I remember summer nights, my father, my sister and I in our old convertible Spider, driving home carefree. The wind caressing our faces, my eyes closed as I embraced the moment from the back seat, "Boa Sorte" with Vanessa Da Mata playing at full blast, the silence and the magnificence of the rolling hills of our homeland. My father used to say that Ben Harper was the perfect blend of Dylan and Bob Marley and that we should always be mindful of what we wish for and never forget what we hold, "when you have everything, you have everything to lose” his words playing back in my head. His symbol - that red and orange circle on a blue T-shirt, still hangs in our family closet. Reminding me that making music is powerful. It’s a life-giving source of energy, sheer oxygen for those who need it.
True inclusion means coming to terms with those who might challenge your beliefs, who might obstruct your vision of the world and still carrying on. It means making space for those who might not want the same future as you, sharing common ground with your adversary. We are all singers faced with the unknown. Within the darkness of the crowd stand our most loyal supporters, always rigorously present, the genre enthusiasts, the curious onlookers, the bored and disinterested companions, and there are also those who may carry scorn, hatred and anger in their hearts whose intention is to simply disrupt. Nonetheless, as the saying goes - “the show must go on” and the music must continue; therein lies the challenge. We must persist. Music, after all - is a source of healing, it’s simply necessary to keep playing, as it’s necessary to go on living and expanding. After all, if you're in a room and no one contradicts you, it must mean you're either alone or living in some kind of fictional reality. And neither one is a reality in sync with our true human nature.
