“It Was An Amazing Audience… You Could Just Soak Up The Smiles”: YolanDa Brown On Her Spectacular Debut at Riyadh International Jazz Festival
The award-winning saxophonist wowed music fans at the inaugural jazz festival last month. Bazaar Saudi sat down with the musician to discuss the festival’s future, nurturing new talent and representation for women of colour in the industry
YolanDa Brown is as lovely as she is legendary. The multi-award-winning musician and broadcaster has one of those genuine smiles that’s always on the cusp of a gleeful laugh, and when she does start laughing you can’t help but join in. She spreads a contagious joy that is as evident when she’s chatting about her two young daughters or the family’s beloved Newcastle United Football Club, as when she picks up the saxophone and puts on one of her breathtaking performances. It’s an infectious delight that had the audience of her headline slot at last month’s inaugural Riyadh International Jazz Festival up on their feet, singing along and cheering. “It was an amazing audience,” recalls the musician. “I made sure to go down the stairs and into the audience and you could just soak up the smiles, people were high-fiving me!”
The festival was YolanDa’s first visit to The Kingdom and also her first performance in the region. So, how did she decide what would be on the set list for an audience that was so new to her? “I think I can only be myself, I do live by this, and so if somebody asks me to come and play anywhere; a wedding or a funeral through to an arena or a jazz club, I’m only going to be myself, so that’s a mix of reggae, jazz and soul,” explains the composer, author and entrepreneur, who picked up an OBE accolade for her services to music from King Charles last year. “Music is a universal language, so I always say at the start of the show; ’whatever you want to do, however you feel, react in that way’. I want people to feel joy. I want them to feel entertained. I didn’t want to tailor my show in any way, I even played a bit of Bob Marley because my parents are from Jamaica and the audience in Riyadh sang louder than some of the audiences I’ve played around the world. We played a song from the upcoming album that nobody’s heard before and the reaction was just beautiful for that too – a big applause at the end.”
YolanDa’s trip to the Kingdom was brief, 34-hours in total, but she managed to squeeze a lot in, including her Bazaar shoot, her performance, and she also managed to check out some of the local artists on the bill including Jeddah-based fulana, an indie music singer-songwriter. “Fulana was on just before me and I made sure to poke my head out and enjoy the music, and I think that’s what I really loved about the festival when they first told me about it, that mixing the cultures, making sure that we had that clear musical exchange, and it was brilliant.” says YolanDa who wears all Saudi designers from the Fashion Commission’s Saudi100 Brands programme for this shoot. “I think the great thing about jazz in particular is that you’re finding that cultures and different styles of music are filtering in anyway, so it works so well together. I’m a big fan, I can’t wait to hear more and go back and maybe do some more.”
It’s a new Saudi Arabia that YolanDa is experiencing, less than a decade ago she, like faluna, would have been unable to perform live music in the Kingdom, and something like an international jazz festival would have been a far-fetched dream but now, the Ministry’s Music Commission in particular is keen to not just make music more accessible but promote the industry as a viable career option for people in Saudi. YolanDa has some advice for those wanting to break into said industry, and she should know, she is Chair of the British Phonographic Industry, Chair of the Youth Music charity, a sitting member of the UK Arts Council and on the advisory board of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and that’s only half of the positions she holds. “I think the main thing is communication, people don’t really know what it means to have a job in the music industry, somebody might be really interested in journalism, so they could be a music journalist, or they’re really interested in law, but they could be a music lawyer – the sort of staple jobs that parents know and love,” laughs the artist, who in 2018 co-launched the Drake YolanDa Award that offers grants to emerging musicians aged between 16-30. “But also, if you’re a creative, there are so many avenues, especially now with social media, you can literally speak to your audience and build a brand without the bigger companies, I still remember having to hand out my own flyers 20 years ago – that’s all changed. What the Music Commission is doing, with new CEO Paul Pacifico at the helm, is helping put systems and support in place, like if you’re a musician, how do you collect royalties? And a place for learning what other jobs you can do.”
Her performance, and indeed the festival, which was held at the Mayadeen Theatre in Diriyah, as a whole has been a huge success but does YolanDa, who launched her London Saxophone Festival in 2018 and is in its third iteration, have any tips on what to bear in mind for the second Riyadh International Jazz Festival, and those that may follow that?
“I was really pleased to see that they went big rather than opting for small hotels around the area to just see how it grows,” says YolanDa of the festival that also hosted funk legend Chaka Khan, singer and saxophonist Masego and Australian soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote. “They really came in with a bang and I would say don’t slow that down. Keep that same momentum to make sure that it stays a world class festival. And keep an eye on local talent, I loved how the programming had Saudi artists and worldwide artists, but is there something more? A collaboration night – something that could only happen in Riyadh? I think that will make people want to come over and be a part of it.”
It’s good advice from someone who is very much an authority on music, her knowledge, taste and skills are wide reaching, one minute she’s posting a picture with Nigerian singer WizKid on X, the next she’s performing a Take That cover and then there’s the matter of composing music for children’s favourite Sesame Street, how does she stay across so many genres? “I do like everything when it comes to music, I grew up in a household where my dad always loved music and he’s got the most beautiful vinyl collection, from opera through to classical to ska, reggae, funk, so everything under the sun – we had it,” explains YolanDa who has collaborated with everyone from The Temptations and Jools Holland to Beverley Knight and Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child. “I didn’t grow up knowing genre. I just grew up knowing that you listen to music for whatever mood you’re in. It wasn’t until I went to university and people asked: ‘what are you into?’ And I was like; ‘I don’t know how to answer this question’.”
YolanDa’s list of accolades is too long to fully include in this piece and she’s an artist who is a leader in her many fields, it’s not a position women of colour often find themselves in so, how important is representation to her? “It’s really important, and as I get older, I understand how much more important it is, also having the next generation of black women in the house in my two daughters, I understand that whatever you do is being watched and can ignite and motivate and inspire,” she explains. “I wouldn’t say that’s the main driver because that’s a lot of pressure on the shoulders, but I love being that voice around the table that can number one, speak for creatives but also just bring that diversity of thought, and you do notice that there aren’t many of us. I feel that my legacy is to make sure that we have more people around the table and champion those voices, and make sure that they’re heard.”
Despite being one of the busiest women we might have ever interviewed for Bazaar, YolanDa is throwing herself head first into a new venture – the equal parts exciting and exhausting world of opening a live music venue and eatery. Soul Mama in North London won’t be her first project like this, she did run a similar set up back in 2010. “The world has changed so rapidly in 14 years and it’s always been the dream to bring it back and the way my career and profile has grown has been so lovely which helps,” reveals YolanDa who crowd funded SAR1.2m for her project in just eight weeks, the highest ever amount for a restaurant start-up on Kickstarter, anywhere in the world. “There’s times when I know I could get bums on seats and certain venues would say, ‘oh, but we don’t do that style of music’. So for me, it’s about championing different styles of music, it’s just a place where people can have joy, entertainment, great food, and a new experience – no matter the style of music. It could be a podcast recording it could be comedy, it could be poetry. And I think it’s really nice to have that platform to shine the light on this creative stream.”
Soul Mama will serve a mix of African-Caribbean and Brazilian food and also be open to pop-up chefs, with creativity and collaboration at the heart of the enterprise. “It’s a place for new talent but also a venue we’ll fly people over for, the dream for Soul Mama is to create a touring platform and have different locations around the world with artists doing a Soul Mama tour,” says the philanthropist and radio presenter. “I would love to collaborate with the festival in Riyadh! In fact, I said it on stage at the festival. I planted the seed and I’ve had messages on socials saying they can’t wait.”
We can’t wait either, Riyadh and Soul Mama sound like a match made in heaven.
Photography by Sam Rawadi. Styling by Qwan Anthony. Make-Up by Daad Aldahami.
Lead image credit: Cape from Seetah