I joined Tonality because their mission of inciting change and understanding through music is aligned with my own mission as an artist. To be able to invite people to learn about themselves and the world around them, to touch hearts and minds while simultaneously entertaining and showcasing artistry is beyond valuable and important.
I personally believe that entertainment and media are some of the most effective and captivating tools we have to share knowledge, stories, and experiences with one another. We live in a world where our attention spans are shot. If the first 2 seconds of something doesn’t grab you, or the article is too long— we aren’t reading or watching it. Which means often times we’re missing out on critical information about what’s going on in the world and our communities. But when we listen to music our attention span grows and our hearts open. Therefore, it’s the perfect vehicle for discourse and discovery.
There was a tour that I was a part of with Tonality, I believe it might have been Texas, where I spoke during one of the pieces about my father and his passing from suicide when I was 7. I don’t remember what I said, but what I do remember is the grown woman and her mother who came to me after the concert and thanked me for speaking candidly about my experience as her own father had taken his life too. It’s never easy to talk about the impact that my father’s death had on me even 23 years later, but to know that that women’s pain and my pain saw each other, understood each other, made the weight of it a little easier for both of us to bear.
