To be or not to be, THANKFUL: An interview with Nelli Nichole
“I found myself getting pulled over at a light…” –Nelli Nichole
There is no single reason that prompts us into action or pushes us toward positive social change. There are myriad forces—fortunate events, many times beyond our control, which shake us from our comfort zones and drive us forward to a new beginning.
For Nelli Nichole, it was being pulled over by the police, an incident that created turmoil for a brief moment—but then led to being thankful.
Nelli is a music artist focused on positive social change. We originally interviewed Nelli in 2017 and discovered her inspiration came from, as she stated, “feeling like I didn’t have a voice when I was younger.” But she certainly has a voice now—a powerful one. What kind of music does she sing? All kinds. As she told me during the interview, “I want to create my own genre; I don’t want to be put into a specific box. I want to be able to reach any and every kind of demographic.” She is accomplishing that feat through powerful songs, through speaking life to people who find themselves in difficult situations—incarceration, poverty, heartache—for a new beginning.
The following podcast with Nelli suggests that change can be examined from basic beginnings or factors that cause individuals to move in a prescribed direction of change. Nelli not only has a strong passion for speaking with a clarion voice through music, but she is utilizing her artistic talents to show us how we can all influence change by finding our “inner” artist.
Positive social change does not just happen. It often requires a series of fortunate events to break our silence and mobilize us into action. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once observed, “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
A few points to consider as you listen:
• How self-expression can lead to empowerment.
• How her song “Jailbird” created momentum for change and inspired hope.
• How inspirational music has long-since been a catalyst for positive social change.
Nuggets of gold from the interview:
- “You are not your situation.”
“If you’ve got a dream and you’ve got a drive, you can do it!”“Tune out all of the negativity.”“You are loved. You are beautiful.”