(WXYZ) — Detroit’s own Jessica Care Moore says Black women in rock and roll is more than just music.
“It’s about stepping into your queendom,” she said. “It’s about stepping into that.”
Jessica Care Moore is a poet, recording artist and book author. Today, however she is speaking on the freedom that rock and roll music gives Black women as she prepares for her 20th anniversary of the Black Women Rock concert.
“It’s a freedom from structure,” she said. “It’s like the structure of how you're supposed to sound. Rock and roll, you do something different — it’s a crack in your voice. “
Divinity Roxx is a vocalist and bass player at this year’s show. She says rock and roll for her is a way to create her own freedom.
“I always say that I am the most free and the most myself when I am on stage with a bass guitar,” said Divinity Roxx, vocalist and bass player for Black Girls Rock. “And I am able to spit my words and my truth out my mouth and through my hands and my whole body is just reverberating freedom…and we all need that.”
Jessica says she first decided to create a space for Black women in rock and roll while she was working the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta two decades ago.
“Honestly I’m just a void filler… and I just saw that there needed to be a different space for women that had a little more edge.”
Adrianna Sewell, 20, is playing in Black Girls Rock for the first time.
“I don’t see us doing this” said Sewell. “So it’s really nice to have us — especially since I feel like rock music is for a specific…it’s centered as a specific type of people. But it’s for everybody.”
Famed guitarist, singer and song writer, Kat Dyson — who has also performed with the late and great Prince, is also featured in this years show.
“We did this,” said Dyson. ”And it was taken like everything else…because gospel is when we talk to God. Rock and roll and blues is when we talk to each other. So we’ve been doing that for a long time.”
“It’s also a conversation with our ancestors,” said Lauren Johnson, trap drummer, in this year's Black Girls Rock show. “It’s just a conversation and we just get on the stage and we rock out.”
Recording artist Joi is another performer at this year’s show. She says she plans to bring a liberating energy to the crowd, “or giving them the back straightening to liberate themselves,” she said.
Jessica Care Moore says this Black Girls Rock show is going to be more than just music and art, it's a way to give hope and inspiration to other women.
“It’s much deeper than just celebrating rock and roll ... it’s about Black women holding up other Black women.”
To purchase tickets for the show, click the link.
