Pierce Freelon
Illustration by Napoleon Wright II
Durhamite musician Pierce Freelon has brought national attention to Durham once again. His recent children’s album, Black to the Future, was nominated for a GRAMMY!
‘Black to the Future’ is nominated for a Grammy! Congratulations! Tell us more please!
This year, a diverse array of voices in Children's Music produced some amazing albums. I am honored to have Black to the Future chosen as one of the best by my peers in the Recording Academy - but I'll be honest - I was even more excited when I found out that my mom's album Time Traveler was also nominated in the jazz vocal category. I'm so excited to walk the red carpet with her and I know my Dad is smiling down on us both! This album is very personal to me and features 4-generations of my family, including my grandmother, Queen Mother Frances Pierce, and my daughter Stella. My heart is welling with pride and I'm delighted to share my family with the world!
How do we prevent Biff from getting to power?
Ha! I don't know how we keep Biff from getting to power. Someone who strongly resembled him was elected President of the United States a few years ago. Luckily, he only lasted one term, but if we want to keep him from getting re-elected, we'll need more than a flux capacitor!
Why do you sing to the kids?
I sing to kids because they deserve dope music, too. It's healthy for kids and their parents to have thoughtful, quality, challenging and creative things to listen to. Kids are impressionable, so we need to be intentional about what kinds of media we feed them. I really enjoy dreaming up great beats, lyrics and concepts to share with young audiences.
If you could travel to the future, what’s one thing you’d bring with you?
I would bring an open mind. Looking back just a few hundred years, the world was so incredibly different than it is now. If I were to travel that far, or even further into the future, I would certainly need an open mind in order to navigate the world without losing my balance.
Song Artist - Pierce Freelon
Writers - Pierce Freelon, Rem Producer - Rem
Additional Production - Pierce Freelon, Russell Favret, Pete Kimosh
Mixing Engineer - Rem Mastering - Donald "XL" Robertson of XLP Mastering Label - Only Us x Blackspace
