BAJAN SUN MAGAZINE
What do you think about performing in Barbados?
Barbados is an important place to develop your skill for
performing because the Barbadian audience is very
truthful and will critique you openly, as in (to your face)
about your performance and how it can be improved. I’ve
become more open when it comes to criticism because I
really want to do better. At first I was always defensive
because I thought that the person giving the critique was
always attacking me, however, in most cases that
couldn’t be further from the truth. People who take the
time to give you advice genuinely care about your
product and desire to see it grow and when I discovered
that, I became more relaxed and accepting of critique.
Who has influenced your style of music (artists/
friends/family)?
I grew up listening to all genres of music. My mother is a
great singer, however, she chose a career in accounts over
that of singing and performing and I am more than sure
that I’ve inherited my talent from her; she’s actually a
better singer than I. I am a big fan of the Fugees and
Lauryn Hill especially influenced my desire to have a
career as a recording artist who can perform live. She is
so effective on-stage as well as off-stage. The album,
‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’, which was gifted to
me by my mother when I was 12 years old, fueled my
desire to mix R&B and Reggae as a signature style. My
favourite cuts from that album are ‘Turn Your Lights
Down Low’, ‘Lost Ones’ and ‘That Thing’, which are a
mixture of the two genres.
What was your greatest achievement in music?
My greatest achievement in music is affecting people and
being able to play a part in effecting change and
providing awareness.
When people come up to me on the street and in stores
and tell me that they love what I do and to continue doing
it; that assures me of my purpose on earth and that is to
bring enlightenment through music. This year, I began
volunteering at the Barbados RSPCA. This organization
is amazing and I wanted to give back in a more extensive
way so I decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from
the promotion of my album EP, ‘S-Curve1.0’. Part of the
merchandizing aspect of the promotion of my album EP
involves the sale of wristbands which have the artwork,
‘Ayana John 1 Life 2 Live’ embedded on them - ‘One
Life 2 Live’ is the name of one of the songs on the album.
The sale of a wristband comes with a free download of
the single, ‘Light Me Up’, which is available on the EP,
as well. Excluding the expenses that my team and I have
had to incur to get these items produced, the expected
profit from wristband sales will be given to the Barbados
RSPCA. The flier for the wristband drive also features
OCT 2014
animals that are awaiting adoption at this institution. This
venture has allowed me to use my music as an avenue to
promote a cause that I believe in and that is powerful to
me. For more information and details about the drive, see
www.facebook.com/AyanaJohnVOX.
What was your greatest challenges and how you
overcame it?
Balancing my education with my music career has been
very difficult and almost broke my spirit because I had to
constantly choose between missing a class to do a gig or
vice versa. Eventually, through hard work, I was able to
complete my Bsc. Pure Mathematics. I then wanted to
increase my musical knowledge to be a more educated
entertainer who could compose music. This was in an
effort to bring my creative ideas to life. I went to Tech
Music School in London, UK and underwent an intense
program to gain my Diploma in Popular Music Practice
from the London College of Music (Distinction). Living
abroad helped me to solely focus on my growth as a
musician and expanded my awareness regarding what I
needed to do to evolve into a better entertainer. It was the
longest time I’ve spent away from my family and that
was terribly hard, spiritually and emotionally because I
draw my strength from my family.
What would you say to young persons interested in
getting into music and performing?
Know when criticism is character building as opposed to
character demeaning. I think that taking advice and
embracing constructive criticism is very important when
you are making a way in the business of entertainment.
However, I believe that negative forces can blind side
you and throw you off track. If you get a gut-feeling that
the message is being delivered in manner that is not
positive then do not allow the message or the messenger
to break your spirit.
Take an interest in all aspects of your trade and work
hard to master your craft.
Part of loving something is learning to embrace every
aspect of that something. Being an entertainer is being an
ambassador, having a talent, having influence and using
that influence to effect change. Getting involved in new
ventures helps you to grow as an artist and can make you
a driving force to be reckoned with.
Success comes with great sacrifice but can yield great
rewards.
At times, your career can take you away from the comfort
of family for the sake of work but the end result can be
amazing if you can use the time away, constructively,
because you never want to waste any opportunity which
can be an important step in turning your dream into
reality.