Author takes us through her poetry album 'Walk it Out'

The album was written over the course of time. I believe I started writing words to the first poem Contentment in 2008. The album was completed and mastered and available on iTunes and other digital platforms in 2012. At the time of writing I had a strong belief in the power of music and my greatest inspiration came from female lyricists like Lauryn Hill and Ursula Rucker and also, Linton Kwesi Johnson. Music seemed to make words come alive. The beats in the music carried mood and emotion like the heart beats. I think it was in an interview with BBC World Service that I first spoke about the album as a form of therapy and an outlet for thoughts and ideas that I felt were greater than my capacity to process at the time. When we started the album I was pregnant with my first son and by the time we were finishing I gave birth to my 2nd son. Somewhere in there I suffered from postnatal depression and went through a tough time with it. Through this album I was able to find a high point on the horizon. I used the words and the music to encourage myself and walk it out. Walk It Out is the title track of the album. It takes the listener step by step out of the valley on to higher ground.

I learnt to be brave. I had written so much before this but never anything so open. I made myself vulnerable through this album and I didn’t expect that so many would relate to it. It taught me that as alone as one might feel in their mental or emotional struggles, there is someone out there who has been through it and has come out the other side. Culturally as women we have been taught to not be open or express too much emotion. I regret to say that many women suffer in situations because they would rather suffer quietly than feel the scorn of society when admitting that life isn’t perfect. As women we can suffer from depression, as women we can suffer from abuse and unfortunately many of us go through those dark places believing that if we open our mouths and speak it out or walk it out, then we are weak. With every poem I wrote for this album, I gained strength. I learnt that I am courageous and I am strong.

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Author takes us through her poetry album 'Walk it Out'

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