Singer, songwriter, poet, and educator Jamila Woods will kick off her residency on Friday, October 22 with a moderated Q&A.
Singer, songwriter, award-winning poet and educator Jamila Woods will join the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts as an artist-in-residence for the 2021-2022 academic year, along with songwriter/producer Jack Antonoff (announced in September).
Woods will kick off her residency with an in-person event on Friday, October 22 at 4 p.m. ET, where she will be in conversation with Dr. Joan Morgan, acclaimed writer, scholar and director of NYU’s Center for Black Visual Culture, about Woods’ music and practice and the way that themes of home and place inform her artistry. This event is open to all members of the NYU community and students will have the opportunity to ask questions in a closing Q&A.
Woods will host masterclasses, writing workshops, and conduct performance and songwriting critique sessions with students throughout the academic year.
“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to engage with students and be a part of such a unique program. Mentorship and working with students has always been a vital learning experience for me and I consider it a part of my creative process. I’m excited to share what I’ve learned so far and hopefully be of use to their process and development in whatever way I can,” said Woods.
“Jamila Woods is one of today’s most intrepid and compelling singer-songwriters: she confronts serious social issues like police brutality in her music with profound craft and precision. Jamila is also a poet, a writer, and a powerful advocate for education. Following in the footsteps of artists like Nina Simone, Jamila embodies what it means to be a literate, thinking artist in the 21st century—exactly the kind of multi-dimensional and engaged artist we’re training our students to become at the Clive Davis Institute and at the Tisch School of the Arts,” said Jason King.
Fresh from her appearance at this month's Pitchfork Festival, Jamila Woods has released two astonishing solo albums, HEAVN, and Legacy! Legacy! that have positioned her as one of today's most intriguing and socially-engaged musicians. Jamila is a published author, writing mentor and educator, and the former Associate Artistic Director of Young Chicago Authors.
About the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music
The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University is the premier educational training ground for future leaders in the music industry. The Clive Davis Institute— founded by chief patron and music impresario Clive Davis himself — has developed a reputation for recruiting and developing the most compelling new talent in the business. Graduates include dynamic young producer-songwriter Nija; musical phenoms FLETCHER and Raveena; visionary producer and performer Arca; chart-topping songwriters Take a Daytrip, Emily Warren and Madison Love; and Capitol Records' recording artist Maggie Rogers. The Institute, which officially launched in 2003 and has been the home of instructors like ?uestlove, Q-Tip, Bob Power, Angela Winbush, and Robert Glasper, and also boasts a steady stream of talented graduates barnstorming other industry areas like business, journalism, tech, and production. Recent artists-in-residence at the Institute have included Devonté Hynes/Blood Orange, and 100 gecs.
About Jamila Woods:
Tempering sharp and powerful lyrics with a smooth and emotive voice, Jamila Woods is a Chicago-bred singer-songwriter, educator, and award-winning poet whose inspirations include Gwendolyn Brooks and Toni Morrison. Following the 2016 release of her debut album HEAVN via Chicago label Closed Sessions, Jamila received critical acclaim for her singular genre-blending sound that is both rooted in soul and wholly modern. Her sophomore album LEGACY! LEGACY! Was released via JagJaguwar Records in 2019. It features 12 tracks named after writers, thinkers, and visual artists who have influenced her life and work. As a touring artist, Jamila has shared stages with Corinne Bailey Rae, Raphael Saadiq, Common, Brittany Howard, and many others. A Pushcart Prize-winning poet, her work was featured in the Library of American anthology “African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song” (2020). Jamila recently made her television debut, performing her Toni Morrison inspired track “SULA (Paperback)” on Colbert on January 6th 2021. She is currently conceptualizing her next album.
About Joan Morgan:
Dr. Joan Morgan is the Program Director of the Center for Black Visual Culture at New York University a graduate of NYU’s American Studies Ph.D. program. She is an award-winning cultural critic, feminist author, Grammy nominated songwriter and a pioneering hip-hop journalist. Morgan coined the term “hip-hop feminism” in 1999, when she published the groundbreaking book, When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks it Down which is taught at universities globally. Regarded internationally as an expert on the topics of hip-hop, race and gender, Morgan has made numerous television, radio and film appearances. She has been a Visiting Scholar at The New School, Vanderbilt, Duke and Stanford Universities. She was a Visiting Assistant Professor at her alma mater, New York University, in the department of Social and Cultural Analysis. Her most recent book is She Begat This: 20 Years of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Jamaican-born and South Bronx bred, Morgan is a proud Native New Yorker.