American jazz singer and songwriter, Jazzmeia Horn’s problem with silence

American jazz singer and songwriter, Jazzmeia Horn, 33, on what she looks for in every country, growing up in Dallas and her biggest inspiration.

Jazzmeia Horn will perform in Australia this October.

As a kid I was … bad. I did not listen. Never. I never listened. I was in trouble in school all the time. My mum was up at the school almost every day, and I wasn’t beating anybody or bullying anyone or anything. I was the kid that just wouldn’t stop talking in class. I had a problem with silence.

Early on I had … a strong sense of what was right. I grew up in a family of musicians so I always wanted to get the sounds and notes right. When I was in preschool, aged 3, I had a teacher, Mrs Harrison and she was reading a book to the class about the noises animals make. I remember the kids had to say “What does the cow say?” and Ms Harrison would say “moo”. But when we got to the dog in the book, she said that it says “Bow wow” and I knew that wasn’t right. So I interrupted the whole class and said “that’s not what a dog says”. Ms Harrison was not happy so she called my Mum and I remember her saying “Well my daughter is right, dogs don’t bow wow”.

At my family Christmas you will not be able to … name one person who can’t sing or play the piano or guitar. It’s nuts, everybody could sing. I didn’t realise that singing and music wasn’t a part of everyone’s life in the same way, to the point where when I went to school, I was frustrated because some of the kids couldn’t sing in time or in the right key.

Growing up in Dallas, Texas was … very slow. You ain’t missing nothing. Trust me.

I got my start at … the Grammys. I joined the Grammy Jazz Ensembles, which is like a high school band that plays at the Grammys. I was in the vocal ensemble. We came from all over the United States. It was amazing. It was my first time meeting kids who were really serious about the industry. I actually felt a bit behind, they were all writing music and I didn’t know how. From that came a scholarship to the New School in New York. I didn’t know anything about New York. I thought I’d be going to college in Texas where I’m from. It was amazing, there was a jazz club on every corner.

In college my grades were … horrible. I didn’t know how to write music or even read it. I had learned everything in church. I learned everything by ear. My grades were horrible and at that point I thought about giving up. But my teachers convinced me to stay and I worked around it and it worked, I managed to graduate. But once I was out on the scene, there was a new element I had to learn. I didn’t know how to perform and I thought about giving up again. And even when I got my first Grammy nomination six years ago (and didn’t win), I thought to myself “That’s it. I’m giving up”. It’s always in the back of my mind, that urge to give up. My music means so much to me and I want it to mean as much to others but sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes you lose and it doesn’t feel good all the time. But the beautiful thing is that people are still touched by my music. You can’t put a Grammy on that. Those are the moments that really help me never give up.

One of the biggest inspirations in my life … is the resilience that black people have around the world. Especially black women. Being a woman, especially a black woman, is what really inspires me to keep going. I see other women doing it and I’m like you know what, I’m not going to give up.

The hardest lesson I’ve had to learn is …discipline. I don’t get enough rest and a lot of the time it’s because I want to write more music. The hardest lesson is actually making yourself go to bed at a reasonable time and just leaving some things until tomorrow. And it’s not necessarily procrastination, but it feels like procrastination to me because I feel like I’m not getting enough done. It’s still the hardest lesson for me today.

What I look for in every country I visit is …the local roller skating rink. It’s our thing, our culture. Google Texas Roller Skate or Atlanta Roller Skate on Youtube, you’ll see some of the blackest s**t you’ve ever seen in your life.

Jazzmeia Horn returns to Australia this October with concerts in Adelaide on Sunday October 27 and Thursday October 31 as well as Sydney on Friday November 1 as part of Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival. Horn will also collaborate with DEM MOB, students from the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM), University of Adelaide and the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide to write, record produce a new music track and video.