Joni NehRita MAKING MUSIC
Musician Joni NehRita has been witnessing this whole community process behind the scenes and creating MUSIC in response.
About Joni NehRita
She describes herself as infectiously soulful, socially charged.
Jamaican-Canadian artist Joni NehRita writes songs about unity, hope and social justice. Her jazz-tinged brand of soul is infused with rhythms & sounds from her Afro-Caribbean background. A multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and arranger, she has a gift for writing infectious, well-crafted songs that are deeply personal.
NehRita a seasoned performer known for her ability to touch an audience and leave them feeling changed.
This year NehRita releases her 4th full length album, Love & Protest which is a marked step further toward global roots/world music but keeps her distinctive gift for writing accessible songs that groove in tact. Love & Protest explores the juxtaposition between love being the answer and fire/anger being the fuel to protest, to question, to be the change.
Joni is also a music educator & facilitator who has taught workshops in improvisation, performance & vocal technique at Wilfrid Laurier University, Seneca College, Folk Alliance International, The Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival as well as at countless other schools & community events.
Song: Where You Make It
I think of this as a musical meditation. It’s an instrumental I created with vibe-y delay on my electric guitar. I was thinking about how the pandemic has kept so many people away from their loved ones, whether because of travel restrictions or because of say a family member who’s health is vulnerable.
Song: Remake
As I read through the answers to the questions we all filled out at the beginning of the process, I made notes on things/phrases that stood out for me. One such phrase was that society needed a “remake”. This title helped inspire me to write a song about what things could/should be remade. It’s about resilience and building anew.
We’ve heard it said before-
well now it’s coming in spades
If you weren’t quite sure- things will never be the same
Is this our chance for redemption?
A call to build with intention?
We’ve taken quite a blow. One thing has been shown:
It’s time for a remake. Let’s imagine something new
We can tear it down to build it up
after all that we’ve been through
It’s time for a new take
Time for power to shift hands
We won’t back down, won’t sit it out
This time we’re gonna stand!
..remake….remake…remake….remake
Felt fast & furious / how quickly things changed
And some folks really needed someone to blame
When we needed to listen / there was fear & derision
The only seeds we’ll grow. Will be the ones we’ve sown
It’s time for a remake. Let’s imagine something new
We can tear it down to build it up
after all that we’ve been through
It’s time for a new take
Time for power to shift hands
We won’t back down, won’t sit it out
This time we’re gonna stand!
It’s the remake. Time for a new take. It’s the remake. Yeah
It’s the remake. Time for a new take. It’s the remake.
Song: Leave It On the Dance Floor
Our awesome lead artist/facilitator was tasked each week with planning out a Zoom meeting that held space, was safe and engaging. She always had new activities or games to help activate us and get us out of our heads and into our hearts while connecting and building community. One morning, she told us that we were going to have a virtual dance party on our Zoom call. She played a great song and had us all “spotlighted” each of us as we moved and grooved to the music. It was SO fun and helped me remember how much joy dancing has brought to me since I was a child. I really hadn’t danced since the pandemic hit because I was too busy stressing about how to pivot and make a living when my industry got completely shut down. I wanted to make a song to dance to, that reminded me of when I was a kid-a throwback kind of jam.
Hard times and lonely nights
Bleeding hearts & long goodbyes
I leave it on the dance floor
Dance my troubles right out of sight
Move my body ‘till the wrong feels right
I leave it on the dance floor
Feelin’ stressed out, bogged down
And I haven’t got more fight
Gonna pick my battles and leave some aside
Gonna let off some steam tonight
Pre Chorus:
When I need to forget, get out out of my head-
Only one thing will do
Chorus:
Hard times and lonely nights
Bleeding hearts & long goodbyes
I leave it on the dance floor
Dance my troubles right out of sight
Move my body ‘till the wrong feels right
I leave it on the dance floor
Can’t be held by your boxes and labels
A woman needs room for her wings
Gotta take a step back, perspective is key
Alarm bells are starting to ring
Pre Ch:
When I need a reset, to get out of my head
Only one thing will do
Song: It Will Be Done aka Generations
I wanted to create something that felt breezy and hopeful and that incorporated my Caribbean roots. A lot of the participants spoke about how important it was to them that we take better care of the earth and that we do a better job making sure the most vulnerable among have what they need to survive. One spoke about their Indigenous roots which made me think about the believed to be Iroquois 7 Generations teaching that urges us to think about the impact of the choices we make on generations that come after us.
Chorus:
Generations depend on us
to choose well for a brighter tomorrow
Rooted feet, arms stretched to the sun
Fuelled by love, it will be done
Verse 1:
Deliver us the strength to fight for our sacred Mother Earth
And for each of us to have a place
where we feel safe and loved and heard
Drum break (over which I hope to put participants’ sentences about their stories)
Generations depend on us
to choose well for a brighter tomorrow
Rooted feet, arms stretched to the sun
Fuelled by love, it will be done
Verse 2
There’s far too much at stake
To leave any stone unturned
To repair the harm, we must lead with love
And a willingness to learn
Repeat Chorus
Song: It May Never Be the Same
I constantly record little song ideas (melodies and/or lyrics) into my voice notes on my phone. On the last night of the project I was going through my voice notes and came upon one entitled “It May Never Be the Same” for AIHT (Art in Hard Times). I had totally forgotten that I had sung a little melody that I meant to revisit for the project. I felt compelled to explore that title and the little hummed melody and eventually molded it into a song that I quite love. I’m glad I didn’t erase it or leave it unfinished! It’s about being brave or bold enough to let the things/systems/structures/beliefs that don’t serve us go.
Was it even real or was it all just an illusion?
We’ve broken the seal and it may never be the same
Stuck in the space between hope and desperation
Together we’ll face that it may never be the same
Ripped apart and flung into the ocean
Some of us won’t mourn the loss
Now there’s space to dream of something better
Fertile ground for change…
Was it even real or was it all just an illusion?
We’ve broken the seal and it may never be the same
Stuck in the space between hope and desperation
Together we’ll face that it may never be the same
Let it die, it’s nothing to hold on to
I for one, won’t mourn the loss
Now there’s space to dream of something better
To find a whole new way
Was it even real or was it all just an illusion?
We’ve broken the seal and it may never be the same
Stuck in the space between hope and desperation
Together we’ll face that it may never be the same
We re-write the stories. We sing a new song
We dance ‘neath the moonlight. We know we belong