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In this episode of Offstage, R29'er Whembley shares her experiences of her very first Afropunk Fest in Brooklyn, NY. She takes us on a tour of the music festival, and swings backstage for exclusive interviews with Seinabo Sey, Kelsey Lu, Sate to hear their thoughts about being females in the music industry, style, and what it was like to perform at Afropunk Fest.


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Transcript
00:03Hi, I'm Wembley and I'm here at my very first ever Afropunk, renowned for being a super inclusive, safe, creative
00:11space for people of color.
00:13I know the style and the fashion is going to be sick, but the music is going to be even
00:16sicker.
00:17I'm going to be talking to some amazing women about being a woman of color in the music industry, what
00:22it's like, their stage presence, their style.
00:24Let's go.
00:31Being here at Afropunk with the heat, the wind, the 70,000 people, what was it like?
00:38What were you thinking when you were looking out at an audience?
00:40I mean, I've probably never seen a more beautiful audience.
00:42I got a little bit distracted actually because I was looking at people in outfits, like, no, sin, you have
00:48to sin, look for words.
00:49It's beautiful to see people express themselves.
00:51And also to have them, you know, to have this eclectic mix of not only urban music,
00:56because black people make so many different genres of music.
00:59Yeah.
00:59And I just feel we need more of that and also like an understanding of the genre is not being
01:03so confined.
01:07In the studio, we just pick sounds and things we like.
01:10And I grew up listening to reggae.
01:12Then I listened to a lot of soul music.
01:14So I sing like a soul singer most of the time.
01:16But then the producer, he listens to rock or pop or whatever.
01:19So we just blend it.
01:21And to be somewhere where they just blend it, I feel right at home.
01:24It's wonderful.
01:36Sonically, obviously, you're one of a kind.
01:38Like, it's so unique.
01:38I've never heard anything like your novel.
01:41But also aesthetically, like your look is...
01:45Thanks.
01:45I mean, come on.
01:47How do you marry your art and your craft with your style?
01:53I've always loved dressing up and like loved clothes.
01:56I grew up going to thrift stores a lot with my parents.
01:59And I think like that kind of shaped ways of me just like playing with things
02:06and like things that already have like kind of a life within them.
02:10But now I'm kind of trying to like marry that with younger like up and coming designers.
02:14In the end, it's all just, it's me inside myself.
02:18Yeah.
02:18At what moment, if there was a moment or turning point, did you know that you had to leave
02:24behind home to pursue music and make it your life?
02:29My love for music was just, was like the one thing I was sure of.
02:34I played classical music.
02:35Like I grew up like playing classically and was trained classically.
02:38That was like kind of my stepping stone into really like finding my own self.
02:42Like my own side of music.
02:51I was creeping around earlier and it looks like it paid off because I made my way into
02:56safe tent.
02:57And here she is.
02:59Uh oh.
03:01I just saw you perform.
03:02Yeah.
03:03And can I just say that your energy on stage is fucking incredible.
03:08What is your creative process like?
03:10First, I think my intention is the stankier, the dirtier, the greasier, the better.
03:18I agree.
03:19It just makes me want to spread my legs, spread my legs, grind and just like, just, you know.
03:25If there was a message that you wanted people to glean from your music, what would it be?
03:33To be a warrior.
03:35A warrior doesn't have a gender on it.
03:37It doesn't have a race on it.
03:41It's a power to fight, to me, for what is right.
03:47And what is right is love.
03:50common right?
03:51Good to see you.
03:51I agree.
03:53I'mCom-D comme on.
03:54Ohh really.
03:56Yeah.
03:56Okay.
03:56Amen.
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