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Justin Michael Williams

Justin Michael Williams

Photo: Courtesy of artist

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Justin Michael Williams Knows You Are Enough justin-michael-williams-talks-i-am-enough-teaching-kids-meditation-pivoting-towards-his

Justin Michael Williams Talks "I Am Enough," Teaching Kids Meditation & Pivoting Towards His Truth

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"People always say we have the answers within, but nobody actually tells us how to get within. How do you get there?"
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 13, 2020 - 4:14 pm

"This is your moment! This is your time!" Justin Michael Williams shouts on his latest single, "I Am Enough," before closing with several choruses of "We are enough." The inspiring song is part of a larger project launched in February: the three-song I Am Enough EP, which also features two chilled-out meditation mixes of the single, and a hefty book entitled "STAY WOKE: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us."

A key element of this project is the Stay Woke, Give Back Tour where Williams brings his book and its vision of helping its readers create a personalized meditation practice that awakens their true passion and purpose to lower-income schools around the country. Each tour date, which will resume in the fall, begins with a lively school assembly where he sings "I Am Enough" and other songs with the students, leads them through meditation and gives everyone a free book to take home and dive into at their own pace. Each stop also includes a free, all-ages event for the public in the evening, to bring more people in the community into the experience.

The first tour stop was in Williams hometown of Pittsburg, Calif. in late February, followed by one in Atlanta. The tour will resume when it is safe to do so later this year, with stops to be slated for Flint, Mich., Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and more. We caught up with the L.A.-based inspirational powerhouse over the phone after his first stop to hear from him about the experience, writing "Stay Woke," I Am Enough and his personal journey to step into his own power.

Related: LA Pride 2019: The Veronicas, Sir Babygirl & More Celebrate The LGBTQ+ Community

What inspired you to write "I Am Enough" and how do you hope listeners will use its message?

I think for so many of us—I said something like this in the beginning of the book—we close our eyes and we can see these lives that we haven't started living yet. We can see all these things that we want to do, whether it's our art, our music, or the relationship we want, the job, or the body or whatever it is. And so many times we feel like we are not enough for those things and we dream too small or we sabotage ourselves.

My big mission with this song in particular, with everything going on in the world today and in our lives, I just wanted a song that can inspire and empower us to feel like something greater is possible. It feels so necessary in 2020. And to have it be a song that wasn't another "We Are the World." That wasn't that kind of a vibe, but just has the pop anthemic feel with the mantra in the song, "I am enough."

What I love about the song is it always gets stuck in people's heads. And I think of how powerful it is to have the words "I am enough" stuck in your head. That's such a cool thing to have stuck in your head versus, like, "all my friends are dead."

So, that's what I hope people will take from that message—that no matter what they're going through in their life, no matter what they've been through, no matter what color their skin is, or who they love, they are enough as they are, to go after the dreams and whatever change they want to see in the world.

"No matter what they're going through in their life, no matter what they've been through, no matter what color their skin is, or who they love, they are enough as they are, to go after the dreams and whatever change they want to see in the world."

I love that. What's the yoga where you just chant? It can be really powerful, but not everyone's going to connect with it.

Kirtan. Thank you. One of the other things I feel called to say, which I think is what stops so many of us. There's this [scared inner] child, no matter how much we achieve, no matter how successful we get, no matter how old we are. That's why in the song I say, "little boy don't cry, little girl don't cry."

People come to my concerts and events who are upwards in their 60s and 70s, all the way down to kids that are 11, 12, 13, and the thing we have in common is there seems to be, no matter what, this kind of child inside of each of us, that really just needs to know, "I got you. You are enough." And be reminded, especially in those moments when we feel like we're not enough, or we can't.

And the kind of spoken-word part. That's you too, right? Do you feel it's different sides or voices of yourself?

Yeah, totally. I'm so glad you asked me. You're the first person to ask that. What I actually did, it was actually the last part of the song that got inserted. The song was already mixed and everything, but something was missing. I just felt it. And my vision was I wanted it to be processed, almost like a Martin Luther King Jr. speech vocal. Like an old vocal, scratchy and kind of screaming. I did it on a super old microphone.

The reason why I felt the talking was important for me too is because I am a musician and a transformational speaker. That is what I do. In the past, I've always had Justin the speaker and Justin the musician. And now what's amazing is they've come together, so I'm trying to integrate them in the best way possible, both sides.

I want to talk about the "Meditation Mix" versions of "I Am Enough" too. Can you tell us about the vision behind that, and about your collaborator Jon Chau?

Jon Chau really did some amazing work. The two reasons there's a shortened version and an extended version is—both of them kind of work for this—but the shortened version feels like something you can vibe out to or put on while you're working, studying, writing or creating. Oftentimes when people are working or focusing, there's music that's just cool random instrumental music. I wanted to make something that had the energy of "I Am Enough" embedded in it that was made specifically to help you get into a creative flow or focus. Not just random vibes.

And with the longer meditation mix, the reason that was done has a little science behind it. It is scientifically proven that the minimum amount of time you should meditate for it to have effects on you is 12 minutes, so that's why I made it that long. And when I was working with Jon he was like, "Do you have an example?" I'm like, "No." And this was the big reason why I did it, all of it is like cheesy nature sounds, and gongs and oceans and that's just the status quo of what we've come to accept mediation music is. But that's not actually the kind of music that most of us even like listening to.

My whole idea is to make meditation not this thing that feels like this other thing that's not for us, that's only for like this certain demographic and you have to be super hippy. This is actually for us. Its music that has the vibe that we already like, that's made for you to meditate to. Making it for this purpose was really important to me. At the beginning of the extended mix, the idea was to make it sound like crystal singing bowls, an electronic version of them, sweeping from side to side. We were trying to pull that energy through and in a new way.

You also recently released your book, "STAY WOKE." You've been touring its empowering message across the country. What do you hope readers will take away from "STAY WOKE"?

The starting point to the book was really, for me, when Trump got elected. I have been teaching mindfulness and meditation and to be totally honest with you, and I say this publicly all the time, I actually don't give a sh*t about meditation itself. I never set out to be a meditation teacher. The only reason I teach it and I got so passionate about sharing it with people, is because I grew up in a home, literally with gunshot holes etched on the outside of my house. I grew up in the hood in the Bay Area, with domestic violence, lots of stuff. And I've done therapy and all the different healing things, I've done ayahuasca. I've done everything to try to heal and overcome. The thing that has transformed my life the most, over everything, was a consistent meditation practice. And not a meditation practice to help you relax, that's good too, but a practice that actually helps you take action.

There's so much confusion about meditation. There are so many different styles and, for a lot of us, the style of trying to sit there and get your mind to stop thinking doesn't work. That's because we're modern people living in a high-tech world, we have all this sh*t to do and meditation techniques try to get you to disconnect from that. But what we want is not to disconnect, we want to connect, we want to connect more deeply to our passions and emotions and the causes we believe in. I think that's what the world needs today.

For me, meditation is about awareness. And right now, awareness is calling us to take action in our lives, for our families, for our communities, for the planet. When Trump got elected, I was like, "Okay, what do I do?" I think so many of us were there. I wasn't really engaged in politics or anything, social justice, I was kind of in the backseat. Going to Pride events, or going to a protest occasionally. And then it just came to me; for some people organizing, marching and fighting is their authentic way. But my authentic way is through my music and my teachings, showing people how to empower themselves and take action in this dark time.

"People always say we have the answers within, but nobody actually tells us how to get within. How do you get there? How do you heal it?"

People always say we have the answers within, but nobody actually tells us how to get within. How do you get there? How do you heal it? People try meditation apps. And for most, when they're really honest with me, they're like, "I tried it for like a week or two, but it didn't really stick. It didn't really work." But everyone's pretending their practices are really working for them. What I just found is a lot of the practices people are doing are just not the right recipe for them.

With my book, one of the things I use is what's called Freedom Meditation—the point of the book is to help you recognize the guru is within you. And I don't prescribe, "This is exactly what you need to do every day." I actually guide people through a process to go within and create their own practice that fits with their life. That is, for the amount of time you have, you self-generate the mantra, you decide what it's for, what it's leading you towards. And the whole book is guiding you through, kind of like a cookbook, but with fill-in the blanks that help you create the recipe for your freedom meditation practice.

I'm going on and on, you can obviously tell I'm really passionate about this. [Laughs.] But to answer the second part of your question, I hope people get a deep connection with their intuition, with their higher self, with their sense of empowerment, that can help them step in fully to the lives that they were born to live. It's meditation for the rest of us, for people who have felt left out, disengaged from the conversation. People of color, the marginalized, people of all kinds, and even people who are not marginalized but who understand why that's important.

I think, for so many people, you don't know where to start. It's like "I don't know how to listen to what I need because I've been ignoring it for the last 20 years." So I really like the guided workflow concept of your book.

I love that you said therapy too. I found the meditation and therapy combo to work, and the science actually backs it too, about meditation basically amplifying everything else you're doing. Because if you're doing therapy but you don't have a practice of being self-aware, you're not actually going that deep. Doing meditation helps you actually really go in and understand what's happening inside of you so that you can even bring more to your therapy practices or integrate more.

One of the things I talked about on my last tour stop is how we're kind of in this wellness renaissance, and all these practices—astrology, crystals, tarot cards, honoring the earth, meditation, everything—come from marginalized people and people of color originally. From Latino cultures, indigenous cultures, African cultures, Asian cultures. Over the years, these things have been, co-opted, colonized, demonized, and now corporatized and sold back in a way that people feel like, "Oh, that's not for us. I don't relate to that." But what's happening now, as different marginalized groups are coming back to these practices and infusing it with our different cultures and our different lenses, what I keep finding is they feel like they're coming home. Like, "Whoa, this really works." That's because these practices literally come from us. And so it's this reclaiming happening I find really, really powerful.

Related: 11 Meditation Apps To Help You Get Calm & Centered During Quarantine & Beyond

That's such a good point. And I feel like that gets overlooked a lot in media coverage and general discourse around, whatever it's being called now, "alternative practices."

And that's why it's such a huge mission for me to change the iconography. With the images and photos in the book too, I'm changing the image of what we see as meditation. On the last stop, I was in a community that's 40 percent Latino, 35 percent African-American, 25 percent Filipino and Asian. And there were 3,500 kids that I spoke in front of. It's so huge, to hundreds and hundreds of them now engaging with this practice.

Before my first presentation, I typed in "meditation" on Google—I wanted to see how long it would take me to find a picture of a black man meditating. And before I saw a picture of a black man meditating in the Google search results, I found a picture that someone made of a dog meditating. Of course, we also relate to this stuff, but the current image is not actually what's true. What's true is we are waking up, we are stepping up and we are claiming this movement, all people, not just black people, but queer people, trans people, everybody. We're stepping into it.

I would love to hear more about the book tour and the idea behind it, as you're directly reaching out to the communities you think will really benefit from the tools it offers. And then, about some of your experiences from your first stops.

The tour has been so fascinating. So, my publisher, Sounds True, is the biggest spirituality and mind/body publisher, so obviously, they're very white. I finished the book and they introduced me to the press tour team, and they're like, "We're going to go on a national book tour to the Upper West Side in New York and to Colorado." I'm like, "Ya'll, that's not why I wrote this book. We can go there, but that can't be the only thing." And they were like, "What do you want to do?"

I actually had this idea that I can't even say I had. You know when you're meditating and you have an idea just plugged into your brain like a flash drive? I don't know if that's happened to you, but that was my experience. And I had the idea that we go to high schools and we go to colleges in underprivileged communities all around the country, South Side Chicago, Atlanta, Oakland, Flint, with the water crisis, Miami. We go to these communities that aren't getting access to this and we give them all a free book, but most importantly, we do an event that brings this content into their context and reaches the kids in a way they feel is fun and accessible, and they can relate to. Some of these practices we take so damn seriously, it's so damn somber and still and kids are not going to jump into that.

So, the events are kind of like a TED Talk meets a concert, and I really incorporated music throughout. "I Am Enough" is a huge theme throughout it. We had 1,800 kids in each assembly, in total silence with their hands over their heart, saying, "I am enough." They create their own mantra they then can take and use in their lives and they're being taught by somebody who looks like them, who relates to them because I've gone through what they've gone through. After the event, kids were coming up to me, 14-year-olds, saying, "Can you give me advice on coming out to my parents?" Really opening up.

Anyway, what we're doing with the Sounds True Foundation, we've been raising money and we built a little website, staywokegiveback.org. It's like a Kickstarter website, but they're a 501(c)(3), and people can donate as little as $8 or like, as big as $15,000—with that I can come to whatever city they want. It started with three cities and now we're [going to be] in 15, with more getting added every week. We added three cities last week. That's how much this movement has been moving.

It's been really cool. The kids are thinking they're coming to an empowerment assembly, we don't really tell them they're getting free books or that it's about meditation. It's kind of a surprise to them. And they're kind of just in some hokey talk. Instead, I'm down in the audience and they're screaming and singing along. It's like a huge party. It ranges from being hands-over-the-heart and soft, to kids up and dancing, singing "I Am Enough."

It's never been done. We've ditched the traditional book tour model altogether. I go to a school during the day and then have an event at night that's open to the public for anyone to come. All the events are totally free and the schools don't pay for anything. We come in, give all the books, and we do sound, lighting, everything covered.

It's cool that it's already growing so fast. I'm sure it's one of those things that's going to keep morphing and expanding in ways you can't predict right now.

And this is the tie-together too, the music piece is really important. Because if it's just me up there talking, then I'm just another lecturer, one of their teachers. Music is the thing, over anything, over any language, throughout all of human history that gets us to feel something. Before I can get these kids to commit to trying a practice, to commit to believing in themselves, I need them to feel inside that they are enough. I need them to get to that place, and the easiest way in is through music. That's why I use that as a gateway in and then they're open to going into the practice. It's kind of like the sugar that makes the medicine go down.

Read: Brazilian Pop Star Pabllo Vittar Talks New Album '111' And Life As Music's Premier Drag Queen

I want to zoom out a bit and learn more about your journey. When did you first start making or getting curious about making music? Do you have a point where you remember envisioning yourself as a recording artist?

Yeah, it's a really interesting story and I think something a lot of people share. I always wanted to do music ever since I was a little boy. When I present, I show a slide up on the screen of me at four with a guitar and a microphone over my ear. But I grew up getting teased and bullied really bad at school. I had to switch schools, kids jumped out of trees choking me, because I was a little black boy who was clearly feminine and gay, even before I knew what gay meant, growing up in the hood. When that happens and you're different, it's not safe.

So I hid that part of me forever. I always wanted to do music but I let the kids who teased me, make me think I sucked at everything. I stopped myself because of the bullying. I decided, because I grew up—I wouldn't say we were poor, but if somebody missed a paycheck, we'd be in big trouble. My coping mechanism was, "I'm going to be really successful, really smart, make a lot of money and get out of here and show everybody." That kind of was my driving force.

I got a full-ride scholarship to go to UCLA. I wanted to do musical theater, but I decided to do marketing because I wanted to do something, "safe and successful." I literally let the music dream completely die until several years ago. My grandma, who I was super close to, got diagnosed with stage four cancer. It was a shock to our family. Doctors told her she had two months to live. She was pretty young, 67, and seemingly healthy.

When I got to her house, she asked me a question that changed my life. She said, "I'm watching your life. I'm going to ask you a question. If you were in my shoes and you knew you were going to die in two months, what would you do?" I was living, what most people would say was the dream. I had my own marketing company at 23 years old, driving a BMW, living within two blocks from the beach in Venice, making six figures with five employees and an office in Santa Monica. Someone who grew up in the hood.

I told my grandma, "I would drop every single thing that I've built. And I would record an album, I would do music." And she said, "I know. That's what you would do, because that's what you've always wanted since you were a little kid. I see you climbing up this marketing mountain and I'm afraid sometime later in your life, you're going to get to the top and be like, 'Damn it, I spent all this time climbing to the top of this mountain.' This is what's been placed inside of you and I just don't want it to die. You don't need to quit your whole life, you just need to incorporate music. This is your gift and I know how important this is to you."

So even though my grandma's death was the hardest thing I went through, it gave me the greatest gift because it actually helped me live. I promised her I would do an album. It took me years. I started taking voice, piano and guitar lessons and then writing and recording my first album. When I put it out [2016's Metamorphosis], it charted on the Top 20 of the iTunes pop charts, which was amazing. Because of my marketing background and speaking business, I was able to get it to chart. So that's what got me back into music. My first time in the studio ever was when I walked in to record the first song from my album.

And everybody said I couldn't do it. Everybody was telling me, even some people in my family, "Why are you doing this? You've spent all this time building up this marketing business." And I was like, "I didn't come here to just live. I want to be alive. I want to live this life fully." It was hard, but now seeing where I'm at now I could have never even dreamed it would get this cool.

Wow. What a beautiful gift your grandmother gave you.

Yeah, it was so hard but such a such an amazing gift. And she didn't get to see any of it; she only lived for nine months after that, but she's always with me.

When did you first get into meditation and at what point did you feel like you needed to share this practice with others?

It's like the perfect segue, because after I went to college, everything in my life, on the external, changed when I got to college. I was out of the closet, I had a full-ride scholarship so I had money for the first time. I went from living in the hood to living in Westwood. I was getting good grades, and I had done everything by the book. I was like, "I did everything. Now I'm supposed to be happy, right?" My whole life looked exactly like I had dreamed, if not better. But inside I still felt like that little boy who was on the outside of it. I couldn't be my authentic self, I didn't know how. I felt miserable inside. I think we all have this experience. It's like you mentioned at the beginning, trying to change the external to hopefully make the internal feel better.

I felt like I had been cheated. I was like, "I worked my whole life to do this and I'm not happy." When I was 18 or 19, in 2007, one of my mentors recommended I try meditation. You have to remember, Oprah had not done a meditation challenge yet. I was like, "Medi—what? Isn't that a cult?" I did not know what he was talking about.

I started first with yoga and got into meditation soon after. Then I met a teacher named Lorin Roche, who took me under his wing as a mentee and taught me everything he knew. He's a world-renowned meditation teacher and has written books that have been in print for like 30 years. Back then when I was 20, I was asking him, "Why are you doing this?" He charges $1,000 an hour to teach private meditation at big companies and literally I had him on like speed dial, talking multiple times a week.

He said, "In all my 30 years of teaching, I've never seen someone your age who looks like you and who's gone through what you've gone through and is interested in this practice. I think one day, there's going to be people who need to hear your voice who don't need to hear mine." So I apprenticed with him for three years and traveled and helped him build his teacher training program. And when that started taking off in the online world, I used my marketing to help take his business online. Then he was like, "I think you need to start teaching." And I said, "I don't need to teach meditation." To which he said, "It's just such a shame because so many people could use your voice."

So I just started hosting little classes which turned into big classes. That turned into 1,500 people livestreaming online, me going on tour with Wanderlust and Yoga Journal and all that kind of stuff. It just kind of happened. And I never intended to write a meditation book. If you had told me four years ago I would've done this, I would have said no way that's happening. But it just was one of those moments where I anchored into letting myself be of service. I let myself be a vessel to be used by the universe for the highest good and this is what came all the way through, and then music came along with it fully. And that's the thing I feel so grateful for. It feels like a privilege but also a responsibility to me. People are shocked that I've been teaching meditation for a decade. I'm only 32. I'm lucky enough to have the experience and the knowledge of somebody who's like double my age but I'm young enough that kids can still relate to me.

As we've been discussing, your work is such cool intersection of music, mindfulness and activism. What are your beliefs and hopes around music bringing forward important messages of change and social justice?

Yeah. That's really the whole message. What I know is the revolution we all want actually starts inside. And my mission and my message with music is even a song like "I Am Enough" is revolutionary—when you're a trans person singing that song, when you are a person who's grown up in poverty singing that song or a disabled person singing that song. Today, one of the schools' administrators sent me video from of one of their special-needs students, a young Latina girl, who went to one of the administrators singing "I Am Enough."

And that first step of stepping into your power inside is necessary for us to start creating change in the world. As we look at the past, I think what we've all learned now, our generation and the generations after us, is if we don't take care of ourselves, we are internalizing the same oppression that we're trying to fight against.

And it's not self-care like get a massage every week. That's great, but I'm talking about really focusing on the internal and really empowering ourselves. My mission and my commitment with music moving forward is to make music that connects us to that something greater that lives inside of each and every one of us. That isn't limited by your religion, race, gender, who you love or your identity. That connects us into that power of something greater so that we can see and make the change that we want in the world. That's the kind of music I want to make and it doesn't mean that I'm going to just make motivation music always. But I want it to have a message, even if it is about mourning or loss or whatever, that connects us into this space of possibility. That's really my mission.



View this post on Instagram


Thank you @google for having me. This felt big. I wish you all could’ve been in that room with us—so I created a little story on the swipe for you to experience the magic. #WeRiseTogether

A post shared by Justin Michael Williams (@wejustwill) on Feb 26, 2020 at 4:30pm PST

What advice do you have for young people who feel at odds with the world and want to make a difference but don't know where to start?

So many of us feel like we don't get involved because we don't know what to do or how to do it or we feel like beginners or we're not sure where we would make an impact. And I think the most important thing we have to first do is unapologetically decide what causes or missions we authentically care about most. In the book I call this your justice values. It's a practice on page 264 [called "Become A Better Activist (A How-To Guide)"]. It's your values, we all have them. And it's not saying you don't care about other things. But if you spread yourself too thin, it's just like, "Well, I don't know what to do, because there's so much going on." We're all getting overwhelmed with that because in the media right now there's so much going on.

When you know your values, or what really fires you up, what makes you feel angry, what makes you feel like you want to fight towards something, then the question is, "How do you use your talents, gifts, skills and these things that you believe in and care about to help serve the world and other people?" Sometimes people think the only way to be involved in activism is by organizing and protesting, but it's not. I am an example of that, my form of activism is teaching meditation and using music. So what is it that the you have? Do you write? Do you have poetry? Do you want to volunteer somewhere? Is there anything that you can do that would help use your voice on the right side of this movement, the movement for change?

I ask people to look inside themselves, and the book really guides people. I have a whole section on meditation for social justice. The book guides people through processes of how to go in to see and discover "What is the way that I can authentically get involved in the movement?" And the most important thing is just to try. And there are thousands of organizations out in the world that are fighting for the same mission you care about. A quick Google search will lead you to one of them and you can see how to get involved. The most important thing is just start by doing something, don't get overwhelmed by the options, take the thing that really fires you up the most and take action towards it.

"The most important thing is just start by doing something, don't get overwhelmed by the options, take the thing that really fires you up the most and take action towards it."

I think that's such a good reminder that all you need to do is take that first step. I feel it's so easy for us to think of what's out of our control, but if we just do one thing tomorrow, we have no idea what the year-from-now version of that thing will be.

Yeah, absolutely. And that's the big thing, what are your gifts and talents and skills? And I have marketing as a skill of mine and some people have drawing or whatever, contribute that. If they work at a bank and they're good at accounting, how many nonprofits need help with accounting? You know what I mean? We think of our professional lives and our passions as separate things from our political and activism lives. What we actually need, and what really meditation and yoga and all of it helps us remember, is that it's all about integration and union and when we do that, we can all really help.

I think it comes back to what I was saying in the beginning, that ultimately what I want with this book, and what I believe meditation is calling us to do right now, is to not just sit our asses on our meditation cushion and send love and light. That's important. But more importantly, what it's calling us to do right now is to do something. The reason why meditation is such an important precursor to doing is because we first drop into our hearts and do it from that space versus doing from our heads and ego.

What I keep finding, like you said, especially with this book and not expecting it to be this way, is when you drop into this heart space and you show up, the universe has a plan that's bigger for your life than you could have ever dreamed of. We just have to take the step and let it lead us forward, and remember we're enough.



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3 tips — how to make this moment work for you. I love you. . “No solution can possibly exist when you’re lost in the energy of the problem.”. in the video I mention a way to Get Help or Give back—check out @mindfulskatergirl and @shaunking’s @c19helpsquad if you NEED or can OFFER support to adopt a family and help with their meals and bills. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.

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Thundercat’s New Album Is A Balm For Troubled Times

Duckwrth

Duckwrth

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Duckwrth On 'SuperGood,' "Insecure" & More close-personal-duckwrth-talks-celebration-supergood-respecting-black-artistry-insecure

Up Close & Personal: Duckwrth Talks Celebration Of 'SuperGood,' Respecting Black Artistry, "Insecure" & More

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We caught up with the South Los Angeles artist ahead of the August release of his debut studio album, 'SuperGood,' to talk new music, dream collaborations, celebrating Black music and artists, and more
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 4, 2020 - 1:09 pm

Los Angeles-born left-field rapper/singer Duckwrth (born Jared Lee) has been making waves since he released his debut solo mixtape, I'M UUGLY, in 2016. Showcasing his expansive musical taste, playful lyrics and his mailable vocals and flow, the successful project led to a record deal with Republic Records, an opening spot for Anderson .Paak and a loyal, ever-growing fan base. An XTRA UGGLY Mixtape followed in 2017, with several tracks getting TV and film placement, including the ecstatic "MICHUUL.," which was featured on "Insecure" and "All American."

In May 2019, the "Bernal Heights" artist dropped THE FALLING MAN EP and now, this month, he'll be releasing his highly anticipated debut studio album, SuperGood. As he recently told us, the album has been a long time coming and now the timing is just right.

"I actually had the name for this album since 2013 and just the feeling of it, I've had it since 2013 but I never was in a right space with myself mentally and energy-wise to be able to present an album that felt like a celebration."

Duckwrth On Celebrating Black Rhythms On SuperGood

Related: GRAMMY Museum Launches Spotlight Saturdays Featuring Up-And-Coming Artists

GRAMMY.com continues their Up Close & Personal interview series (from home, via Zoom) with Duckwrth. Watch the full conversation above to hear him share more about SuperGood and its lead singles "Coming Closer" and "Find A Way," as well as his love of Issa Rae and "Insecure" and some of his dream collaborators (Rosalía is on the list!).

The "Crush" artist also talks about his vision for creating more Black animations (watch the music video for "Find A Way" below) and how the entertainment industry can better support Black artists.

Read: Yvonne Orji On Her First-Ever HBO Comedy Special, Faith & Celebrating Black Joy

"I think musically, [what's needed] is just respect for Black artistry and being able to be placed in different places, like more Black artists in pop. That would be major. For me, I'm not heavy on pop, listening to pop all the time, but I do understand the importance of seeing a Lizzo in pop.

"That's important, and [so is] seeing more Black faces in pop music because that opens up the door for other artists to come after them and it becomes a norm. It doesn't have to be this conversation of, 'Oh, you can't put them there because they're Black.' It's that plus just circulating dollars in the Black community and helping them grow," Duckwrth added.

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Sacred Spaces: Rufus Wainwright, YUNGBLUD, Keb' Mo' And Others Reflect On The Independent Venues And Clubs That Changed Their Lives

The Naked And Famous

The Naked And Famous

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The Naked And Famous On New LP 'Recover' & More naked-and-famous-talk-new-album-recover-covering-weeknd-allyship-black-community

The Naked And Famous Talk New Album 'Recover,' Covering The Weeknd & Allyship With The Black Community

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Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers also spoke candidly about staying grounded during a pandemic and how the music industry can better support Black artists, among other vital topics
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 24, 2020 - 6:28 pm

New Zealand electro-pop act The Naked And Famous were big in the golden era of the indie/alt scene, thanks to their powerhouse 2010 debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, and survived to talk about it, with creative energy to spare. After their romantic relationship ending in 2014 and the other members leaving the band in 2017, Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers recentered and reinvented the project's creative flow, even shifting the sound to somewhat sunnier territory.

The result is Recover, their fourth studio album, released today, July 24. Across its 15 tracks, the duo explores themes of death, mourning, heartbreak, recovery and identity, all with an unwavering sense of honesty and lightness. Throughout the project, there is a powerful feeling of the pair exploring and creating space for all emotions. There's even unbridled gratitude and joy, with an ode to Xayalith's dog on the effervescent "Sunseeker."

Ahead of the album's drop, Xayalith and Powers called in from New Zealand and Los Angeles, respectively, to chat with GRAMMY.com and dive deep into creative process behind it. They also spoke candidly about staying grounded during a pandemic and how the music industry can better support Black artists, among other important topics.

Your new album Recover comes out in July. What are you most looking forward to about sharing this project with the world?

Xayalith: I think I am just really excited to get it out there. I mean Thom and I have gone on a journey the last two years to get to this point. For me personally, I'm just relieved to just finally get the work out there so people can listen to what we have been working on. And I really hope that during this time it helps people escape from the current state of the world. I also hope people can see it and enjoy it.

When did you finish working on it?

Xayalith: We finished everything around December.

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When did you start the album and what was the seedling of the beginning of the album? Also, what was the creative process like along the way?

Powers: We began recording this one around 2017, which is right about when our other band members left. Alisa and I began doing what we usually do; we start writing songs and we make demos. Regardless of what we are doing, we are often making demos. But we didn't really hit our stride, really figure out what we were doing until the summer of 2018. Everything up until that point was trial and error, we were trying writing positions, working with other people. Some of them came out okay, but we were looking for a new sound, a new direction, a new framework. We had this exceptionally productive burst of creativity in the summer of 2018.

The first song that was written for the new album was "Recover," which is one of the reasons we advocated for it to be the name of the album and the first track because it was really symbolic. It was this turning point. The way that song was written, I was waiting at Alisa's house in her studio with a friend of ours who was doing some co-writing and co-producing with us, his name is Simon Oscroft. He's an old friend of mine from childhood and he does songwriting and producing in L.A. now. Alisa was out, running an errand. She comes storming into her house while we're having coffee, like "I've written this song in the car." She burst into the room with "Recover," with the chorus already written. That was the moment when we hit our stride.

The bulk of the album was written then, in summer 2018, I want to say two-thirds of it. And the remaining third, was the good songs from the time prior to that that we hung on to, but we had to wait until we had the new direction to re-approach and re-conceptualize them. That is the short version of how this came about.

I would love to hear a little bit more about what finding that new sound felt like.

Powers: Yeah it was definitely a eureka moment with that song. It was an obvious turning point, and right after "Recover" we dove right into the album. There were a handful of other songs like "Sunseeker," "Come As You Are," "Easy," "Everybody Knows," that we were just churning out over the course of the month. In the first two weeks most of them came out. It was very clear to us when we had "Recover," that we had something new. And then "Sunseeker" followed it up very promptly, we knew we'd found our new direction. We had found our new way to complete this album, which was great.

Xayalith: When we wrote "Recover," originally it was very traditional sounding, kind of a soft folk song. We recorded it with guitar, some piano and vocals. And Thom was like, "How about we record it this way and then reverse engineer it, drop it into a session and then add some electronic production." So the scene would change quite rapidly in the song and you're not expecting so. How Simon and Thom produced it prompted how they would continue to work together on writing in the days after. I think that alone added some evolution to the production of the songs that you hear on the record.

Where did the idea for the "Bury Me" video come from? And was as fun shooting it as it looked.

Xayalith: Thom has been wanting to direct music videos more, and it was like the perfect opportunity for him to jump in. The minute I read [the treatment,] I just cracked up, I thought it was absolutely hilarious. We finished it out with our creative director, who helped us organize everything and put it together, but it was Thom's hilarious brainchild of the video treatment.

Powers: I came up with it one night at a bar. I had the idea that Alisa just kept killing people, and then I would cover it up. I got worried along the way that it was going to be sort of a male savior complex. It made more sense to have me equally as responsible for all the catastrophes in the video. We tried to combat that [complex], I cover up her mistake and I am driving the car and the first thing I do is run Luna [Shadows, who co-wrote and co-produced the track with them] over. So hopefully I got rid of that angle and parodied it a bit.

I loved making that video, it was a lot of fun. I don't usually have fun making videos per say. I do enjoy being on set and there is a joy that comes from doing it, it is exciting with all the drama and fuss of making videos. But it can be kind of anxiety inducing because it is very difficult to make something satisfying on a low budget. We don't have millions of dollars to spend on a video. And fortunately, that video had so much planning that went into it that it came out really well for not having a massive budget. We are really proud of it. We had an amazing team on it as well that made it come to life. They are all in the credits on YouTube, we always want to direct people to check them out.

Xayalith: If we go back and look at the music videos, we've never really gotten in them as much. We really took the opportunity to make music videos to tune in on an identity that wasn't really there before. And this music video, I feel like it gave Thom and I a chance to not take ourselves so seriously and so people can see another side of us that they have never seen before. I think that has been something really fun and new for ourselves and people who have been a longtime fan of the band.

The one scene where I have blood splattered on my face, we only had one shot for that, one shot because we only had just enough blood for one squirt, so I had two people on either side of me on their knees with their hands held up to my face and they squeezed it and I was like "Okay, I cannot laugh." It was so funny, after we cut everyone erupted into laughter.

Read: Lady Gaga, The Naked And Famous, Bruno Major & More Artists Talk Staying Grounded During Quarantine

On the album, the messages on "Recover" and "Death" feel especially poignant during these trying times. Can you speak to the story behind "Death," what it meant to you recording it then and how it feels listening to it now?

Powers: Thank you, that is such a flattering question. That song has an interesting story about how it was put together, and the starting point particularly. But the line that I stole, again, stealing more of Luna Shadows' creative content. We live together and she has this gorgeous, secret solo project which she just keeps on voice memos. She sent me one of them and it has that line "We both like the idea of / dying by the ocean side / maybe there is nothing more?" It is a love song but I wanted to steal lyrics from her own song and sing it back to her.

And then Alisa, Simon and I wrote this love song and it was fun for me to get an opportunity on this record to be a topliner. For that song, I got to switch roles. Usually I am the one sitting at the computer and doing the tracks. Like on "Recover," and you can hear it is very much Alisa's story, her lyrics. You couldn't create that on a committee, which a lot of Los Angeles songwriting is like—very impersonal and without a universality to it, weirdly, even though it is written that way. With "Recover," Alisa is the topliner, and Simon and I were the producers and the co-writers, so we might fill in lyrics and suggest melodies and lines, but the narrative is coming from one person. My belief is you really need that in a song. I got the opportunity on this album to do that, where Simon was running the computer and Alisa was my co-writer. I haven't had an opportunity to do that on other albums because we haven't worked with someone like Simon who I trusted enough to run the session.

I am not a happy person, I am someone who is consumed by thinking about death and ethics and mortality and the pointlessness and meaninglessness of existence. I wanted to try and write a song about that. But it ended up being really—I don't want to say fun, but it's groovy and it has a gentle quality to the song which is really beautiful and satisfying.

The song is kind of challenging ideas that people have about finding meaning in life. There is this silly idea that if you don't believe in a higher power, or something superstitious, or don't have magical thinking, then why do you get up in the morning? I think there is a deeper meaning in that this is all you have, this is it—it is even more precious. All the meaning you can get in life is right in front of you. "Death" is both a love song but also a love song to that idea. I am really proud of it.

I love your cover of The Weeknd for Triple J—why did you choose to sing "Blinding Lights?"

Xayalith: I am a huge fan of The Weeknd. So when he released it, it was just something I was listening to a lot. Out of a few choices we had, it was the one that made the most sense. If you listen to the song, and the album, he's taken a lot of '80s pop and synths on this record. It was kind of exciting for us to take that. Thom just nailed, just whipped up the demo really quickly.

We turned it around pretty quickly. In the history of the band, we normally go over everything for a while. It was just like, "cool, the music is done, let's go." It was a really fun challenge for us to do that. We have never done a Triple J "Like A Version" before, so we wanted to make sure it was a song that we enjoyed.

If you could record any other cover, what would it be?

Xayalith: Well, I am a huge fan of Caroline Polachek and "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" was another one of our choices. I absolutely adore that song. If we were to record another, that would be the next one.

So, it's now been a decade since you released your dreamy debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You. If you could go back and give that version of yourself any advice, what would it be?

Xayalith: Don't fight the process.

I really fought with myself. I put a lot of pressure on myself when I was younger to get things done, without realizing that part of the process is the work and going through the motions of coming up with an idea. I would get frustrated at myself because I didn't like the pace at which I was creating. If I could go back in time, I would just tell myself to not fight the process and to just flow through it.

Powers: Oh my god. I feel like it's things I would correct myself on. We've been talking about this a lot in interviews lately because of the time period. I guess for some reason it's a symbolic check point. And it feels long enough as a measurement to want to ask "What is different now, how do you feel now?" I think I regret so much of who I was.

I am a person who is self-loathing by nature anyways. I think that looking at myself 10 years ago, I hold myself responsible for so many things that I am unhappy with about my life now. I think I can really see the faults in myself and in the life I have and the things that I am unhappy about as being a product of me. So I really do wish I could go back and correct and adjust my attitude.

I think I could teach myself a few things that I am really happy our culture has created. I am a fan of PC culture. I think it is better than what we had before, better than being able to say something casually sexist, casually racist. I think for all its faults, at which I do believe there are many, I am really happy that words like toxic masculinity exist now. They shine a bright and important light on human psychology. I think it's helpful in our daily lexicon. I think if I could give myself an insight into the way our culture has changed, I would be a better person for it earlier on.

I am sure everyone feels this, but the older you get, the wiser you get; the more you realize how ignorant you are. With wisdom comes the sense of the extent of your own ignorance. I wish I could've taught that to myself earlier on. I would've made some more well-informed decisions and some less-arrogant ones.

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Read: Jessy Lanza Is Still Trying to Look On The Bright Side

I would love to hear a little bit about each of your musical backstory; how you got into making music initially and how you two met.

Xayalith: My mom and dad immigrated to New Zealand, and I grew up listening to Lao music. And my dad was in a Lao community band, so I would often go and see him play. And I love singing, and really loved it at a young age. Music was something that I found myself finding so much joy in compared to anything else. I found ways to be a part of it; I was in the talent competition, choir, I would join a vocal group and drama classes so I could participate in the musicals. I was always searching for some ways to be a part of it.

I also took up guitar, I taught myself how to read music. I fell in love with alternative 90's rock music; PJ Harvey, Smashing Pumpkins. Then I enrolled into this musical college where I met Thom and Aaron, who was in the band, and we started making music together.

It was my first band ever, and it's been the only one. It was pretty unreal. Bu my search for wanting to pursue music I think I really followed my instincts and didn't give up on it. I think my instincts are pretty spot on most of the time. I was pretty tuned in to what I found joy in, and I felt it without knowing.

Powers: I mean, my musical history, is pretty standard to be honest, it is not super interesting. My dad played guitar, he is a musician. I think it runs in my family; we're very musical. I became a guitar player, a little metalhead at age 12. Little white suburban kid gets a guitar and you know, gets dreadlocks by 14. I was a typical—we would call them like a bogon down in New Zealand, which is like an Australian version of Bevis and Butthead. When I hit about my teenage years, about 15, I started getting into more alternative music.

And then I met Alisa, we were both still discovering alternative music culture. So the early Naked And Famous songs, they are somewhat a reflection of the things we were listening to at the time, the bands we were obsessing about. When we started making music we were still discovering ourselves as musicians and discovering what we liked and the kind of music culture that we wanted to participate in.

2006 is when Alisa and I started making music and going to gigs. We both worked at a record store and we were so involved in the music scene back then. Every gig that would come to Auckland, we would go to see. It is funny because I was just writing a list before of potential covers that I want to do. I was trying to put down songs that were influential around that time. There is a Bloc Party song, a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song, a Fyfe song. It makes me feel very nostalgic.

Related: 'It's Blitz!' At 10: How The Dancefloor Classic Marked A New Era For The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

With all the craziness going on in the world right now, what has helped each of you feel most grounded these days?

Xayalith: Getting enough sleep. I know it sounds really silly, but when I don't have enough sleep I don't feel like I can focus or perform to the best of my ability. But in times where I need to feel grounded I usually just exercise.

Powers: Alisa is a very grounded person.

Xayalith: Actually, you know what I do? I cook. That helps me feel grounded. I was on tour earlier in the year, so I hadn't been able to do that very much. But cooking and baking is something that helps me feel super grounded. Which is why I have gotten into making sourdough bread and I have things that I love to cook. Just the process of preparing everything, cooking everything, and the end product is going to be delicious. It always feels good to me.

Thom probably just plays video games.

Powers: I don't really have one thing that I do to stay grounded. Maybe reading. I think I am a grounded person by nature just by being very critical, by working on my critical thinking skills as a hobby. I am not a very smart person, I didn't go to university or get a degree in anything. Critical thinking is probably what keeps me grounded and realistic. Also, my partner keeps me very grounded when I get delusional, or worried about things.

I think when I am least grounded, I have a very unrealistic view, a very envious, jealous and comparative view because of the way music culture has shifted to this online content provider paradigm. Some days when I wake up and I feel negative, I just feel this immense pressure to be this content provider, which is something that does not come naturally to me, it's difficult. But some people, it just comes so naturally to them to put their unedited selves up on the internet. Some days I want to participate and it is really fun and I want to be a person who can get into TikTok. But other days I'm like "this is just empty narcissistic sh*t."

Xayalith: I feel like maybe it is just today. Today you're just not in the mood. Tomorrow you might feel differently. I think everybody feels the same way about social media. We fluctuate between wanting to engage in the conversation and then feeling like you can't keep up in the conversation and we don't want to be a part of it. Social media is this ongoing conversation and there are days that I don't want to participate in it, I can't be bothered. I feel like the mood you're in Thom is probably one that will fluctuate.

Powers: Yeah, you're right.

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As a non-Black ally, why is it important for you to speak out and join the Black community in solidarity?

Xayalith: I think it's essential for us to be vocal and to use our social platforms to help amplify Back voices that need to be heard. Learning about anti-racism is necessary to implement change on a global scale, and we're learning every day. It requires a long-term commitment. We want the Black community to know that we stand with them, and we're listening.

Powers: I don't feel it's about whether it's important to us, but whether it's morally and ethically necessary. I don't mean to sound grandiose, but we feel (happily) obliged to participate. America has been good to us—we've made this place our new home. I think we feel a growing patriotism, although it's clear that this is still a global problem. We're under no illusions about the limits of our reach or social clout, but we can pile-on to the conversation and direct people towards the organizations leading the change; places like blacklivesmatter.com and www.naacp.org.

Read: Black U.K. Music Executives Call For Bias Training, End Of "Urban Music" Term

In your opinion, how can the music community at large contribute to dismantling racism?

Xayalith: I think the music industry at large is homogeneous. Perhaps we can change that with outreach programs to Black communities. This may create more opportunities to work at record labels, music studios, music management, concerts and events—careers in music that would apply to young Black adults who might otherwise be denied those opportunities. Action speaks much louder than words, and right now, action is needed. 

Powers: Uneven business models continue to earn the music business millions of dollars while passing on only a small amount of that wealth to artists. For example, the royalty split on an average major-label deal is 82 percent to the label, 18 percent to the artist. The music industry has been benefiting from and exploiting Black artists for a long time. Adjusting these antiquated models would help all artists, but also result in a considerable redistribution of wealth to Black artists—a tide that would lift all boats.

The music industry is corporate America—its goal has always been to grow and maintain its wealth. It knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. For the music industry to change, it needs companies (as well as individuals) to prioritize art, culture, social equality and redistributing wealth, over unbridled capitalism.

I don't think we should underestimate the power of political correctness, i.e., the recent jettisoning of the term "Urban." I'm old enough now to see what a difference political correctness can make. There are plenty of words and ideas that can no longer be approached or used with casualness, which is a great thing.

Jayda G Talks New EP, Promoting Diversity In Dance Music & Sharing Joy

Naomi Campbell

Naomi Campbell

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Naomi Campbell Remembers "Great Friend" Prince naomi-campbell-grammy-salute-prince-i-really-wanted-him-have-celebration-he-deserved

Naomi Campbell On GRAMMY Salute To Prince: "I Really Wanted Him To Have The Celebration He Deserved"

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Tomorrow, on the fourth anniversary of the iconic purple one's passing, "Let's Go Crazy" The GRAMMY Salute To Prince" celebrates his life and unparalleled music catalog with a star-studded cast, including his long-time friend, supermodel Campbell
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 20, 2020 - 12:21 pm

Legendary British supermodel and philanthropist Naomi Campbell sat down with the Recording Academy backstage at "Let's Go Crazy: The GRAMMY Salute To Prince" to talk about her longtime friend Prince and what celebrating his life—four years after we lost his light—means to her.

"I knew Prince since I was 17, I met him in Paris, and we had some fun all over the world," Campbell said. "I just loved and adored him, [he was a] great friend."

She presents during the star-studded show, airing tomorrow evening on CBS/CBS All Access, which features Princely performances from The Time, Gary Clark Jr., Miguel, Juanes, H.E.R. and many more, with a band led by Prince collaborator and protégé Sheila E.

Naomi Campbell Remembers "Great Friend" Prince

"It's a celebratory night," she added. "The initial shock [of Prince's death] is over, but we still miss him. I really wanted him to have the celebration he deserved, so I'm really happy they did this."

Don't forget to tune in to CBS (or stream on CBS All Access) tomorrow Tues., April 21 from 9:00–11:00 p.m. ET/PT to hear more from Campbell, as well as all the powerhouse covers lovingly selected from Prince's musical treasure chest.

You can also expect fierce looks—with plenty of shimmer, purple and gold—from the star-studded cast that also includes The Revolution, St. Vincent, Chris Martin, John Legend, Dave Grohl with the Foo Fighters, Earth, Wind & Fire and other musical greats.

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Sheila E. Honors Prince's Unmatched Musical Legacy: "There's Only One Prince"

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11 Meditation Apps To Find Your Calm 11-meditation-apps-help-you-get-calm-centered-during-quarantine-beyond

11 Meditation Apps To Help You Get Calm & Centered During Quarantine & Beyond

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With more time at home and a lot of craziness in the outside world, it's a great to build healthy habits—here's some apps to help you find a meditation practice that works for you
Ana Monroy Yglesias
MusiCares
Apr 7, 2020 - 5:23 pm

With the normal flow of life upended for most of us at the moment, you may be finding yourself with more time on your hands and perhaps a bit more stress or anxiety, given all the new uncertainty in our lives and the world around us. One of the silver-linings of quarantine is a lot of our routines and habits are getting a big-old reset. If you are looking for tools to help you stay calm during these crazy times, and new habits to bring into your life, meditation may be a good place to start.

There are a lot of styles and approaches to meditation, but the basics involve building awareness around your breath and checking in with your mind and body. It can involve music, can be guided by a meditation teacher and can even involve visuals. There are plenty of mobile apps out there to help you find a style that works best for you, as well as a guide you towards a less-stressful daily flow. Read on to learn what 13 popular meditation apps can offer you, and at what price (many offer free trials to give you an idea if you want to commit).

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“when the world comes crashing at your feet
it’s okay to let others
help pick up the pieces” — @rupikaur_ pic.twitter.com/l0uQ9sNWOt

— Calm (@calm) April 7, 2020

1. Calm (iOS & Android apps)

One-week free trial as well as limited-access free version; Premium costs $70/year

Calm is currently the top-rated app in the Health & Fitness category in the Apple App Store and is loved by its many users for its themed daily meditations, sleep stories and calming music library. Much of the meditations, which are typically about 10 minutes, are guided by meditation teacher/musician/writer Tamara Levitt, who brings inspiring quotes and real-world lessons into each session. In addition to the rotating daily meditation, the app offers many more on-demand meditations around practical themes like confidence, soothing pain, reducing anxiety and even training your mind with with Lebron James. For help relaxing and falling asleep, calming music collections from Moby, Sigur Rós, Sam Smith add flair to a packed library of nature sounds and celebrity-narrated bedtime stories. The sleep stories are great for all ages; Calm also offers meditations tailored for kids and teens, if you have young ones at home.

2. Headspace (iOS & Android apps)

One-week free trial as well as limited-access free version; Plus costs $70/year or $13/month

With cute animations and tailored meditations to your goals, Headspace is another hugely popular meditation app. Similar to Calm, they also offer meditations centered around themes like reducing anxiety and stress, as well as sleep-focused stories, meditations and music. The biggest difference between the two apps seem to be the approach, with Headspace being more goal-oriented and less rooted in Eastern philosophies like Buddhism. They also offer a special section for kids.

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3. INSCAPE (iOS app)

One-week free trial; $10/month or $59/year

As explained by Oprah Magazine, the Inscape Studio in New York City is filled with "sound and smellscapes designed to instantly transport its members to tranquility," with the app bringing their ethos to your home. In addition to offering guided meditations and sleep offerings personalized to your needs, Oprah Mag highlights their unique playlists, with short, melodic meditations to address "Tinder Troubles," "Overcoming Your Fears" or to get into a productive "Study Chill" mode.

4. Insight Timer (iOS & Android apps & online platform)

Many free meditations, plus one-week free trial for MemberPlus, which costs $60/year

Insight Timer has an extensive free offering (40,000 free meditations!) and gives its users access to guided meditations and deep-dive mindfulness courses from mindfulness teachers around the world, like Elizabeth Gilbert and davidji. The platform also offers an extensive calming music collection, including mantras and recordings from musicians around the world as well. You can follow the people whose offerings you love and find content aimed at beginners, kids, for sleep and more, meaning it's easy to find exactly what you need.

5. Meditation Studio (iOS & Android apps)

Some free meditations; Premium (iOS only) is $50/year or $8/month. Limited Android app is $4 (one-time cost)

Meditation Studio is all about ensuring your meditations are exactly what you need, with themed collections and customizable open-ended ones. For the latter, you choose your duration, background music and the sounds that will open and close the unguided sit. The extensive collections are grouped by practical themes like eating ("Mindful Eating Practice" and "Love Your Body"), calm ("Releasing Anxiety" and "Slow Down") and creativity ("Fire Your Inner Critic" and "Make Space").

6. Mesmerize – Visual Meditation (iOS app)

Free three-day trial; $60/year

Mesmerize offers something totally different from the rest of the apps—trippy, kaleidoscope-esqe visuals to sooth you and meditate with. As their website explains, their approach is based in the Focused-Attention meditation technique. Like many of the other apps we've mentioned, they offer guided meditations for stress, sleep and more, but instead of closing your eyes, you keep them open and softly focused on the paired visuals. Citing scientific research, they claim this method helps with cognitive performance and other brain functions. The app also offers "psycho-acoustic music" tailored to relaxation.

https://twitter.com/chopracenter/status/1247509512547971077

Today's #meditation: Reigniting the spark of hope ✨Join us so that #HopeGoesGlobal: https://t.co/t8OK7umQMy 💛 pic.twitter.com/HwC9hhDVtf

— Chopra (@chopraofficial) April 7, 2020

7. Oprah & Deepak's 21-Day Meditation Experience (iOS & Android apps & online platform)

Current series is free; past courses are available for purchase

A powerhouse inspiration and mindfulness team, Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra have been offering 21-day mediation courses for years now. With their mobile apps and online platform, they offer free access to several series a year for those who follow along. If you miss it or want to dive into one of their past offerings, they offer each for purchase á la carte, for yourself or as a gift. Their current offering, which you can join for free now, is incredibly timely, called Finding Hope in Uncertain Times. Each day comes with an audio mediation clip, opened by Oprah and led by Chopra, paired with journal prompts to help you dive into the daily theme and mantra.

8. Shine (iOS & Android apps)

One-week free trial plus limited free content; Premium costs $54/year

Shine is female-founded app is aimed at helping users manage and reduce stress and anxiety. The "Daily Shine" serves up short, tailored meditations and paired in-app journal prompts to check in with yourself and add some calm each day. In addition to more on-demand meditations, the premium version allows you to look back at your journals and check-ins to track your moods and connects users with a community to support each other through the journey. Shine is also offering a free coronavirus anxiety toolkit online.

9. Simple Habit (iOS & Android apps)

One-week free trial, plus some free content, $12 monthly, $90 annually

Simple Habit, was created by Silicon Valley's Yunha Kim for people who are "too busy" to meditate. With meditations ranging from one to 20 minutes, this app focusing on quick breathers to help you find a moment of stillness and breathing in your packed schedule. The meditations, the majority of which are just five minutes, are broken up into practical topics like reducing work anxiety, one minute breaks, falling asleep and even moving on after a breakup.

10. Smiling Mind (iOS app & online platform)

FREE

Not only is Smiling Mind completely free (they're an Aussie non-profit org), it is designed by psychologists and educators with "evidence-based" meditations tailored for kids and schools as well as adults and workplaces. They have recently launched the "Thrive Inside" program to help combat the stresses many of us are facing specific to the coronavirus quarantine.

11. Ten Percent Happier (iOS & Android apps)

One-week free trial, plus limited free content, Membership is $100/year

The Ten Percent Happier app was created by Dan Harris, who wrote a New York Times Best-selling book with the same name six years ago. The app, like the book, hopes to show people that meditation can be for everyone, even those who "get fidgety just thinking about it," as their website explains. The app connects you with world-renown meditation leaders like Anushka Fernandopulle and Sharon Salzberg, to teach you how to meditate.  In response to the COVID-19 crisis, they are also offering the Free Coronavirus Sanity Guide, as well as free app access for health care professionals—to share with anyone who could benefit.

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