A music duo of sisters

Najuah is a music duo of sisters, Hanifa and Juliet, who were born in Africa and raised in Canada. They talk about their upbringing in a multicultural environment and how they have infused those experiences in their music.

“Our parents fell in love and got married in Uganda. When the civil war broke they were forced to flee to other African countries, then to Canada, where we were raised. Hanifa was born in Zimbabwe and Juliet in Kenya.Every time we visit Uganda, our father shows us where he was born. “Right here” he points to the earth nestled between a canopy of banana trees. “This is where I started. This is where your father was born.” Our mother was also born in Uganda. We are the essence of where our parents have been and those stories echo in our hearts.

Culturally, we are as Canadian as we are African. As children we were fortunate enough to partake in all forms of art, including dance, music lessons and visual expression. It was quite common to hear Rock & Roll and R&B classics blaring from our balcony on warm summer nights. Although we didn’t know back then, these experiences opened a doorway that would lead us to a life expressed through art.

Our first audition experience was singing for the managers of the male rap-duo “Sporty Thieves” in their downtown Toronto Condo.

They had discovered our demo through a photographer who had taken images of us. At the audition, we nervously sang a song that our vocal coach would have us sing during lessons. The rest is history.

Although the journey has been fulfilling, it has not always been smooth sailing. As women of color we have had to constantly defend what it means to be a black woman in society. Born in Africa and raised in Canada, our experience as women of color is different. A person’s skin tone is not the only thing that signifies who they are culturally. Our parents are Ugandan. I was born in Zimbabwe and Juliet was born in Kenya. We grew up listening to African music and eating Ugandan food. We are not African- American. We are African-born Canadians and people need to realize that the black experience is not homogenous.

At the end of the day, you have to do what is true to you. You cannot please everyone. We are not ashamed of who we are and realized that it is important for us to infuse who we are and our experiences into our music. Someone has to be first to do something different and maybe that is us. It is not the easy road for sure, but it is one that you can travel. You have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and like who you see.

Success is not just about winning or wealth, it is about how you feel when you accomplish each milestone. The greatness in glory will always live within you. When the time is right, people will hear your song. Make sure it is a song that you are proud of because this is what will move you to strive for more. There is nothing worse than having it all but still feeling tremendous sadness because you are living inauthentically. We are lucky we’ve gotten to explore music with so many great talented musicians and producers who see the possibilities of creating something new. We have toured and opened for several bands, including Surplus Sons/No Warning, AFI, Mobile, International Noise Conspiracy, Sloan, Die Mannequin, among others; just to name a few. Our music has also been played in several platforms such as Canadian radio, MTV and Much Music. We have performed at Canadian Music Week (CMW), North by Northeast (NXNE) and the Billboard Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards show in New York, among other achievements.

What a journey. How far we have wandered to find the right beat and the rhythm that would carry our dreams. We hope, together with you, we are going to push the limits and live the many possibilities that this life has to offer. We will wander until we get there. We will wander with you, until you feel the magic that this life has to offer. Sit with us and enjoy some African Tea.”

You can reach Najuah on Phone: 416.659.6677 OR 647.515.3217 https://www.facebook.com/ NajuahMusic

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