Z is For Zwazo Ki Chante

So here we are at the end of the A to Z Challenge Cycle.

I think it pushes me to write more and to go from different angles trying to fulfill each letter and then learning new words because I definitely had not know many words that began with every single letter of the alphabet. I mean, who knew xu was a form of currency? But today because of the writing challenge, I like that it gives me the knowledge of new words. I look forward to soon starting from A again. 

MLK DAY

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day and his dream for freedom, I wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from the many zwazo de chante who inspire me as a chanteuse and songwriter to use my voice, the voice being the most powerful tool you own in your life. I mean, I am a songbird. Here are some quotes from some of the songbirds that I love a lot.  

“I could stand on the stage, facing the audience, 
knowing I was dancing down the barriers between us”

 (Sammy Davis Jr)

“Being a singer is a natural gift. 
It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me”

(Aretha Franklin)

“Breathing, of course, is very important for singing. 
And while singing is exhaling, 
the inhaling process can make a huge difference to the sound of your voice”

(James A Cohen)

“Soul is the ability to make people feel what you’re feeling”

(Aretha)

“I am history, I am the future. I was and still am, 
because I always was and still am the truth”

(Anthony “AZ” Cruz)

I was thinking of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s dream and the latter quote. AZ said that "[he is] history." Our history is a part of us. He fought for us to be able to experience the freedoms that we have today. We are the future that Martin spoke about though we still have a long way to go when the denial of basic human rights is less of a human crisis than some of God’s other children seeking survival from hunger for themselves and their children that they are not getting beyond the invisible wall.

Why is it that if we do not get our way sometimes, we feel so emasculated that we have to put up a tantrum?  I bet we will never see El Capitain looking through a lens of better

understanding of Mother earth that all of God’s children 

dwell on, on Twitter because toddlers with tantrums want what they want now; sometimes they even cry to have what they want. Why isn't humanity the eye candy?  

I wish time would have permitted 

us to see  a “Dr Martin Luther King Jr” reaction video to 

today’s modern world on YouTube. Would have been 

interesting to hear his thoughts.

I HAVE A DREAM

With his dream in mind, it started me thinking about my own dream of becoming better at video editing. What better day than today when it is like 2 degrees outside to stay inside and practice on building up my video editing skills.

 I created this video for my song "Love No Limit." Music by Paul Garrod. Lyrics by Stephanie Jeannot. Tell me what you think about my editing for this video I made in honor of Dr Martin Luther King Jr's dream of equality and fight for freedom for us. https://youtu.be/WcL9ZVr9nwU

Happy Martin Luther King Day everybody! God's blessings upon you!

Unlimited Love for Singing My Originals

As artists, we sometimes default to singing cover tunes because we have grown accustomed to loving the artists who we look up to so much, that their songs linger in our hearts and we want to sing them. 

It becomes second nature to get knocked into a groove of a familiar tune rather than to splash our own color into the singing experience and to sing something that came from our own pen. I will admit, it is still an ocean of fun for me and very inspiring at that, whenever I get on stage and share a song with an engaging audience, whether it is a cover tune or an original; and I have had many inspiring moments.

I flashback to exactly three years ago today when a fellow musician, Lenny Underwood, blessed me with the opportunity to join him on stage with the legendary Jennifer Holliday, and I was asked to perform a duet with her before the Jackie Robinson Foundation award recipients at the Waldorf Astoria.  That moment was unforgettable and still bedazzles me every time a Facebook “on this date” shows up and reminds me that this event actually took place in my life.  

Other inspiring moments include, performing live at the Great Adventures Theme Park, releasing my musical project Finally JNote, traveling to Russia and singing at a music festival in Krasnodar, creating original video content for a visual component to my lyrics, 

and just recently something generated the most positive emotion in me that I have ever had. 

For the first time ever in my life, I performed before my peers, a concert of all original music and it felt as good as being a shoe-aholic in a shoe store on a shopping spree.  I was able to share the tone of my existence with a live audience. I shared the frame of my culture through sound and vision. I shared a piece of who I am like I never had in my experience and it felt great to finally do it with the personalized touch of my own lyrics and melodies.

I have sung my original tunes live prior to that moment, but always wedged in between a cover tune. I was able to grab the attention of my entire audience with my own, creative works. I had been building up for a moment like that all my life and finally, that moment came. All I can say is, I cannot wait to do it again with the JNote Band. Looking forward to the next time.   

My favorite moment of the night was for the first time ever,  performing my song Love No Limit,  written about the experience of seeing the world with your own eyes to separate myth from facts when it comes to loving a people. It was mostly inspired by research I conducted when first starting my college thesis and seeking information on language and different dialects  of so-called "bastardized languages," Latin American Literature (more so the concepts of magical realism), and my most recent international trip which was to Russia. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/Ehbsut02E_g

The lyrics are by me, Stephanie Jeannot and the music is by Paul Garrod. Singing this song mostly felt great because I was able to do it on a platform with the JNote Band, in a flow of all original music and that is what made the night memorable for me. Only God!