Fictional & Non-fictional Musings from The Shadow Self
Alimah performs lead guitar and rhythmic guitar, performing for her own music as well as collaborating with other artists. And as far as her mastery as a guitarist, I was inspired by the guitarists Jimi Hendrix, Ernie Isley, and Pat Metheny. Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic" and "Are You Experienced" were two songs that greatly inspired how... Continue Reading →
Alimah's Vocals I had fun imagining Alimah’s vocal style and type. For her voice, I gave her a raspy, sultry, mezzo-soprano vocal type similar to Stacy Barthe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ5UqwEmoXU However, in many of her rock ballads, her vocal pitch can go higher and sound similar to singer-songwriter Diana Gordon (FKA Wynter Gordon) in this video below:... Continue Reading →
As a debut artist, Alimah rode the old school hip-hop, nu-rave, and hypebeast popularity during the mid-2000’s MySpace days (yes, I’m showing my age). Artists like M.I.A., Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and NERD, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, Santigold, and Kelis were a big part of the style in this era. In her debut years, at... Continue Reading →
Alimah is the main character of my novel Ungrateful. She is a singer-songwriter, composer, and producer that was signed to Aten from 2006-2015. She recorded music in the genres of alternative rock, industrial rock, R&B, and funk. Starting out as an R&B singer and dancer, she has transitioned into rock alternative on her sophomore album, showcasing... Continue Reading →
This year I teamed up with other literary experts at Literature & Pen to design and lead workshops for writers, readers, and others! So, I'm starting 2022 off pretty well. 👩🏽✍🏽 The title of my workshop is "Un-stereotyping: “Decolonizing” Offensive and Racial Tropes in Ethnic Literature". I will discuss the history of various racial tropes... Continue Reading →
In the final part of this short story series, Alimah gets the big break she prayed for.
Alimah records her rock demo for the first time, while she copes with her parents being in rehab.
While Alimah's father is away from home for the weekend, she goes to her first punk concert with her oldest sister. Teenage experimentation goes wrong but Alimah leaves the concert empowered.
Part One: the story of how a child prodigy, trained in classical and jazz music, developed dreams of rock music success after mastering the guitar. Simultaneously, she grows up in an extremely dysfunctional household amid sibling rivalry, an adulterous and drug-abusing mother, and a famous jazz musician father who is always touring and barely home.
Book talk on Black women in the rock industry and their fight against sexism, misogynoir, and ageism.
Kenya Nelson | Writer 