Interview: LaToya Kent (Mourning [A] BLKstar)

As the world unraveled in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and far too many others, few albums offered listeners an opportunity to parse through the complex web of emotions confronting people of color as well as Mourning [A] BLKstar’s expansive 2020 release, The Cycle. 

Seemingly driven by the ambition to heal a broken America — which only grew more fractured in the period following the album’s release — the Cleveland-based Afrofuturist octet pushed its experimental brew of gospel, spiritual jazz, hip-hop, and rock further than it had on its previous four albums, expressing the indescribable pain, grief, and anger of our society with an urgent resilience. 

“Mist :: Missed,” a heartfelt plea to stay focused as POC continue to be slaughtered — using that exact word — was a particularly profound moment on the album. “I’m sayin’ it so you listen,” emoted LaToya Kent, one of the group’s three exceptional vocalists, against an uplifting backdrop of New Orleans-style brass and a deep bass hip-hop rhythm. As much of the recent neo-soul revival has been centered on past nostalgia, Mourning [A] BLKstar appears simultaneously focused on the present and the future, both lyrically and musically. 

For as timely as The Cycle was, and still remains, Mourning [A] BLKstar had very little opportunity to perform the songs for fans in the immediate wake of its release. Thankfully, the group is back on the road, blowing away crowds with a potent cocktail of innovative neo-soul. With the tour reaching Asheville at Isis Music Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 5, Asheville Stages spoke with Kent about all of the above and more.

Jonny Leather: When you formed Mourning [A] BLKstar, did you set out with the intention of making music driven by political and social strife?

LaToya Kent: Being a person of color and surviving in the world while creating a lane that brings sustenance, of all facets, is a statement in itself. The intention of our music is honest in the experience of living, of loving, and the emotion it carries along the back.  

JL: How difficult was it to not be able to tour in support of The Cycle in 2020 as the album’s messages felt as relevant and necessary as ever?

LTK: When the [COVID-19] pandemic unfolded, the messages from both The Cycle and [2018’s The] Garner Poems felt like the soundtrack to the feelings and emotions that were surfacing. We were scheduled to tour internationally beginning in April and May 2020. Within the first couple months, all of our tours were canceled. It was a huge blow. Out of that down time, we created the Mourning [A] BLKstar residencies, which is a five-part docu-series. It led to us working with the Christoph Winkler dance company and creating a theater production in 2022, in which the band took up residence in Berlin, Germany, for three weeks. 

JL: What’s it been like to get back to playing in front of, and connecting with, crowds again?

LTK: 2020 was filled with virtual shows without an audience. Our first tour out was with Cloud Nothings, to nice-sized crowds. To finally get back on the road after not knowing if or when it was gonna happen again was like fresh air. Entertainment was very uncertain and unpredictable. We stayed ready for when it was going to shift and hit the stage revved up and ready to play the songs from The Cycle full of all the emotional energy to back the music.

JL: We’ve all experienced a great deal of collective trauma over the past several years, and could use some of the healing power of Mourning [A] BLKstar. Have you been working on anything new?

LTK: We are putting the final touches on a new album. It is a new dimension of musical exploration for the collective. We definitely have a sound and this album expands the range of colors that we've moved through while sitting solidly in our pallette.

JL: I’ve just learned of the passing of the mighty Pharoah Sanders. Was he an influence on Mourning [A] BLKstar?

LTK: Pharoah Sanders’ music touches all the elements of futuristic sound, timelessly. He represents exploratory jazz and soul. It is definitely adjacent to what we aspire to give to the world. A sound that is new and feeds the soul in all space and time. 

IF YOU GO

Who: Mourning [A] BLKstar
When: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Isis Music Hall, 743 Haywood Road, isiasheville.com
Tickets: $20 

(Photo by Amber Ford)