Minori Russell – Musician, Songwriter and Arts Performer
OVERVIEW The Tallawah podcast is the product of many musings on the perception of success. How success is typically defined within societies can vary greatly from how an individual perceives success. Tallawah is a venture led by Latoya Wakefield (IG: @latoyawakefield) and Yanique Taylor (IG: @taylored.consulting), entrepreneurs pursuing their own version of success. As Jamaicans, Tallawah is a word used in our culture that means strength or fearlessness. The phrase, "wi likkle but wi tallawah" is used often to acknowledge our fellow Jamaicans locally and internationally who are achieving greatness, especially through their passions. This greatness across many domains is what we are featuring through Tallawah, with the goal to inspire others to seek out and achieve their own passion-fuelled success. We are seeking to help change lives one ear at a time (Shout out to Charles Hyatt, II for the tagline!) EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS In describing herself, Minori says, “Minori Russell is a reasoned being. She is a sister, she’s a friend, she’s a musician like you said. She is this one big kaleidoscope of emotions and love and expression.” “As long as I can remember, I’ve seen myself performing.” Minori credits her family, particularly her brothers as her inspiration for what she does as an artiste. “Music for me is anything that is palatable to the ear,” shared Minori in describing her go-to musical genres which include, jazz, R&B, dancehall, reggae, and lately, Motown music as well. Although in the industry for seven years now, being underestimated and overlooked are challenges that Minori faces as a young, female performer. Minori blessed us with an exclusive spontaneous performance of her new song “Cocoa”. She is dropping a single, “Red Pill”, on March 27, 2020, which is a collaboration with Rize Nation – Nattali Rize out of Australia (www.nattalirize.com) To date, Minori’s achievements include performing and being a finalist on Magnum Kings and Queens, as well as serving as a writer for the Fi Wi Jamaica initiative (https://jis.gov.jm/fi-wi-jamaica-using-music-promote-positive-behaviour/). Minori was also a writer and performer for the Forbidden Fruit musical staged last year. About her personal struggles, Minori shared that her greatest challenge has been maintaining her drive and passion for music after losing her mother, her Queen, Dawn Marie Hall, 4 years ago. She was initially driven to pursue music as a means of supporting her mother so she would not have to struggle in life anymore. As an independent artiste, in a year, Minori hopes to be able to put on a show that she produces and promotes fully. “I feel me vibrating at a higher frequency.” Her words of encouragement for those pursuing their dreams are, “Your biggest enemy is fear. Your second biggest enemy is self-doubt and thirdly, it is always good to have a dream but more importantly, you must have a vision.” RESOURCES IG: @minorimuzic Facebook: Minori Muzic YouTube: Minori Muzic BE A TALLAWAH TEAMMATE Thank you for listening! Feel free to email us at tallawahpod@gmail.com with your feedback or questions. We appreciate your support, so do let us know how we can ensure your Tallawah experience is “100”. If you know a Jamaican who is dominating, let us know and they may be our next guest! FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @tallawahpodcast Facebook: Tallawah Podcast YouTube: Tallawah Podcast
