[piano intro] - [Narrator] "Shaped by Sound" is made possible through support from Come Hear NC, a program of the North Carolina Arts Council within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

[gentle music] - "Shaped by Sound".

13 North Carolina artists.

Their songs, their stories, this stage.

[upbeat music] ["Jesse Jackson"] ["Jesse Jackson" continues] ♪ Uh, uh ♪ ♪ Okay, I'm back again, thank y'all just for tapping in ♪ ♪ Ain't no place I can't go, Jesse Jackson reverend ♪ ♪ Lay my baby hairs down ♪ ♪ Ima let that settle in ♪ ♪ This is my initial sermon ♪ ♪ Ima need a hunnid bands ♪ ♪ Baby, I take Klarna, I take Master, I take Visa ♪ ♪ I take Visa ♪ ♪ Unlimited blessings, this is your season ♪ ♪ I can't do this, I can't do that, I think that's treason ♪ ♪ I can fly you out, don't need no reason ♪ ♪ Why you in my business, you're in nose bleed ♪ ♪ St.

Germain mixed with my champagne ♪ ♪ Please don't get too close 'cause you fogging me ♪ ♪ When you lay me down, do it softly ♪ ♪ Why you in my business, you're in nose bleed ♪ ♪ St.

Germain mixed with my champagne ♪ ♪ Please don't get too close 'cause you fogging me ♪ ♪ When you lay me down, do it softly ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ["Jesse Jackson" continues] ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Okay, I back it up, then I leave ♪ ♪ I'm way too clean ♪ ♪ Pull up to my shows in Givenchy, look like a fiend ♪ ♪ My mans gon set me up for that alley and that screen ♪ ♪ Baby, I'm just jumping off that bean ♪ ♪ We in the woods, rock with it then I lean ♪ ♪ Please don't start no trouble ♪ ♪ Unless you trying to join my team ♪ ♪ Double Ds ♪ ♪ Ima pull up in that V ♪ ♪ Why you in my business, you're in nose bleed ♪ ♪ St.

Germain mixed with my champagne ♪ ♪ Please don't get too close 'cause you fogging me ♪ ♪ When you lay me down, do it softly ♪ ♪ Why you in my business, you're in nose bleed ♪ ♪ St.

Germain mixed with my champagne ♪ ♪ Please don't get too close 'cause you fogging me ♪ ♪ When you lay me down, do it softly ♪ ♪ Ah, softly ♪ ♪ What's the word ♪ ♪ Baby, what's the word ♪ ♪ Hey, let's go ♪ ♪ Hey, what's the word ♪ ♪ What's the word, tell me, what's the word ♪ ♪ What's the word, tell me, what's the word ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ What's the word, tell me, what's the word, yeah ♪ ♪ What's the word, tell me, what's the word, yeah ♪ ♪ What's the word, tell me, what's the word, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ - CYANCA, thank you so much for being on the show.

Thanks for being on "Shaped by Sound".

And we're really excited to have you here.

- Thank you.

I'm glad to be here.

- I wanna start out with, you grew up in Smithfield.

- I did.

- Right?

And can you kind of tell us a little bit about Smithfield?

- Smithfield was very... A lot of country living, four wheelers, deer hunting, and a lot of church.

That was my upbringing in Smithfield.

I mean, I graduated with like 79 other kids from high school.

- [James] Really?

- So, a real small town community.

But yeah, that's just the basis of Smithfield.

- Yeah, so as a little kid, you were just, like, ripping around on a four wheeler?

- Absolutely.

I mean, playing, had to go see BB guns, shooting cans, you know?

All the fun stuff you should do as a country kid.

- That's incredible.

I would like to know a little bit more about that freedom, right?

And, like, how did that sort of leak into you getting into music?

- I grew up in a church, and I was in a church a lot.

So, as a kid, it's very hard to keep your attention span.

So, in church, I just gradually start to navigate towards the instruments.

So I'm sitting in church and I'm just like, "Okay, he's preaching," which I was grateful for, but it was, like, times I'm like, "Hmm, let me look over what my cousin on the organ is doing."

And then I'm finding myself drifting up there after church, kind of like curiosity.

I want to, like, touch on the keys, or I wanna play the drums, and I would always get in trouble for it.

Like, you know, because it wasn't the norm for a woman to play instruments, especially in a Baptist church.

- Hmm.

- 'Cause we were wearing skirts, so.

I wasn't allowed to wear pants.

So it didn't make sense, you know, with me up there.

But my grandmother, she saw that I really had a strong knack for it, so about, like, six or seven, for Christmas, I kept telling my grandparents, "I want a drum set, I want a drum set."

And my dad, he bought me one for Christmas.

It was all white, gold trimming.

And I played it every day.

It really started in church, like, my love for music.

["New Phone, Who Dis?"]

["New Phone, Who Dis?"

Continues] ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ We gonna vibe, yeah ♪ ♪ We gonna vibe, yeah ♪ ♪ Say new phone, who dis, yeah ♪ ♪ New phone, who dis ♪ ♪ Paper, I'm getting this paper ♪ ♪ If you can't coincide with my mind ♪ ♪ We can't lay up ♪ ♪ I be flexing ♪ ♪ I be flexing ♪ ♪ If you really ain't tryna grind ♪ ♪ We can't be texting ♪ ♪ 'Cause I be rolling ♪ ♪ Along ♪ ♪ Oh, I be rolling ♪ ♪ Along ♪ ♪ All night long, all night long ♪ ♪ Ding, dong ♪ ♪ To my ♪ ♪ Queendom ♪ ♪ Wassup ♪ ♪ Ding, dong ♪ ♪ To my ♪ ♪ Queendom ♪ ♪ Wassup ♪ ♪ Ding, dong ♪ ♪ To my ♪ ♪ Queendom ♪ ♪ Wassup ♪ ♪ Ding, dong ♪ ♪ New phone ♪ ♪ Queendom ♪ ♪ Paper ♪ ♪ I'm still getting paper ♪ ♪ If you can't coincide with my mind ♪ ♪ We can't lay up ♪ ♪ No ♪ ♪ I be flexing ♪ ♪ I be flexing ♪ ♪ If you really ain't tryna grind ♪ ♪ We can't be texting ♪ ♪ 'Cause I be rolling ♪ ♪ Along ♪ ♪ Oh, I be rolling ♪ ♪ Along ♪ ♪ All night long, all night long, all night long ♪ ♪ So, ding, dong ♪ ♪ To my ♪ ♪ Queendom ♪ ♪ Wassup ♪ ♪ Ding, dong ♪ ♪ To my ♪ ♪ Queendom ♪ ♪ I say wassup ♪ ♪ Ding, dong ♪ ♪ To my ♪ ♪ Queendom ♪ ♪ Wassup ♪ ♪ Ding, dong ♪ ♪ New phone, yeah ♪ ♪ Queendom ♪ ♪ Say, new phone ♪ ♪ I say, new phone ♪ ♪ I say, new phone ♪ ♪ I say, new phone ♪ ♪ I say, new phone ♪ ♪ I say, new phone ♪ ♪ I say, new phone ♪ ♪ I say, new phone ♪ I was chilling at my friend's house one day, and he's like, "Yo, if you could produce or write for anybody, who would it be?"

And I was like, "Erykah Badu."

And they were like, "Well, make something on the spot right now.

What if she walks in this room?

You gotta be ready."

And I was like, "Okay."

So I just started playing and I started dabbling, and they was like, "Yo, that's so fire.

You should go, like, record that."

Found a studio, found this guy named Lafel, and I went up to him, I was like, "Man, I don't have a lot of money, I don't know what I'm doing, but let me play you some stuff I'll be making on the side," played him some beats.

And he was like, "You're so dope."

And I was like, "Really?

Are you sure?"

He was like, "Yo, come to my house.

I got a little set up at the crib."

So I pulled up and rerecorded my song that's out now, "Badu", in his closet.

- In his closet?

- Yeah.

- Wow.

Wait, is that a big closet?

Like, what is that?

- No.

- It's just two of you in this little, tiny little closet?

- It's like a small... Yeah, I'm sweating in a small closet.

No light, nothing.

Just a mic.

- Yeah.

- Yes.

He's on the outside.

And I put it up on the SoundCloud.

- [James] Yeah.

- And [imitates rocket whooshing], naturally started getting traction every day.

And I was like, "What does this mean?"

He's like, "You gotta be an artist now."

I said, "What?"

[laughs] And that's how it all began.

["Badu"] ["Badu" continues] ♪ Sitting on ♪ ♪ On the porch ♪ ♪ Crying, looking ♪ ♪ For the Lord ♪ ♪ Saying, please save the baby ♪ ♪ 'Cause she's going crazy ♪ ♪ Fell out of love ♪ ♪ With my second love ♪ ♪ Then I turned on the radio ♪ ♪ I heard a beautiful soul ♪ ♪ It was Erykah Badu ♪ ♪ It was Erykah Badu ♪ ♪ It was Erykah Badu ♪ ♪ It was Erykah Badu ♪ ♪ Badu, Badu ♪ ♪ She helps me through my blues ♪ ♪ I can't, can't lose ♪ ♪ Badu, Badu ♪ ♪ Badu ♪ ♪ I've been chilling in the house all day ♪ ♪ I've chilling on the couch all day ♪ ♪ Broke it off with my spouse last May ♪ ♪ Still can't get them thoughts out my way ♪ ♪ Stormy clouds up above ♪ ♪ Shining lights, silhouettes of a dove ♪ ♪ You can aim for my ones, just don't aim for my love ♪ ♪ Like a light of the blunt, this is fire from lungs ♪ ♪ Got a higher the mind, we don't work for the funds ♪ ♪ Trying to find it, where we hiding the silver lining ♪ ♪ This is platinum when you flip the rhyming ♪ ♪ To the maximum, tell me if it's honest ♪ ♪ Draw some drums on them, tell me if it's rhyming ♪ ♪ I was out of line, you'll never find it ♪ ♪ I was playing Simon says, now I am telling Simon ♪ ♪ Ooh-wee, this is how it's supposed to be ♪ ♪ The wave file spoke to me, now wave on ♪ ♪ Hey, let's go ♪ ["Badu" continues] ♪ It was Erykah Badu, yeah ♪ ♪ It was Erykah Badu ♪ - You've got a new EP coming out.

- [CYANCA] Yeah.

- And I wanna make sure I'm calling this right.

Katina?

- Yes.

- [James] Now, that's your mother's name, right?

- It is.

- So, what made you want to name the new EP after your mom?

- Losing my mother at a young age, I have no memory of her.

I have nothing.

And then fast forwarding, going through a house fire at age seven, losing every tangible thing about her.

- Oh my gosh.

- Like clothes, pictures.

So everything was just wiped out.

But then I went through a space of curiosity.

I was scared to go there because I felt like if I start to get curious or look for things, it would open up more grief that I didn't want to enter into.

So, I was very, very intentional about being very careful about entering that realm.

But recently, I guess 'cause I'm getting older, I don't know, but I'm wanting to know everything about my mom.

Like, now I can honor her in a way that I would like to, and plus the number one thing finding out is that she was a singer.

So I said, how can I curate, what would my mother's sound be like if she was alive?

So this project is me kind of reinventing and making the the theme, would you say, theme song for my mother, at the same time, showing my side as well.

- So as you're combining these two people, what are you finding?

- I am Katina.

- [James] Yeah.

Really?

- That's when I'm learning, like, that's wild.

I'm like, yo, everything about her, we had so many similarities, and even my family's like, "Yo, every time we look at you, we just see your mother.

Y'all look like each other.

Y'all act the same."

It's a beautiful thing.

["Eat"] ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Tired of the same old thing ♪ ♪ Candy paint trying to switch up lanes ♪ ♪ Riding through in a midnight daze ♪ ♪ Looking up, waiting for my midnight praise ♪ ♪ Begging, Lord, please let me upgrade ♪ ♪ Elevate and make things change ♪ ♪ Didn't come when I wanted, but it came ♪ ♪ I switched up, pulled up in a new black range ♪ ♪ I say, eat up and pour up, yeah ♪ ♪ I just glowed up, yeah ♪ ♪ Eat up and pour up ♪ ♪ Hold up, I just glowed up ♪ ♪ You know, I have give it to you ♪ ♪ You know I had to give it to 'em, yeah ♪ ♪ You know I had to switch up on them ♪ ♪ Know I had to switch up on 'em ♪ ♪ I say, eat up, yeah ♪ ♪ I say, eat up and pour up, yeah ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Momma used to stay up late ♪ ♪ Daddy used to scrape them plates ♪ ♪ Riding with my ♪ ♪ Ain't changed ♪ ♪ But the way I spend my money different ways ♪ ♪ Backseat bumping that old Sade ♪ ♪ Blazed up, don't give a what they say ♪ ♪ Didn't come when I wanted, but it came ♪ ♪ I switched up and pulled up in a ♪ ♪ Pulled up in, I say, eat up ♪ ♪ And pour up, yeah ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Eat up and hold up ♪ ♪ Hold up, I just glowed up ♪ ♪ Know I had to give it to them ♪ ♪ Know I had to give it to them ♪ ♪ Know I had to switch up on them ♪ ♪ Know I had to switch up on them ♪ - You've talked about having a 50% hearing loss.

- Whew.

[laughs] Losing my hearing was so traumatic.

It came outta nowhere.

I just got really sick one night.

- Well, when was this?

- Maybe about coming up on nine years ago?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

Whatever sickness I had, it was a virus.

It was attacking the nerves on the right side of my head.

And after they caught it, you know, through antibiotics, it was too late.

I had severe nerve damage in my right ear.

So they were like, "We can't reverse nerve damage."

So, oh my God, I went to a deep depression.

I was angry.

I'm like, "God, why would you do this to me?

I am a musician.

I need my hearing."

I was so upset, but I couldn't give up.

I didn't stop being an artist, because at that time, I had a solid fan base, so I just had to navigate it.

I just suffered in silence and I just had to get used to it.

Like, I just had to look... I stopped being angry with God and realized that, okay, I gotta be chosen.

You keep taking me through too much trauma.

Like, I gotta be chosen.

You ain't taking me through all this for no reason.

So, I started to own it, and, like, people were like, "That's..." So, when I would tell people, they were like, "That's so cool, you are like Beethoven now."

I'm like, [laughs] "You're right.

I'm a genius."

[both laughing] ["Ruff Ryder"] ["Ruff Ryder" continues] ["Ruff Ryder" continues] ♪ We gonna ride tonight.

♪ ♪ Astro fan outside tonight ♪ ♪ Jamie, oh, my lord, tonight ♪ ♪ Nobody, baby, on cloud tonight ♪ ♪ Oh, we gonna ride tonight ♪ ♪ Astro fan outside tonight ♪ ♪ Jamie, oh, my lord, tonight ♪ ♪ Nobody, baby, we gonna slide tonight, oh ♪ ♪ Send me your location ♪ ♪ Pour champagne on me, baby, I'm tasteful ♪ ♪ Bashful, it a known issue ♪ ♪ Why, why was I, that wouldn't be you ♪ ♪ Find the inspiration ♪ ♪ I'ma play forward, I don't care for ransom ♪ ♪ Groovin, baby, give me, give me groovin ♪ ♪ First time here, but I ain't no losing ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ We gonna ride tonight ♪ ♪ Astro fan outside tonight ♪ ♪ Jamie, oh, my lord, tonight ♪ ♪ Nobody, baby, on cloud tonight ♪ ♪ Oh, we gonna ride tonight ♪ ♪ Astro fan outside tonight ♪ ♪ Jamie, oh, my lord, tonight ♪ ♪ Nobody, baby, we gonna slide tonight, oh ♪ ♪ Send me your location ♪ ♪ Pour champagne on me, baby, I'm tasteful ♪ ♪ Jason, I'm the inspiration ♪ ♪ Groovin, baby, give me, give me groovin ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Ooh, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Listen ♪ ♪ We gonna ride tonight ♪ ♪ Astro fan outside tonight ♪ ♪ Jamie, oh, my lord, tonight ♪ ♪ Nobody, baby, we gonna slide tonight, oh ♪ - How are you shaped by sound?

- How am I shaped by sound?

You know, like, you gotta think of that question, you gotta repeat the question back.

- Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

It took us months to answer this question.

- [laughs] How am I shaped by sound?

Man.

Through healing.

Like, it's a healing journey for me at this point.

Music heals me.

Sound heals me.

Now that I have the hearing loss, I listen to things on different frequency.

I hear things from a different perspective.

So, I'm shaped through healing, and just... Man, that's really how I'm shaped by it.

- Yeah.

Thank you again so much for doing our show.

- Thank you.

- We're so pumped for you to be here.

- Thank you.

- And it's just been such a pleasure, so thank you.

- I appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

- Awesome.

Thanks, CYANCA.

["Get That Bag"] ["Get That Bag" continues] ♪ Baby, baby, I've been going crazy ♪ ♪ I ain't gotta say it before ♪ ♪ Picture perfect, I can be a vulture ♪ ♪ Looking for somewhere to explore ♪ ♪ Oh, it calls for desperate times ♪ ♪ No, I cannot waste your time ♪ ♪ Hold it for certain, make sure that it's worth it ♪ ♪ Never meant to hurt you before ♪ ♪ Hold on, help's on the way ♪ ♪ Help's on the way ♪ ♪ Hold on, hold on ♪ ♪ Hold on if you stay ♪ ♪ Hold on, start a fire, come around ♪ ♪ And try to get that bag ♪ ♪ Hold on, start to come around ♪ ♪ And try to get that bag, yeah ♪ ♪ Holding on to love ♪ ♪ And trying to get that bag, yeah ♪ ♪ Hold on, start to come around ♪ ♪ Trying to get that bag, yeah ♪ ["Get That Bag" continues] ["Get That Bag" continues] ["Get That Bag" continues] ♪ Hold on, help's on the way ♪ ♪ Help's on the way ♪ ♪ Hold on, hold on ♪ ♪ Hold on if you stay ♪ ♪ Hold on, start a fire, come around ♪ ♪ We've gotta get that bag ♪ ♪ Hold on, start to come around ♪ ♪ And try to get that bag, yeah ♪ ♪ Holding on to love ♪ ♪ Hold on, start to come around ♪ ♪ We can't get that bag, oh, yeah, yeah ♪ ["Get That Bag" continues] - [James] Thanks for joining us on "Shaped by Sound".

If you'd like to hear more of our discussion from today, you can find it over on our website, pbsnc.org/shapedbysound, or you can find it on the PBS App.

["Ruff Ryder"] ♪ We gonna ride tonight ♪ ♪ Astro fan outside tonight ♪ ♪ Jamie, oh, my lord, tonight ♪ ♪ Nobody, baby, on cloud tonight ♪ ♪ Oh, we gonna ride tonight ♪ ♪ Astro fan outside tonight ♪ ♪ Jamie, oh, my lord, tonight ♪ ♪ Nobody, baby, we gonna slide tonight, oh ♪ ♪ Send me your location ♪ ♪ Pour champagne on me, baby, I'm tasteful ♪ ♪ Bashful, it a known issue ♪ ♪ Why, why was I, that wouldn't be you ♪ ♪ Find the inspiration ♪ ♪ I'ma play forward, I don't care for ransom ♪ ♪ Groovin, baby, give me, give me groovin ♪ ♪ First time here, but I am no losing ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ [gentle music] - [Narrator] "Shaped by Sound" is made possible through support from Come Hear NC, a program of the North Carolina Arts Council within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.