for mentors. Embracing fear and vulnerability is the only way we can grow. And mentors always seem to help make it easier to understand.
Sir-Mix-A-Lot's "Posse On Broadway"
Original Cover of "Posse On Broadway"
Let’s take it back to 1988 when Sir-Mix-A-Lot released "Posse On Broadway.” This was his first single to hit the charts, four years before his huge pop hit “Baby Got Back.” I wanted to highlight this song because of its significance to my own upbringing and personal history. I was 5 years old when this song came out, not too long before I discovered and fell in love with hip hop music.
Although I grew up in the San Francisco, this song still resonated with me. The 808 bumped real hard in my mom’s Oldsmobile stationwagon and on our tiny portable Sony stereo boombox.
Most songs tend to lose their popularity after awhile, but Bay Area DJs seemed to always drop “Posse on Broadway” in the mix on the radio and at garage parties. The song was always an instant crowd pleaser and I used it in the mix myself as a DJ in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and now Seattle for the last two decades.
After living in Seattle for more than 3 years now, this song finally is more than just one of my favorite hip hop songs from my childhood. “Posse on Broadway” is an ode to Seattle and some of the neighborhoods that make it great, institutions that are loved in the city, as well as some places that are (or were) notorious for one reason or another. Now that I am fully oriented to Seattle, this song takes me on a journey through The Town.
#Festanext2017
Photo Credits: Sally Phnouk
Written by Lashaunycee O'Cain (LIO)
FESTA has been known in the recent years for it's name of celebration, and specifically to celebrate a brand by the name of ArtsCorps. ArtsCorps is a non-profit organization that works with and conditions the youth to help them master in their art while reminding them of the social, economic and systematic change that we will be the head of in years to come. ArtsCorp has been the partner of other incredible organizations and programs that have stem more artistry from the greater Seattle areas within the youth; much like Totem Star. Totem Star is a non-profit youth record label that gives all kinds of vocal artists (and others) the opportunity to showcase their talents all over Seattle , Washington.
FESTA is a once-a-year celebration where youth artists (mostly connected to Youth Speaks or Totem Star through ArtsCorps) in the local Seattle area get to showcase their stunning talents on a stage that gives them the access, love and support that is required for them to excel in their artistry. It usually takes place in March of each year.
I, myself, participated in FESTA of 2016 and shared a stage with a beautiful choir, and my musical mentor Pak Daniel and the experience was such an exchange. I feel as if that is one of the biggest moments of my life because of the opportunity I had to conquer the stage even when I remember only 15 minutes before, having anxiety up to my eyebrows. The emotions that set through me reminded me that ArtsCorps was the one place that I'd never felt alone and that FESTA was also not just celebrating an organization, it was also celebrating me as a musician and an artist.
Those kinds of feelings are surreal and very rare to acquire these days, but the experience is one that an artist could be blessed to have. FESTANEXT2017 was specifically centered around the current generation coming, where youth artists spit their truth of the revolution through poetry, song, visual art or dance. It's been an incredible year for ArtsCorps and an even better one for FESTA; here are some highlights from the performances, socializing and landscape of FESTANEXT2017.
If you're new: Welcome to ArtsCorps where we build, we resist, we persist and we rise.
Make Art Anyway.
ALLI 2017
L to R: LIO, Mirabai Kukathas, Zora Seboulisa, Monica Elenes, and Daniel Pak. Photo Credit: Amy Piñon
Written by Mirabai Jyothi Kukathas
The first week of July 2017 was one of the best weeks of my life. Totem Star, Youth Speaks, and our awesome mutual sponsor Arts Corps put on the Arts Leadership Liberation Institute (ALLI) for the second year running. ALLI is a weeklong art intensive for poets, musicians, and visual artists. We spent the week building community, partaking in social justice-related workshops, and creating pieces of art to share at the end of the week.
When I applied to ALLI, I didn’t think I would actually get in. I knew some of the people involved and didn’t think I was accomplished enough to spend a week with such talented artists. When I did get in, I was both excited and incredibly nervous. However, my nerves melted away almost as soon as I walked into Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, where ALLI was held. One thing that cannot be said enough about the Youthspeaks/Totem Star family is how kind and welcoming it is.
We spent the majority of the first day getting to know one another. We began with everyone putting an object of emotional value in the center of the circle we sat in, summing up the object’s significance in one or two words. We went back around the circle and everyone took an object that symbolized something they needed more of in their lives. I put in a statue of the goddess Saraswati, symbolizing ancestry and inspiration, and took a picture which represented resiliance. At the end we gave the items back to their owners, thanking them for the characteristics they embodied. It was so nice to fill up the room with love and strength, and doing so really set the tone for the supportive environment of ALLI.
LIO wows the crowd with her poetry. Photo credit: Amy Piñon.
For the rest of the week we’d spend the mornings together, still getting to know each other, learning about outreach and organization, and even taking a workshop led by Anakbayan. In the afternoon we would divide into our three pathways (spoken-word poetry, music, and visual art) and get working on our pieces. I loved catching glimpses of half-finished paintings and hearing snippets of poems when I popped out into the hall. The whole place seemed alive with art and excitement.
During the course of the week, my friend Zora and I wrote a song. It started off as just a baseline and a short poem of hers, but together we expanded the lyrics and wrote a melody. For the most part she did the lyrics and I did the melody, but worked together for the entire process, bouncing ideas off each other and getting excited after our eureka moments. At the end of the week we had created something I was really proud of, something I never thought I’d be able to to do. For me, that was the best part about ALLI: doing something I never thought I could. Proving myself wrong. Gaining some confidence.
The song-writing process. L to R: Zora and Mirabai. Photo credit: Amy Piñon.
At the end of the week we put on a block party, open mic, and showcase. A bunch of people from the community showed up (some even brought food!), got to know each other, performed at the open mic, and partook in the general awesomeness. The showcase itself was electric; I could not believe everyone created what they did in just five days. It’d been a long time since I’d performed in front of people, but when I was singing up there everything felt right. I owe a lot to ALLI for getting me into the Youth Speaks/Totem Star community, building my confidence and skills, and for a truly amazing week I will never forget.
To see more ALLI stories, click here.
To see all performances from the ALLI showcase, click here
The Makings Of Royalty
Royalty. L to R: Jawzilla, Jayla Nickens, Jewelz Cypher, and King Cobb. Photo Credit: Amber Zbitnoff
It was July 2016 and we were sitting in a social justice workshop led by Henry Luke as part of the Arts Liberation and Leadership Institute. The partnership between Arts Corps, Youth Speaks Seattle, and Totem Star brought twenty talented youth together from all over the city for a week-long intensive arts summer camp featuring pathways in music, spoken word, and visual art.
Henry had posted quotes in the space and encouraged us to walk around the room, reading the quotes, and forming impromptu collaborative arts teams based on what quote spoke most strongly to us as a means of getting to know one another. Jayla Nickens (Cleveland High School) and I found common interest in a quote with the theme of "standing together" and decided that our impromptu collaborative project would be to co-write a hook for a song. I grabbed a guitar and put some chords together while she wrote:
"If we stand together, it'd be harder for them to tear us apart. It'll only get better. Don't let them break us down."
In just minutes, Jayla had an amazing melody to go with her lyrics and we performed it for everyone. Enthusiastic applause, screaming, and shouting ensued.
Immediately following the workshop, we broke out into our first session as a music pathway, while the poets and visual artists went off to their rooms. Jayla knew rapper King Cobb from Cleveland, but was just meeting rapper/producer Jawzilla and rapper Jewelz Cypher for the first time. The three rappers were all inspired by the hook that Jayla wrote, and they decided right then and there that the best way to get to know each other was to write a song based on the hook.
Jayla and I started to work on the beat and in no time she was in the vocal room laying down the hook while the other three started writing. You could feel the intensity of the creative energy flowing through the room. By the end of the two hour session, we had recorded a rough arrangement of what was to become "Stand Together," released in June 2017 on the Resistance Mixtape.
Royalty would go on to perform "Stand Together" live at the ALLI showcase, Columbia City Beatwalk, and Winter Magic. The song was recently licensed by local documentary filmmaker Devon de Lena for a film she will soon release on the Seattle Channel. Seeing them bond as a newly-formed group, discover collective joy, and develop their live performance skills on stage was truly magical.
Check out "Stand Together" by Royalty - living proof of the power of community building and collaboration.
- Daniel Pak