Music has since back in the days been a significant element of identity. Preferences for different musical genres vary according to the environment, the culture, and the ethnic background of a person. Music gives a vital platform for people to express their perspectives, creativity, and emotions. Depending on the music preferences, social identities are formed and kept carefully through the expression of music. According to Shelemay (2001), ‘music becomes a symbol of identity and attains meaning through its sound and settings.’ This paper intends to give a reflection of how music contributes to identity formation with an analysis of three interviews by Queen Ida, Jeffery Broussard, and Lei Liang.
The first interview focuses on Queen Ida, the queen of Zydeco music with its roots in Louisiana, San Francisco. Zydeco music is a blend of Cajun music, RnB, Caribbean, and soul music. Queen Ida moved into San Francisco during her teenage years and gradually became in music. Coming from a musical family, she was not automatically into music but got into it in her early twenties after hearing two music pieces from Louisiana on TV which motivated her. As one of the first female Cajun accordion artists, she grew up used to the fact that the society back then did not quite accept her as a female accordion, something that they grew to currently accept. As pointed out in the interview, San Francisco is composed of a mix of people from various backgrounds and parts of the world including but not limited to a blend of French, Spanish, African Americans, and Caribbean identities.
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Louisiana being a cosmopolitan placed that housed many ethnic identities, people began influencing each other, and Cajun music was gradually adapted into the culture of other ethnic groups. The adaptation of Cajun music by other ethnicities in Louisiana gave birth to the Zydeco music genre where Queen Ida is one of the female pioneers in the industry. Some of the major instruments included but were not limited to the accordion, a violin, a washboard worn as a vest, and played using spoons or bottle opener. From Queen Ida’s interview, it is evident that music is quite instrumental in the construction of one’s identity. It is through Cajun and Zydeco music that we are confronted with the rich cultural identity of Louisiana and its diversity. Apart from music being traced back to a geographical location as a genre, it is vital to note that it is an aspect that holds people together defined by their similarities as well as differences too. The music was not only a preserve of Louisiana’s rich culture but also the zydeco and Cajun identities.
The second interview features Jeffery Broussard from Opelousas, considered the home of Zydeco in Louisiana. Jeffrey began his interest in music while he was eight years old. Zydeco's music to him is considered to be more of a soul that brings an intimate relation with music. The main instrument is the diatonic accordion which has more notes suitable for playing the Zydeco and Cajun music. Another famous zydeco instrument is the frottoir that is worn as a vest and played using a spoon or bottle opener. According to Jeffrey, Zydeco music is not zydeco anymore if it lacks the frottoir and the accordion. His point is supported by Shelemay who pointed out that the accordion was at the heart of Cajun sound that allowed for the lengthening of songs when turning the verses (Shelemay, 2001). The instruments were quite instrumental to the music genre and also carved out an identity for Zydeco and Cajun music.
From the interview, Jeffrey is quite attached to the Zydeco music, and the emotion that he exudes while playing the accordion and the frottoir shows how music has the power to capture someone. Through that feeling, music can provoke new insights into the construction of personal, social, and cultural identities (Baker, 2019). It is hence a total reflection of the diversity in the ethnic and multicultural richness of the society.
The third interview features the Chinese-American Lei Liang, a composer, and professor of music. From the interview, Lei Liang describes that the mix of his Chinese heritage and western heritage have both played a huge role in his music expertise as a composer. Lei Liang states that he tries to create his works by resisting cultural labels and instead creates distance between himself and the cultural resources so that he can create pieces that are distinct and inspirational. According to Shelemay (2001), Lei Liang’s compositions draw a lot from his Chinese heritage to a deep engagement with an array of Asian styles and philosophical perceptions. From the interview, we learn that Lei Liang appreciated more the Chinese and Asian musical heritage after he left China. This is perhaps due to his interaction with the Chinese and Asian musical philosophies and how it was perceived in his new home in the United States. He felt more connected to it while in the US than in China and that motivated him to be more inclined in music as a career. The interview features some of his prominent composition pieces like Milo and Verch. He was in love with Mongolian music since his childhood and that also informed his research perspective.
Lei Liang’s composition works absorb different cultural influences in a transformed manner and conveyed innovatively in transcultural musical language. Liang has over time transformed culture through sound and that has been an outstanding quality that sets him apart from other composers. As a mixed heritage composer, Liang has often put it across that his identities are merely cultural constructs but at the same time draws inspiration from the cultures to do his compositions.
From the three interviews of Queen Ida, Jeffrey Broussard, and Lei Liang, their musical works show a great reflection of the globalization and diversity of music drawn from multi-culturalism. Music that draws cultural diversity in it connects people across boundaries and promotes intercultural understanding (Parker, 2020). Music is therefore at the heart of the best cultural experiences and not only allows people to understand themselves and their history but also helps them to form and maintain their social status and open up easy communication. Musical hybrids provide insight into personal and collective identities (Cobb, 2003). The music, therefore, plays a vital role in uniting multiple identities ranging from shared family values to a broader societal stage.
References
Baker, A. (2019). Introduction: The Great Music City, Exploring Music, Space and Identity. The Great Music City, 3-34.
Cobb, A. (2003). Music communities: National identity, ethnicity and place. Sound Tracks, 129- 155.
Parker, E. C. (2020). Musical Identity. Adolescents on Music, 20-57.
Shelemay, K. K. (2001). Soundscapes (3rd Ed.). New York: Norton.
