New Era Womanist
WINTER 2019 EDITION A DIVINE ENTHUSIAST EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
EDITOR / PRODUCER | NATALIE MILHOUSE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR | HANNAH LARAE
PHOTOGRAPHER | JUSTIN “JMILLZ” MILHOUSE
COVER SHOOT GARMENT | NABEELA NAJJAR
HAIR | CARMEN BROWN
MAKEUP | LEAH JOHN
LOCATION | THE SIREN HOTEL / DETROIT, MI
CHARITY
With heavy influences in music, time, and reflection for this edition, we thought it fitting to close out 2019 with Detroit musician, singer, and songwriter Charity Ward. With relatable singles like Millennials and Black Magic, Charity always finds a way to connect with her peers while bringing relevant topics to the forefront. But what makes Charity more than just a singer/songwriter is her dedication to elevating her artistry by creating spaces to have dynamic conversations about her music while cultivating genuine experiences.
After our editorial shoot, we got to know more about Charity over lunch at vegan restaurant, Seva located in Detroit, MI. We reflected on the past 10 years while looking towards the future and conceptualizing this notion of time and how it shows up in the creative and personal space.
Q
WHEN WAS YOUR FIRST PERFORMANCE?
A
I started playing guitar when I was 13, and I had an incredible teacher who helped me see that I was a songwriter and that I could see outside of the trio that was my sisters because I always sang with them growing up. The first one I can remember that wasn’t a recital was at a summer camp talent show, and I performed a song I wrote called Butterfly at the age of 14.
Q
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC?
A
ZEITGEIST. I think my subject matter captures the spirit of the times and tends to be more direct. I don’t write elusive, vibe-out smoke-to-this kind of music. It’s very much opinion-driven. Musically speaking, I love gospel, soul, and chords that make your soul feel soft.
Q
IF YOU COULD WORK WITH ANY ARTISTS WHO WOULD THEY BE?
A
Jacob Collier. He’s Quincy Jones’ protégé. He’s an incredible writer and a lot of the beautiful things I love about church music, somehow he captures it as a white guy from Europe. Ari Lennox - we have some crossover in our subject matter, and I think we would be friends. Snoh Aalegra - I admire the ease of her music.
Q
HOW HAS YOUR MUSIC EVOLVED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS?
A
In 2009, I wrote more about love and my feelings for men, and looking back on it, I realized I had minimal life experiences. I think 2010 to 2012 broke me in a way where I had to shift and consider different things to be inspired by. Now, I’m not even inspired by that subject matter. I like writing about my opinions and songs that can be anthems that make people feel better about themselves. I think there is only so much power in writing about your specific feeling for a particular person. There’s more to put my energy towards, and I say that from being in a very healthy and happy relationship.
Q
WHAT VALUES HAVE YOU GAINED THUS FAR AND HOW HAVE YOU WEAVED THEM INTO YOUR MUSIC?
A
Authenticity. Most of my songs are specific experiences or opinions that are showing up at the forefront of my lyrics. So when you look at Millennials, when I say “ my student loans bout 50 racks now”, I wrote that song a few years ago, and they’re probably about 60 now, and that’s real. Or even saying “can’t even think about no marriage or no babies, too busy tryna keep a 100 in my savings”, that still, for the most part, stands true.
“The more authentic you are, the more it will resonate with people.”
Millennials is a light radio-sounding version of Mr. Time. Mr. Time is a reflection of all of the things that I thought I would have reconciled by now. More Cake was also another experience where a friend of mine was getting married, and what sparked me was this thought like, should society really position marriage as such a significant accomplishment. Black Magic was conceived in the depths of a breakup, and I had to pull that out of me and resurrect myself. So authenticity has been a real theme that’s showing up in my brand.
Q
LETS TALK ABOUT THIS SENSE OF TIME AS IT RELATES TO YOUR ARTISTRY AND THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.
A
I think a lot of times as women who are in the entertainment industry, you feel this need to accomplish something at a certain age. Youthfulness is so valued. For instance, when somebody is really talented, and they’re really young, we tend to be in awe. When I reflect on this 12-year journey and looking back when I was 16, I did receive more praise being this young girl writing songs, especially songs with so much soul in them. I’m learning to value what all those years have made me and how I show up in the world. My audacity on stage and when I’m representing myself, that comes with years of continuing to show up for myself, and I couldn’t have been that person as a young artist.
Location | The Guardian Building | Detroit, MI
Q
THERE’S A MISCONCEPTION THAT THINGS HAPPEN SO FAST, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR CAREERS AND OUR BRANDS. WHAT’S YOUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE REALITY OF THE PROCESS?
A
I don’t think it’s realistic for us to constantly be creating and putting out content. I think about how we look at people with this non-stop hustle, “sleep when you die” mentality and how we start to think, ah, I’m not doing enough, but it’s like no, where are you in the process? Are you planting, watering, or harvesting?
PLANTING : AM I JUST WRITING DOWN MY AFFIRMATIONS AND WHAT I SEE FOR MYSELF AND TRYING TO VISUALIZE THAT?
WATERING : AM I WORKING THAT GROUND AND ACTUALLY TAKING ACTION?
HARVESTING : AM I ENJOYING THE FRUITS OF MY LABOR?
That’s where I am right now – Harvesting. Having done the More Cake x All Women Welcome event sponsored by Footlocker, having won the Motown Accelerator Program, taking the trips to New York and LA, and having shows where people really walked away better - I’m harvesting right now. As long as I can identify where I am in my process, then I’m good.
10 Essentials Charity Can’t Live Without
ECO STYLE
WOODY MASCULINE CANDLES
LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER
ADORE SEMI PERMANENT RINSE ORANGE BLAZE
BEYONCE’S LEMONADE VISUAL
A JOURNAL & GOLD GEL PEN TO WRITE DOWN AFFIRMATIONS
CADILLACS
RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY FAMILY
TSU HOMECOMINGS
MY GUITAR
Q
WHAT OTHER WAYS DO YOU HOPE TO CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE IN THE FUTURE?
A
2020 for me is about figuring out more ways to have experiences and using the music to facilitate them while keeping conversation at the core. When I finished my album, my best friend and sisters came over to listen and discuss the album. Seeing their reactions to the album and having a genuine discussion about how it made them feel was such a beautiful experience that it had me thinking that I want to do this with larger groups of women. The album is called Tender Headed and so I thought it would be fitting to have these conversations in salons where women get their hair done while unpacking what themes they identify when listening to the album. I want people to leave having experienced something.
Q
IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BLACK WOMAN?
A
People at the margins are coming into the center, and I think black women are somewhat benefiting from it. Obviously, for a lot of corporations, it’s just beneficial for them to have black people in those spaces, especially since they don’t want to miss the inclusivity wave. But then what’s on the authentic and pure side of that is this opportunity that we have to tell our stories, wear our hair out, and not be policed and criticized for that. So for me, what it means to be a black woman right now is comparable to the bar scene in Queen & Slim – everything on the outside says danger, but then on the inside, is this safe and warm place.
I find it a privilege to be black and a woman at the same time. It feels like we’re in this secret society where people who have the same experiences and microaggressions as me also experience the same richness and beauty of the sort of supernatural element of having this particular identity. I think there are emotions we encounter on a level deeper than other people. When we talk about what soul is, I believe that’s what we mean. We experience music, joy, creativity, humor, and love deeper when there’s this underlying oppression that we’re steadily fighting against. A lot of our existence is an act of resistance in itself, and while being black is difficult, the other side of it is this beauty that not many people have access to.
