Not Even the King by Alicia Keys: cover by Joya
I had the privilege of working with a young woman, Joya over the last few
months. And while we were developing a persuasive essay for her class, I came
to find out that she is one talented musician...she sings, she plays guitar, and
she just started learning the piano.
In one of our last sessions together, I was able to interview Joya about her musical journey. Check out her words below and watch her sing 'Not Even the King,' by Alicia Keys dedicated to her dad.
Interview
Sheeba Marie (SM): How did you discover music?
Joya: Ever since I was a little girl, according to my mother, I was always writing things down and making songs up. My grandma used to always sing to us as kids and my dad did too. And before I would go to sleep, he would sing for fun. Ever since then, I have loved to sing and now that I'm older, I use it not only for fun, but to cope. I use it to express myself. I want to succeed in it and get better at music and furthering my education in music.
SM: Who are musicians that influence you?
Joya:
1. Taylor Swift. She writes all of her own music and she's 100% honest with her lyrics. Most artists that start at a young age go off the deep end and sometimes don't stay true to themselves, but she seems to have always stayed true to herself.
2. Whitney Houston. I love how she grew up around gospel music and sang in church. She has one of the most beautiful voices ever and I have always loved it. It's so powerful and it can leave a room in silence.
3. Michael Buble. His voice gives me goosebumps! I love his kind of music, especially his holiday music.*
*Sidenote: Joya and her mother received free tickets to attend the Michael Buble concert just a few weeks ago in Seattle. They were in the nosebleed section and when they were walking in the hallway, two crewmembers asked them where they were sitting and if they wanted to change their seats. They ended up in the front row section and Michael actually threw his towel to her! Music serendipity;)
SM: What song did you record on YouTube and why?
Joya: I sang, "Not Even the King," by Alicia Keys. My dad has always encouraged me to put my music on the internet. He was diagnosed with leukemia in January of this year. I know how much he loved this song so one day, I decided to surprise him and record me singing it. The song is about how nothing means more to me than you being there...nothing to do with money, riches or being a king.
He has an app on his phone where he can immediately listen to it and every time he listens to it, he cries. And he showed all the nurses the video! When they see me, they tell me I have a really beautiful voice. This is the first video I put on YouTube and I recorded it in the bathroom:)
Thank God, he's leukemia free after almost a year. He still has a long road ahead, but he's doing well.
SM: Does music heal?
Joya: Music is a way of singing or listening. Everything you want to say can come through music. It's the voice and words blended together that can make it so healing.
SM: What's your plan 5 years from now?!
Joya: God has a big plan for me. I'm just going to keep singing and performing and doing what I love. My goal is to change the world a bit through music and help people feel like they have a sense of belonging somehow through music.
In one of our last sessions together, I was able to interview Joya about her musical journey. Check out her words below and watch her sing 'Not Even the King,' by Alicia Keys dedicated to her dad.
Interview
Sheeba Marie (SM): How did you discover music?
Joya: Ever since I was a little girl, according to my mother, I was always writing things down and making songs up. My grandma used to always sing to us as kids and my dad did too. And before I would go to sleep, he would sing for fun. Ever since then, I have loved to sing and now that I'm older, I use it not only for fun, but to cope. I use it to express myself. I want to succeed in it and get better at music and furthering my education in music.
SM: Who are musicians that influence you?
Joya:
1. Taylor Swift. She writes all of her own music and she's 100% honest with her lyrics. Most artists that start at a young age go off the deep end and sometimes don't stay true to themselves, but she seems to have always stayed true to herself.
2. Whitney Houston. I love how she grew up around gospel music and sang in church. She has one of the most beautiful voices ever and I have always loved it. It's so powerful and it can leave a room in silence.
3. Michael Buble. His voice gives me goosebumps! I love his kind of music, especially his holiday music.*
*Sidenote: Joya and her mother received free tickets to attend the Michael Buble concert just a few weeks ago in Seattle. They were in the nosebleed section and when they were walking in the hallway, two crewmembers asked them where they were sitting and if they wanted to change their seats. They ended up in the front row section and Michael actually threw his towel to her! Music serendipity;)
SM: What song did you record on YouTube and why?
Joya: I sang, "Not Even the King," by Alicia Keys. My dad has always encouraged me to put my music on the internet. He was diagnosed with leukemia in January of this year. I know how much he loved this song so one day, I decided to surprise him and record me singing it. The song is about how nothing means more to me than you being there...nothing to do with money, riches or being a king.
He has an app on his phone where he can immediately listen to it and every time he listens to it, he cries. And he showed all the nurses the video! When they see me, they tell me I have a really beautiful voice. This is the first video I put on YouTube and I recorded it in the bathroom:)
Thank God, he's leukemia free after almost a year. He still has a long road ahead, but he's doing well.
SM: Does music heal?
Joya: Music is a way of singing or listening. Everything you want to say can come through music. It's the voice and words blended together that can make it so healing.
SM: What's your plan 5 years from now?!
Joya: God has a big plan for me. I'm just going to keep singing and performing and doing what I love. My goal is to change the world a bit through music and help people feel like they have a sense of belonging somehow through music.
Comments
Post a Comment