Protest Music and Parenting: Newsletter #05

Hey there, welcome to NBHAP (Opens in a new window)’s newsletter. We are glad you’re here. Sit down, put on your headphones, drink a glass of water, and take a moment to browse through the music and stories we encountered in the past two months.

Including conversations about parenting and working in the music industry, protest songs, the freeing power of not giving a f*ck, and an updated “Politics of Pop” playlist.

Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes

Reading and Listening Time: 45 minutes

Parenting and the Music Industry

Having a child inspires and enriches art, arguably contributing to a more diverse musical landscape. But how does a music career fit in with a parenting schedule? Editor Anna Grubauer spoke to several artists and parents working in the music industry about the struggles they face:

In my research for this article, I initially struggled to find artists who have children, let alone feel comfortable talking about it openly. Women in particular, tend to be afraid that if promoters and bookers know about their motherhood, they won’t be considered for gigs: “It wasn’t until I had a child that I found out from many musicians that they were also parents. But it was especially noticeable with the mothers because they were afraid of not getting jobs.” Jaxx TMS (Opens in a new window) tells me how she was excited to show the world that she could be both a mother and a successful DJ, but instead was faced with accusations and incomprehension.

Community Music Therapy with Zainab Lax

Harpist and music therapist Zainab Lax (Opens in a new window) gives us some insights into her practice. She explains that “music is directly connected to our heartbeat and our respiration. It can, for example, influence our pulse, activate or slow us down”. That is why music therapy has proven to be a powerful tool when dealing with trauma. Read about how Zainab approaches her community music therapy sessions and her musical journey.

Toni Morrison’s Echo in McKinley Dixon’s Music

The investigation of the beautiful and the ugly found in life defines McKinley Dixon (Opens in a new window)’s newest release. The title of the album as well as the closing track are inspired by three of Toni Morrison’s novels, Beloved (1987), Paradise (1997), and Jazz (1992), respectively. Explaining his decision to name his album in Morrison’s vein, Dixon says:

“I think that, for me, is chasing a way of describing human complexity. It’s easy to make things black and white but it’s hard to sort of show you the duality of it all. Toni Morrison does a great job at that and is able to show how complex love and loss are. That inspires me.” - McKinley Dixon

Jamila Al-Yousef On the Sounds of Palestinian Resistance

Falasteen Weyn Ana? Palestine where am I? - that is the translation of the Arabic title of Jamila & The Other Heroes (Opens in a new window)' record. Released in May 2023, the title, Bazaar Bizarre فلسطين وين انا؟ , took on a new meaning since the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza after the attacks by Hamas on October 7th. We speak to Jamila Al-Yousef, singer, co-composer and lyricist of the band, about Palestinian resistance, protest music, the responsibility of cultural institutions, and the repressions Palestinians face in Germany.

“I wonder, who would I be if I weren’t so busy fighting oppression and occupation? Who would I be as a liberated Palestinian person? What would a liberated Palestinian society look like? What kind of music would I make if I was freed of having to sing about this?” - Jamila Al-Yousef

Jordan Mackampa on the Freeing Power of Not Giving a F*ck

With almost four years having passed since his last major release Foreigner back in 2020, Jordan Mackampa (Opens in a new window) reports back with Welcome Home, Kid!. A record bursting with confidence, self-acceptance and joy, all packed up in an ecstatic blend of R’n’B, funk, gospel and rap. NBHAP editor Felicia Aghaye had the chance to talk to the Londoner singer-songwriter about the process behind their new record and newly formed prerogative.

The Last Dinner Party On Biblical Imagery and Feminism

The British band The Last Dinner Party (Opens in a new window) quickly made a name for themselves with their intense live shows. The debut record “Prelude to Ecstasy” lives in contrasts: biblical references meet lust, feminism, and queer sex and elegant corsets burst into dirty rock ‘n’ roll. Abigail Morris, Aurora Nishevci, and Lizzie Mayland tell us about the internal conflict that comes with that.

Looking Back with Priya Ragu

“The cover represents me looking back to my parents’ birthplace in Jaffna, Sri Lanka,” Priya Ragu (Opens in a new window) explains when I ask about the colorful cover. It shows a drawing of the singer from behind, looking at a neighborhood of golden temples and broken houses with pink skies over them. The destruction in the image echoes the horrific genocide and expulsion of the Tamil people from their land in the past decades. “You can see all the broken houses, everything is broken down, but the sun is still shining. I am looking back at where I am coming from.” On SANTHOSAM, Priya journeys back to her roots, a journey that is as personal as it is political.

Introducing: Singer and ecologist Ditty

Singer-songwriter Ditty (Opens in a new window) makes music that is uplifting while talking about important societal and political themes. Based between Berlin and New Delhi, she just released her new EP Skin. In conversation with NBHAP editor Nadia Says, Ditty shares thoughts on her music as well as her work as an ecologist. 

“The ‘environment’ is a Western construct made to be able to extract and exploit what is ‘outside of us’.” - Ditty

Politics of Pop

We are heading into the 5th month of the relentless bombardment of Gaza and increased settler violence in the West Bank. More than one million people are in danger of starvation as humanitarian aid and food are being blocked from entering the strip. Germany, like other EU states and the US, continues to support this genocidal war waged by the Israeli army against Palestinians.

In these times, hope is a rare commodity. But if nothing else, music might be able to provide that. Celebrating the beauty, joy, and resilience of Palestinians and their music, we updated our “Politics of Pop (Opens in a new window)” playlist with songs in solidarity with Palestine featuring Lina Makoul (Opens in a new window), Felukah (Opens in a new window), and Dana Salah (Opens in a new window). Tune in below.

In Context: A Freedom Lullaby

Rotana’s (Opens in a new window) “Freedom Lullaby” is based on a very special folk song. In conversation with Jamila Al-Yousef, we explored the meaning of music in Palestinian resistance against occupation. This provides some context to the song by Rotana.

Jamila Al-Yousef: “In Palestinian society, music has always been a tool of resistance. This song “يا طالعين الجبل” was sung by women near a prison during the British mandate. To free their men, they had to communicate to them, when and how they would be freed. However because the British soldiers had already learned some Arabic, they could not just sing in the language. So, they put ‘lililil’ between the words to confuse the British as to what they were saying. By doing so, they were able to give directions and time to their imprisoned men. And it worked.

Later, and especially during the first Intifada, political speech was completely forbidden by the Occupation Forces. So, people put information and political content into lullabies and wedding songs. Like this, they could disguise their political speech.”

“This is a Palestinian folk song that sings spells of freedom and offers maps to escape imprisonment in coded Arabic language for those that have been held captive and separated from their families and resources.” - Rotana (Opens in a new window)

Favorite Lyric

“Through poetry, I understand our history
Sharpen my tongue in case I have to self-defend
Carry my words with me and I still have to pretend that I am safe here.”

– “Sabah Al Noor” by douniah (Opens in a new window)

After an elongated winter break, our Daily Tune playlist resumes curation today. We have some exciting new tunes to share with you, so hop onto the Spotify (Opens in a new window) playlist or follow us on Instagram (Opens in a new window) to receive new music daily!

On That Note

Before you go on with your day, here is one last song to give a spin right now: “Intro” by Mysha (Opens in a new window). Berliner newcomer recently released her debut EP Homegirl ‘98, a compilation of sharp-edged rap songs and soulful spoken word.

Our NBHAP playlists are currently still curated only on Spotify. While we are working on changing this, and encourage you to consider alternatives like Tidal (Opens in a new window) for a fairer compensation of artists you love, or go old school and support them by buying merch and vinyl.

Remember that the best day to make your online purchases is Bandcamp Friday (Opens in a new window), where 100% of the proceeds go to the artists. The next one is today (March 1st).

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Thank you for reading and listening.

Love, NBHAP Team