Joriah Kwamé
As a result of the music that was the soundtrack for his childhood, Joriah began to admire classic R&B, Soul, and Jazz music. He performed his original R&B/Neo-soul music throughout his younger years, opening for artists such as Anthony Hamilton, The Dramatics, Lyfe Jennings, SWV, and Keith Sweat. His passion for musical theater composition was sparked when he wrote and self-produced his first project when he was 13, and is now writing several musicals ranging widely in style and subject matter-from a dark retelling of Pinocchio to a MLK biopic. @JoriahKwame
-
I wrote “Song Of Tomorrow” for Songs of The Phoenix.
-
Andrew Lippa asked me to dig into myself and my experiences, particularly as a black person in the heat of both the pandemic lockdown and the Black Lives Matter movement. At the time, I don’t think I was fully processing just how affected I was by everything around me, but when I put the pencil to the page, many big feelings came up. I am always excited when I have the opportunity to bring my identity to my work so directly.
-
Hope. I made the very intentional decision to put the voice of the song from the perspective of a black man who is seeing “faces on the screen” that look like his- victims of violence. But at the song’s chorus, he is summoning a new piece that is less somber and full of the promise of tomorrow. I hope that the audience can hear that song and know that it isn’t as far away as it may seem.
-
Today’s kids are giving me the most hope for our future. Through my social media platforms, I am constantly able to connect with young fans from all around the world and engage with them about social issues, and their bright perspectives never fail to leave me inspired.