Orene Askew – aka DJ O Present – is sort of able to launch her first hip-hop single, Standing & Readability
Orene Askew was within the again seat of her yellow Mustang convertible driving by North Vancouver final week doing one thing she by no means thought would come true – making a music video for her debut tune.
Askew – aka DJ O Present – is sort of able to launch their first hip hop single, Standing & Readability, produced by Jane Aurora.
“My tune, it is concerning the issues I’ve skilled as an Afro-indigenous and two-spirit,” stated the 38-year-old, including that the observe had a gradual beat with an R&B really feel.
“There aren’t many people with all of those identities.”
The well-known DJ wears many alternative hats. As well as, she is a motivational speaker for indigenous youth, a councilor for the Squamish Nation, a voice for the 2 spirits on a number of completely different LGBTQ + boards, and a enterprise coach.
And now she will add hip hop artists to the listing. Together with her music, Askew hopes to succeed in out to younger indigenous individuals and to assist non-indigenous individuals perceive the struggles that indigenous individuals are going through.
“I hope individuals can relate to it and really hear the lyrics and perceive what we’re going by as indigenous individuals right here in Vancouver,” stated Askew.
“In some texts I consult with the truth that I’ve a standing card from the federal government that has a quantity on it and it seems nearly like a bar code. Then I inform about my mom who went to boarding college. “It is a enormous difficulty, particularly due to the youngsters which are discovered [in unmarked graves at former residential school sites]. “
Askew began work on the tune shortly earlier than the arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020. With some delays on account of pandemic life and after a six month trial, she stated the observe would possible be launched someday in October.
For Askew, music has at all times been her “start line” and she or he was “round her” and linked her life since her youth. Whether or not it was studying the significance of the beat by the Squamish Nation’s teachings in drumming and conventional songs, making mixtapes for her mates, or listening to her grandma from Gary, Indiana, play the piano in church and share her tales listening in on a The R&B group within the ’70s referred to as themselves The Rosettes.
“I come from a extremely musical household,” Askew stated in an earlier interview. “I simply actually had to determine what to do with it. DJing is a lot enjoyable and the look individuals provide you with if you play their favourite tune is value 1,000,000 {dollars} if you simply see them smile with their eyes and have the most effective time of their life. It’s fantastic.”
Askew stated DJing saved her assembly new individuals and opened doorways to new experiences, together with the flexibility to report her personal music.
“I really feel like, , I might simply attempt new issues and see what I like and see the place I need to go,” she stated.
“Now there is a observe popping out… I by no means thought I might grow to be a hip-hop artist. It was a extremely cool expertise and all the pieces is closing now. “
The tune will not be an remoted case for Askew both. She stated she can be engaged on an album within the studio subsequent 12 months.
“It is humorous, I at all times joke that after I first went into the studio I believed I used to be going to put in writing only one tune, , about afro indigenous individuals and two issues, and I talked to the producer, and she or he was identical to, ‘yeah, that feels like a complete album. You possibly can’t get all of that in a 4 or three minute tune. ‘”
Askew stated making music and songwriting to date has been “a tremendous course of.”
“The producer [at Creative BC] that I’ve labored with and proceed to work with simply convey all of the stuff I did not even know was within me, ”she shared.
Her musical type was impressed by hip-hop people artist Kinnie Star, stated Askew, who was “a tremendous position mannequin” for her and grew up songs on L Phrase, one in all her favourite reveals.
Askew stated one in all her objectives was to at all times work exhausting to be a task mannequin for younger individuals in her group. When it got here time to give you an thought for the music video of her tune, she determined to make it part of it.
“It was simply being shot in my neighborhood with some children and mates of mine,” she stated. “I’ve a yellow 2005 Mustang convertible and we simply drove it round North Vancouver filming.
She added that working with indigenous movie director Patrick Shannon from InnoNative and Anika Sykakis from Wandering Docs was additionally an incredible expertise.
“The forged and crew, in addition to the director Patrick Shannon, have been simply wonderful,” she stated. “He simply let me go and regarded all of my concepts.
“It felt like a standard day in our church, but it surely was simply filmed. It was actually a lot enjoyable. “
Standing in entrance of the digicam for the music video is nothing new for Askew, who has simply printed a documentary about her inspiring life. The O Present – which was simply named Finest Quick Movie on the Squamish Worldwide Movie Pageant – took place after Askew caught the eye of one of many co-owners of Human Biography, Sharad Kharé, when he was giving a speech on the British Columbia Institute of Expertise.
With out giving an excessive amount of away, she stated the producers have labored to seize each side of their lives, from Afro-indigenous and twos, to the inspirational work she does every day in politics and thru youth talks, and the way it all pertains to her ardour for music and DJing in a 20-minute quick movie.
A screening of the documentary is deliberate shortly. Standing & Readability is predicted to drop within the subsequent month.
Elisia Seeber is the Indigenous and Civil Affairs reporter for North Shore Information. This reporting cycle is made doable by the Native Journalism Initiative.
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