And please, ask me about my hair one more time #wicked #blackartists #cynthiaerivo #defyinggravity @cynthiaerivo
Swipe and read! Your first instinct would be “why not?” If you don’t consider the context of the last 30 years in the industry. If you don’t know how many people have talked about this look it up it’s mad insidious. In my experience I’ve noticed this tactic take multiple forms. 1) An attempt to get elements of our culture out from under the hands of culturally black black people and 2) in the same breath to uplift⚪️ passing black artists or visually less racially ambiguous artists who are not culturally black and centre ⚪️ culture in particular. All forms are a dispossession and subsequent colonisation of cultural resources. All forms need our assistance to be successful, so to refuse to play a part is a stand against the same kinda cultural appropriation that means most people still don’t know who Sister Rosetta Tharpe was. They done been doing this for decades! As you can tell by all my interviews during the Elvis movie promo period I was kinda obsessed about trying to correct that omission in American musical history. So if you wonder how it happens when we don’t know why people aren’t celebrated, this is step 1 in a long and storied strategy, and it’s peak coloniser mentality! Separate off one black person, give them wealth/accolades/rewards (for being or agreeing to stoop to being mid AF) so they can benefit from the dispossession of a whole people, sound familiar? #colonisation #culturalappropriation #cultureiswealth #munilong #kwanzaa thanks for this @beingblackislit & @munilong
Swipe and read! Your first instinct would be “why not?” If you don’t consider the context of the last 30 years in the industry. If you don’t know how many people have talked about this look it up it’s mad insidious. In my experience I’ve noticed this tactic take multiple forms. 1) An attempt to get elements of our culture out from under the hands of culturally black black people and 2) in the same breath to uplift⚪️ passing black artists or visually less racially ambiguous artists who are not culturally black and centre ⚪️ culture in particular. All forms are a dispossession and subsequent colonisation of cultural resources. All forms need our assistance to be successful, so to refuse to play a part is a stand against the same kinda cultural appropriation that means most people still don’t know who Sister Rosetta Tharpe was. They done been doing this for decades! As you can tell by all my interviews during the Elvis movie promo period I was kinda obsessed about trying to correct that omission in American musical history. So if you wonder how it happens when we don’t know why people aren’t celebrated, this is step 1 in a long and storied strategy, and it’s peak coloniser mentality! Separate off one black person, give them wealth/accolades/rewards (for being or agreeing to stoop to being mid AF) so they can benefit from the dispossession of a whole people, sound familiar? #colonisation #culturalappropriation #cultureiswealth #munilong #kwanzaa thanks for this @beingblackislit & @munilong
Swipe and read! Your first instinct would be “why not?” If you don’t consider the context of the last 30 years in the industry. If you don’t know how many people have talked about this look it up it’s mad insidious. In my experience I’ve noticed this tactic take multiple forms. 1) An attempt to get elements of our culture out from under the hands of culturally black black people and 2) in the same breath to uplift⚪️ passing black artists or visually less racially ambiguous artists who are not culturally black and centre ⚪️ culture in particular. All forms are a dispossession and subsequent colonisation of cultural resources. All forms need our assistance to be successful, so to refuse to play a part is a stand against the same kinda cultural appropriation that means most people still don’t know who Sister Rosetta Tharpe was. They done been doing this for decades! As you can tell by all my interviews during the Elvis movie promo period I was kinda obsessed about trying to correct that omission in American musical history. So if you wonder how it happens when we don’t know why people aren’t celebrated, this is step 1 in a long and storied strategy, and it’s peak coloniser mentality! Separate off one black person, give them wealth/accolades/rewards (for being or agreeing to stoop to being mid AF) so they can benefit from the dispossession of a whole people, sound familiar? #colonisation #culturalappropriation #cultureiswealth #munilong #kwanzaa thanks for this @beingblackislit & @munilong
Swipe and read! Your first instinct would be “why not?” If you don’t consider the context of the last 30 years in the industry. If you don’t know how many people have talked about this look it up it’s mad insidious. In my experience I’ve noticed this tactic take multiple forms. 1) An attempt to get elements of our culture out from under the hands of culturally black black people and 2) in the same breath to uplift⚪️ passing black artists or visually less racially ambiguous artists who are not culturally black and centre ⚪️ culture in particular. All forms are a dispossession and subsequent colonisation of cultural resources. All forms need our assistance to be successful, so to refuse to play a part is a stand against the same kinda cultural appropriation that means most people still don’t know who Sister Rosetta Tharpe was. They done been doing this for decades! As you can tell by all my interviews during the Elvis movie promo period I was kinda obsessed about trying to correct that omission in American musical history. So if you wonder how it happens when we don’t know why people aren’t celebrated, this is step 1 in a long and storied strategy, and it’s peak coloniser mentality! Separate off one black person, give them wealth/accolades/rewards (for being or agreeing to stoop to being mid AF) so they can benefit from the dispossession of a whole people, sound familiar? #colonisation #culturalappropriation #cultureiswealth #munilong #kwanzaa thanks for this @beingblackislit & @munilong
Hey m’doves!! Thank you for showing my new EP so much love, it means so much more to me than just knowing you like my music. It means you like where I’m going and you like what I sound like when I’m free and happy. Too often the profession of music and a joyful and creative life don’t mix. We all know the stories of how artists we love never found their way to a life they enjoyed and all we did was dance along to their misery. Your love now speaks to your ears being in sync with my joy. More practically speaking it speaks to you lot actually liking me as an artist, writer and producer. It seems the more of myself I reveal the more you like it, and that warms my heart, so I just want to thank you all for the unending support. I often refer to you all as the “best fans ever” and you keep proving me right! Big love to you all and I’ll get my butt out to see as many of you as the fates will allow soon enough. 🙏🏾🩷🥳
Happy birthday bookie! 🥳🥳🥳
Happy birthday bookie! 🥳🥳🥳
Happy birthday bookie! 🥳🥳🥳
It’s MLK day and we are reminded that the man we celebrate today was not popular in his time, he was not loved on as much as we love on his name now posthumously. We are reminded to celebrate the people we appreciate while they are with us! On that note, if I’m in your town and nearby get your tickets 😂💁🏾♀️ Pre sale starts tomorrow at 10am, sign up at iamyola.com/tour
It’s weird because the UK is both harrowing to me but has elements that are extremely comforting, similarly the US is comforting to me but has elements that are extremely harrowing. This UK vs US can flip on a pinhead on a different day but this was how I felt just before my first Christmas staying in the city don’t @ me 😂
Stay ready #staywoke
Charmed to be having a special conversation and performance at The Greene Space in NYC for @grammymuseum on Jan 22! Tickets are available now 💅🏾
Luv you girl
I got back from #losangeles on the 8th because of the fires and it was a terrible thing to behold! Please if you’re out there and you need anything there is #aid available here! Sending love out to all my LA fam! Love you all, stay safe! Please share this reel! #lafires
Today I’m doing a mostly black owned fit cause it ain’t quite kwanza but it’s almost here and we love to buy black! Bucket hat: Telfar Trench coat : Kai Collective sheer top: Kai Collective Sneakers: Ivy Park
In a return visit to #SaturdaySessions, @iamyolaofficial performs “Symphony” from her highly-anticipated new EP, “My Way.”
Happy Holidays one and all! Thanks @levertthebassman for this!! 🥳🥳🥳🎄🎄🎄🍾🍾🍾🥂🥂🥂
TOMORROW: @iamyolaofficial will make a return visit to #SaturdaySessions to perform music from her new EP.
We will love you forever 2024 ✨💗🫶🏻 #happynewyear @taos & beyond! #sherises You brought us @yola @kttunstall @deanatunes @jadebirdmusic @bigrichardband @ginachavez @ppike7 @madisato @carlyjoofficial @suzannachoffel @andreamageemusic @paackmusic @carihutson @kellygreenguitarqueen @paigedechausse @violet_lea_creations @marygauthier @jaimeeharris @carrierockriguez @shae.fiol @ashlynshanafelt @mesmerize_clay @party__danimal @raysistersfilm @electrovoiceofficial @musichelps_atx and many more , 2025 WE ARE SO EXCITED for YOU ✨🏔️💗 #happynewyear
Yola (@iamyolaofficial) breaks down how she made “Symphony.” She told me: “People my hue and my build are not the center of rom coms habitually, and so there’s an element of resistance in writing a reality where you’re being aggressively loved on.” Listen to her and co-writer and co-producer @seandouglas tell the story in today’s episode. · · · [ illustration by @thatlerms ]
Created performance visuals with a little AI and a whole lot of imagination for @iamyolaofficial’s stellar performance on @cbssaturday 📺 Inspired by African jungles and smart city architecture with nature embedded into its design. 🌿 Tools used ⚙️ Fal.ai, @runwayapp, @Topazlabs, @adobecreativecloud @curiousrefuge @canva #runwaycreativepartner #r3imagine #AIvideo
Our first Nashville Artist of the Month for 2025 is @iamyolaofficial. To kick off the month, she made us a playlist that shows the interconnectedness of music across eras and genres. It features artists you would expect to see next to her name—Chaka Khan, Prince, Funkadelic—but it also bridges the gap from those artists to more recent ones like Childish Gambino and Lady Gaga. The result is a sonic journey through songs that are close to Yola’s heart. Listen at the link in our bio. Nashville Artist of the Month is supported by @amazon
