Atéha Bailly
2023
Music
Somerville, MA
Atéha “Jojo Sounds” Bailly is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Somerville, MA. He is a Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School where he studies music’s role in religious and racial identity formation and the ethics of artistic persona. Inspired by his multiethnic and multi-religious family background, his music blends musical traditions from across the black diaspora to explore life in the interstices of cultures, places, and identities. He is currently working on a collection of songs that consider the relationship between waterways and ideas of migration, home, and homeland.
He has also released several projects under the name Jo Atto and was awarded the Kaspar T. Locher Creative Scholarship for his 2016 release Things I See. He is an alumnus of the Boston Children’s Chorus, a member of the Boston-based vocal ensemble Voices 21C, and the bassist for Realized Nation, a music collective that collaborates with Boston nonprofits.
BIO
I believe the viscerality of music makes it the most powerful tool we have to explore and express the complexities of human emotion and identity. As such, I draw inspiration from my heritage as an American of African, Afro-Latino, and Caribbean descent to investigate the emotional process of constructing an integrated self in light of cultural inbetweeness and the richness and nuance of Blackness. Combining West African rhythms and production techniques spanning various black electronic music traditions (i.e. hip-hop, house, dub, jungle, etc.), I express the diversity of cultures that make up who I am and unearth unexpected and unexplored connections between them.
STATEMENT
How can we make the outdoors a space of belonging?
At its core, the outdoors always has been and always will be a space for everyone. I believe the best way of making the outdoors a space of belonging is by uplifting this reality. Specifically, it entails dispelling the cultural exclusivity of white-dominated outdoor spaces by making historically excluded peoples aware of their equal right to enjoy such spaces. Furthermore, it entails elevating the human history of these outdoor spaces by providing education about the peoples who have stewarded the land. It also involves creating opportunities for experiential learning about the land's ecology and inviting diverse perspectives into conversations about ethically relating to it. I believe my music will contribute to this goal by engaging with the history of the Everglades and by bringing new forms of sonic expression to the area.