I was born in Withington Hospital; I grew up in Gorton for 10 years then moved to Reddish. My family are from around here. My Gran lives in Hulme and my family is from Moss Side and Stretford. Coming to Moss Side and Hulme as a kid is a place to me, where my family is, my Gran and that. As I grow older I would hear stories and labels are placed. I wasn’t scared, just wary. Even in Gorton when I was growing up you would see things. With every experience you learn and grow. I know Moss Side, not familiar with it, like knowing where streets are. I am more at home in Gorton, where I grew up. My Mum moved us to Reddish to give us a better life, so we didn’t have to see those bad things. When I was at Primary School there were only two Black people in my year. Gorton is a more White working class area, where Reddish is more White middle class. I’m thankful, even when it comes to music, some people I know only listen to Grime or Hip Hop because they think it’s ‘Black’ I listen to different music because of my experience.
I’m in a band, Eternal Minds, it stands for ‘People who are not afraid to change what’s around them’ I have been in the Band for two years. Society and Media expect you to think a certain way. Think how to help the culture you’re in and change it for the better.
Unity is probably the most important song we wrote. It stands for Love, Hope, Joy, Peace, East, West and You and Us. In Primary School it was mainly White, I didn’t really see other cultures until I went to Stretford Grammar. Now, these days we have more wisdom to deal with each other, getting rid of prejudice and ignorance.
We are all Humans; we all go through the same things. When you meet someone focus on the similarities. Music is one of the most powerful tools. Our band has different mediums to spread our message. I want to bring people together rather than to isolate.
