Nelly Stharre is a unique artiste who uses her music to bring about change, which she says has been a long time coming. She lives and breathes her music, which is a beautiful thing to experience because of how passionately she crusades.
Her songs tell stories, often of a woman’s struggle in all aspects of her life including Nelly’s own tale of fighting to spread her message of love, hope and non-violence in a music business that would like her to dress differently; sing of things contrary to her beliefs and sell sex to sell records.
Nelly Stharre (pronounced Star) has been defiant; refusing to bow to the pressures of “being someone I am not” and singing songs she considers damaging to her image as a positive, powerful, emerging voice in the Caribbean. She has not found mainstream success as a consequence, but she is known in the French-speaking Caribbean and is set to reach new audiences with her inclusion in the United Nations Secretary General’s ‘Unite to End Violence Against Women’ campaign. The campaign’s regional launch was held in Barbados on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
“I am a musical revolutionary; I believe in fighting for something with music and there are so many things to fight for. My motto is that music is the weapon of the people with no guns and ammunition; you can utilize music for change…,” Nelly said during a recent sit-down with The Scene.
She is hugging her guitar as the conscious words flow from her lips. Nelly’s hair is dreadlocked, neatly covered with a woven hat and matching wrap and she is casually attired in a long, flowing dress bearing the emblems of the Rastafarian culture.
Nelly writes every song with the belief that a verse or a line will uplift someone; “a young person”, she said. She feels that it is important to put out the right message, particularly for young girls and women who are turning on the radio to listen and or are watching music videos.
Nelly’s first album ‘Wake Up’ was released in 1994 and it was largely Creole music; she recorded the album in Guadeloupe. She co-wrote the title track on the album which she explained was calling on her generation to wake up, move forward and take charge. A politician (count on one to follow suit) from her native Dominica grabbed the album title and campaigned with it telling voters he was awake and ready to create change; the run inspired many people in the country.
‘Rain Jah’ was her second album and it told the story of a man who worked to build his life through hard labour on a farm and his farm later goes up in flames. “He cries, praising to the creator to let it rain and rain to me signifies redemption,” Nelly said.
Her third album, ‘Soul Country’ spoke of a world free of hate, war and pain. She said even the animals conversed with humans in ‘Soul Country’ since she believes “we are all related”. ‘Soul Country’ for her is not a physical place, but a place where you go looking for peace, keeping calm and finding yourself. She is currently working on a fourth album.
“I want to do music that will last for the next 30/40 years; I want to do it in a way that it benefits the next generation because that is very important to me,” she says. Her music has a roots/reggae/culture vibe, but there is also an element of blues. She also sings folk and her style is characterized by an intense passion and varying moods.
Her influences range from Bob Marley to Nina Simone and Billie Holiday and according to her, their music was passionate and real. Nelly praises Holliday and Simone saying she loved what they stood for. “They were very strong black women singing and rising in difficult times. I take so much inspiration from that,” she added.
Nelly has been singing longer than she can remember and was actively involved in poetry and theatre during her school days. “I can’t give you years,” she says.
Being part of the ‘Unite’ campaign is something she is proud of, saying she is also involved in other women’s groups and the ‘Year of the Child’ group in Dominica. Nelly says being part of the ‘Unite’ movement allows her to make a direct contribution to changing the culture of violence in the region; but it is also about her continuing her work and spreading her message.
Nelly identifies herself as an activist for various causes and she wrote a song for the ‘Unite’ campaign which she will call, “A Woman’s Prayers”. She had no name for the song at the time of the interview, but it looks at the strength of a woman in the face of trials. When she performed the song live in Barbados it felt more than a performance; it was an experience.
On a personal level, Nelly’s family experienced domestic violence and she grew up watching an aunt suffer. She said the fight to change attitudes and target young people, including boys, is something she considers important. Nelly recalls that when she decided to take up singing as a career there was some resistance from her family since there were expectations for her to take up medicine or law. “That was not where my passion was; I followed my heart,” she says.
Nelly admits that she has a difficultly working for people including record labels because she has issues with people telling her what to sing and how to market herself. She was previously signed with companies in Guadeloupe and France but is currently working as an independent musician. She said some people even see her as a troublemaker because of how outspoken she is sometimes.
She is a mother of three and has been travelling throughout the French Caribbean to promote her music. Her music is also on the internet. She says people can find her music on YouTube if they search for her by name and she is also on Reverbnation and MySpace at www.myspace.com/nellystharrenatureislandgirl. (ianaseales@yahoo.com)
