An intimate look at four rising musicians from Chicago and the common issues that young Black women artists have to overcome both in a male-dominated music industry and a marginalizing society, from racism to physical expectations to sexual trauma.
With a sound that’s like Erykah Badu meets Little Dragon and an eclectic style, Jean Deaux is poised for breakout success. She revisits her first open mic stages, opens up about a trauma, and reveals how she resists fear.
Akenya, 26, is a quadruple threat: singer, pianist, composer, and arranger. After overcoming a lonely childhood, health issues, and every form of marginalization, she’s now working with Grammy-nominated artists and ready to release her own album.
At 22, singer Christian has already won the respect of Chance the Rapper, but it hasn’t been an easy road. On the South Side, she dealt with redlining; in Freeport, she faced open racism. Now the preacher’s daughter is taking on the music industry.
Shortly after releasing her mixtape, “RETROGRADE,” rapper, teacher, and tarot card reader Jasmine (aka J Bambii) talks about the roots of her anxieties and how music has helped her heal and learn to accept herself.