How Black Girls Can Reclaim Their Voice in Music | Kyra Gaunt | TED

TL;DR

This content explores the unintended consequences of Black tween girls' intimate bedroom musical play and the impact of technology on their self-perception and empowerment.

Transcript

I was on a date, just about to eat dinner, and I hear a growling sound. And I look at the guy, he says to me, "That's your stomach, not mine." (Laughs) How do I not recognize the sounds coming from my own body, not to mention my own voice? I love the sound of my voice on a microphone, but it didn't start out that way. When I was younger, I was in l... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎙️ Our perception of our own voice can be drastically different from how it sounds on a recording, leading to feelings of insecurity and self-doubt.
• 🎵 Gender plays a role in how young girls engage with technology, with singing and musical play often being associated with girls and happening in private spaces like bedrooms.
• 📹 Online platforms like YouTube and musical apps expose girls to male-dominated songs with explicit lyrics, potentially normalizing and groomings them for unhealthy relationships.
• 💃 Twerking, a dance style prevalent in African and Afro-Latina diasporas, is being appropriated and exploited by male producers and artists, influencing younger and younger girls.
• 🎶 Music has a profound effect on our emotions and can create a sense of social bonding and intimacy, making it a powerful tool for shaping behavior and beliefs.
• 💔 Inadequate representation of Black female voices in music and technology perpetuates stereotypes and silences the voices and experiences of Black girls.
• 🔁 Breaking the cycle requires empowering Black girls to create their own music and supporting female musicians, allowing them to establish their own value and challenge societal norms.
• 🌟 Encouraging young girls to embrace their own voices and trust their instincts can lead to positive self-regulation and the ability to assert boundaries in all aspects of their lives.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the speaker's initial reaction to hearing her own voice on a recording?

The speaker explains that when she was younger and heard her voice on a recording for the first time, she hated it. There was a significant difference between what she thought she sounded like and what the tape revealed to her. This experience was traumatic, as she did not recognize herself.

Q: What did the speaker do instead of singing on tape after her negative experience with her recorded voice?

After her negative experience with her recorded voice, the speaker chose to stick to dancing in front of the mirror and lip syncing. She fell in love with other people's voices instead of her own, avoiding further exposure to the sound of her own voice.

Q: What is the focus of the speaker's research as a digital ethnomusicologist?

As a digital ethnomusicologist, the speaker studies Black tween girls and specifically focuses on the unintended consequences of their intimate bedroom musical play. She explores how these girls record and upload viral dances on mobile apps, while highlighting the fact that the songs they choose to accompany their dances often mute their own voices and contain explicit lyrics primarily sung by male artists.

Q: How have the voices that Black girls hear in their own musical play changed in the age of technology and online platforms?

In the past, before the rise of platforms like YouTube and WorldstarHipHop, the voices that Black girls heard in their own musical play were predominantly their own. However, in the current online environment, Black girls are inundated with the sounds of musical mansplaining. The popular songs that dominate the Billboard and YouTube charts tend to be written, produced, and engineered by men, resulting in a significant shift in the voices that Black girls hear and engage with.

Q: What effect does music have on individuals beyond their conscious thoughts?

Music has a profound effect on individuals beyond their conscious thoughts. It has the ability to lower our threshold of pain and reward us with the feeling of social bonding and intimacy. Music is self-soothing and can evoke different moods. However, the speaker emphasizes that this mood created by music is also grooming younger girls to tolerate psychological violence in dating situations and in their own intimate bedroom musical play.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker reflects on their childhood experience of recording their voice and hating the way it sounded, and how many people can relate to not recognizing their own voice on tape.

• The speaker discusses the unintended consequences of Black tween girls' musical play on mobile apps, where they record dances to male songs that often have explicit lyrics and objectify them.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of Black girls hearing their own voices in their musical play, as it can empower them and help them develop their own internal signals and self-regulation. They suggest that if Black girls produced their own music and preferred female musicians, they could create a revolution in the music and tech industry.