Meet LaToya Kent | singer, songwriter, healer, doula

We had the good fortune of connecting with LaToya Kent and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LaToya, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
We are a collective of artists that all have roots in community activism and use art, not only as expression but as a means to survival. We had an inside view of the politics of music and its industry and wanted to create a new structure for making and recording music, touring and sustaining balance while doing it. We wanted this structure to be fair and benefit the whole of our collective. We decided that when you listen to our music you hear everyones input in the room. Our liner notes say, written by Mourning {A} BLKstar as apposed to individual names. This removes any singling out or hierarchy in our design. We fund our own tours and recordings and have built our own foundation this way without the financial backing of a label. We are open to collaborating with labels, but we wanted to avoid some of the pitfalls built into the industry by building a solid foundation without the pressure and strictures of corporate models of creativity. We wanted to insure that we could own our masters and move as we choose even when we got to places where we were unsure of what the next step up would look like. It is possible to be independent and make it work to your benefit.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a collective, we come from diverse backgrounds and approaches, I think thats a key ingredient to the music we make. Our music is in dialogue with many genres within black music traditions and that has allowed us to be able to share stages with a variety of bands- we’ve played with soul bands, gospel leaning RnB groups, Punk bands, rock bands, jazz bands and hip hop acts. I don’t think any artistic endeavor is easy, and coming out of Cleveland, which is not a major media market has not been a walk in the park. One of the things we are most proud of is we’ve released 7 records in nearly 8 years as a band.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to Cleveland Museum of Art and Museum of Contemporary Art. We have a beautiful arts district that includes the above and The Cleveland Orchestra, Museum of Natural History and The Botanical Gardens. They are all within one mile of each other. Up the road is an area called Little Italy that has shops, restaurants and art galleries. There is a famous cemetery called Lakeview that has beautiful art and gardens that links the two areas. This part of town has a rich history and was made famous by the millionaires that lived around this area from the mid-1800’s until the 1930’s. We would catch a show at the Grog Shop on the street known as Coventry Village that is an area known for its array of art, culture and music.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We want to dedicate this shoutout to Lonnie Holley. He is a multi-media artist who holds a strong legacy as a teacher, painter, sculptor, musician, poet and philosopher. He has carved a lane of heart and soul based art that pulls you closer to your core as he shares his with you.

Our collective has travelled the world with him creating music and sound. Each show is improve and cannot be duplicated and is new and fresh each experience.

Website: mourningablkstar.com

Instagram: @mourningablkstar

Facebook: @mourningablkstar

Youtube: @mourningablkstar

Image Credits
Photography by Bobby Murphy