Ahead of the launch of our magazine 'Jazz Revelations: Issue 1 - Leeds' on Wednesday 3rd May at Wharf Chambers, we will be sharing snippets from the different articles in the magazine.
Today, we take a peak at what's inside the article Sunkissed Child:
The neo-soul / R&B singer-songwriter shares why it’s difficult to speak about certain things as a Middle Eastern artist, and explores connecting her roots to who she’s become since moving to Leeds
“I don’t think people are ready for this, you know,” Sunkissed Child - aka Yasmina Nahas - teases at the start of her debut live session. Even though Yasmina struggled to decide what to first release to the world, the two ‘Live at Oranaise Café’ sessions released with Moma Cat Discos perfectly captured what her music is about.
“For me, it was such a big deal to release something as I’m such a perfectionist. I wanted to define what Sunkissed Child is and give people an idea of everything I can do.” ‘Somewhere New’ and ‘Drôle’ flows between the spiritual, soulful, and upbeat sounds, and showcases Yasmina’s ability to rap in French too.
Her multilingual ability comes from growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, and she uses her Lebanese and Arabic influences to build beautiful melodies that move between an alternative neo-soul, R&B, and hip-hop sound.
Recording her first piece of music in the upstairs of the popular Middle Eastern restaurant on Hyde Park corner seemed appropriate to honour her roots. “I just went in one day and I asked for the manager, and we started speaking in Arabic together. I told him what I wanted to do, and he said, “let’s make it happen.””
“There was actually a third song from the sessions, but I saw the video for it and it was so raw, and that really terrified me. I talk about a lot of things that are difficult to talk about coming from an Arab country that’s a bit more conservative with some stuff. It kind of makes me angry with myself that I haven’t put it out because I am in a position where I have to speak out about these things.”
Read more in the 'Jazz Revelations: Issue 1 - Leeds' magazine
The magazine features artists in Leeds producing jazz, R&B, neo-soul, hip hop and electronica music, including:
Phenicia, Vipertime, Yusuf Yellow & August Charles, Jasmine Myra, Sunkissed Child, NikNak, Olivia Cuttill, TC & The Groove Family, Jake Mehew, Plantfood + many more.
We are hosting a launch gig on Wednesday 3rd May at Wharf Chambers to celebrate, with performances from the Olivia Cuttill Quartet, Jake Mehew, and Phenicia headlining.
Proceeds from the launch and magazine sales will go to MAP Charity, a pioneering alternative provider in creative education based in Leeds. They offer music and arts qualifications to young people at risk of exclusion from the mainstream school system. Find more about them here.
Wharf Chambers Co-Operative Club is a members’ club, and you need to be a member, or a guest of a member, in order to attend. To join, please visit wharfchambers.org. Membership costs £2 and requires a minimum of 48 hours to take effect.
In the magazine, you can expect to find in-depth interviews and crate digging with artists, release roundups, an extended feature of our radio piece 'On Rotation', looking ahead to the future talent in the city, a little history on the city's scene, plus a mix to accompany your reading.
The magazine is audio-described as well for those with different accessibility needs.
A big thanks goes to Emma Jones (@emmajonesillustration) for her design work in the magazine, and to Hugh Roberts (@misc.etc_) for the cover design on the magazine and the gig poster.
Thanks to Yasmina Nahas for her contribution to the magazine, and Ally J Steel for his support throughout the project.
And a special thanks to Ben Lee, editor-in-chief of the magazine, for producing the whole project.
We hope to see many of you down at Wharf on 3rd May to support the Leeds scene.
Keep following the Jazz Revelations website, or our Instagram and Facebook pages for sneak previews of the magazine leading up to its release.
Ticket & Bundle Prices:
£5.50 - Magazine only
£7.50 - Launch advance ticket only
£9.50 - Launch OTD ticket only
£12 - Magazine + Launch advance ticket bundle
£14 - Magazine + Launch OTD ticket bundle
Timings:
1930 - Doors open
2015 - Olivia Cuttill Quartet
2115 - Jake Mehew
2215 - Phenicia
Please consider making a donation to The Runnymede Trust and/or the Race Equality Foundation to help further equality within the UK.