August Artist Spotlight: Illuminating Musician Kashimana Ahua

Hey Kashimana, thanks so much for taking the time today to tell us more about yourself! Can you tell us a little about your background and what your art form is?

I am a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, looping artist and so much more but my main art form is music. I love experimenting with different genres of music including Pop, Soul, Folk, R&B and Vocal Looping.

When did you first become interested in songwriting and performing? How did it happen? Who were some of your influences?

I became interested in songwriting when I was about 8 years old. I can't say the exact moment or what prompted me to write about my feelings in a song but once I did, I couldn't stop. I was drawn to music in my household because my father sang all the time and he had an old Yamaha guitar that he would play but was off limits for us kids. We would always sing in church and dance in schools and music was always a part of social gatherings in Nigeria. I remember also looking at the lyric notes of my dad's and uncle's old vinyl records and just being enthralled by the beautiful words. Those old vinyl records had some amazing art and so I would sit and read the lyrics as I listened and learned the songs by ear. If the music wasn't playing, I would imagine how the song went even if I had never listened to the record before. I grew up listening to Fela Kuti, Handel, Sade, Simon and Garfunkel, Shina Peters, Tina Turner, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5 and Earth Wind and Fire.

I wanted to become a performer after I had this dream that I was singing and dancing with Michael Jackson in the street outside my house. I woke the next day and proclaimed that that was what was going to happen and the people laughed. Along came a TV broadcast of Tina Turner Live in Rio and the thrill of having my face melted off by the awesome electricity that was Tina Turner still resonates with me this day. Her joy and confidence screamed, 'Here I am! hear me roar! You might not like me or my music but you will respect and be in awe of me.' I’ve seen most of my influences perform live but no one comes close to the energy of Tina Turner except maybe Beyoncé.

What do you get out of teaching versus creating your own work? What do you enjoy the most about teaching?

I love teaching songwriting because I love seeing the faces of songwriters light up as they take ownership of their songs and marvel at their musical creation. I love seeing the students grow by learning a new skill and adding to their songwriting experience. I love introducing songwriting to people that have never written before and showing them new ways to tell their stories. The scientists all agree that creating music lights up the whole brain and energizes our connections to one another and the world long after the activity. Creating my own work is always fun and helping others create their own works keeps that part of me active as well. It is very hard to passively teach songwriting, you have to stay engaged, connected and involved in the process.

In this time of virtual programming how are you adjusting? What do you find challenging? Any unexpected benefits?

The adjustment has been difficult but I have gotten creative with zoom and pre-recorded materials. It is not as intuitive as being in the same room with the students and sometimes there is a lag in communication but the unexpected benefits have included more freedom to explore and be their own person when it comes to creating. I have also found I have had to become more creative in motivating and inspiring others to create. I am still learning and that is always thrilling.

Have you been working on any new projects lately?

I just recorded Sun Babies and Lullabies for an online experience. I am working on recording a performance of my album "Love from the Sun" for online experience as well. I just recorded a track for "The Art of Revolution", a compilation album in response to what transpired after the murder of George Floyd. I am also working on a virtual concert with my own response to the COVID quarantine, George Floyd and more. Exploring ways to offer more online workshops and virtual teaching experiences. Also coming up with ways to rehearse, create and collaborate with some of my favorite people on my 'Phantom Cries Project'. I also do a free form Singing Humming Mummies session on Instagram Live every Tuesday which is a combination of chatting, live looping using hums and me creating songs in real time without rehearsing or thinking too much. It has been bringing me so much joy and calm at the same time to just create something without a "judgement filter on" (Me not judging how good what I am creating may or may not sound). It is live soo... you see all the goof ups and some of the magic and every once in a while there is a cameo from my two year old which is real life and creating a space where mothers can tap into some calming energy. I often get comments like that was really relaxing or my son was drawn to the sound.

During this time of great change in Minnesota and around the world, how do you see the arts as fitting into that story?

Nina Simone says, “It's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live.” Sometimes we are not popular because of it but someone somewhere needs to hear the music and hear the message if there is one to be heard. Sometimes music is just about fun and joy and that can also be as powerful. I think we are at a very important time in history and the arts have to respond. The amazing thing I think about songwriting is sometimes you can write a song today without actively trying to respond to what is going on today but the subconscious is more powerful than you think. Sometimes old lyrics can make you say "what in the world??? These lyrics haven't aged well" and other times you go, "Wow, that was deep and I wasn't trying to be" or "This song means so much more to me now".

You’ve been on the COMPAS roster for one month! What’s it like for you to be a part of COMPAS so far? What are you looking forward to or hoping to experience?

It has been such a wonderful month and I am learning so much from my cohort and learning so much from the artists that have been here before me. It's like joining a family that I didn't know I needed. I am looking forward to navigating this new landscape with COMPAS and the teaching artists. It is such an exciting and scary time because we are all learning and changing how we do everything. It has forced a new level of creativity, introspection, communication and just vibing off of one another. I am looking forward to doing some songwriting residencies at schools and learning how to be a better teaching artist.

How do you practice creativity in your everyday life?

I try to put aside time every day to create something and I also sing everyday which usually leads to some type of creativity. Sometimes creativity is easy and sometimes I stare at a blank page for what seems like an unhealthy amount of time. I have found that looking at other forms of art sometimes sparks creativity. It really changes from day to day.