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ARTS & CULTURE
Arts & Culture Editor Gem Yelin Lee
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arts@the-peak.ca
SOULFUL CONVERSATION
Bukola Balogun’s storytelling transcends traditional music genres Understanding the SFU student’s muse and lessons learned from her EP
ISA BE L LA URBAN I // STAF F W RI TE R
It’s been one year since the release of local talent Bukola Balogun’s debut EP, The Chronicles of a Teenage Mind. She also had the opportunity to work alongside Grammy Award and JUNO Award winning producers for her EP. Since then, Balogun said she learned to take the reins more on projects, including more risks musically, finding her sound, and trusting her vision. Balogun began her music career when she was just nine years old and emerged on the scene in 2018 with her first big performance at The Roxy. Just over a month later, Balogun was a performer at the JUNO Awards pre-show and she quickly garnered the attention of the local and national music scene. Balogun draws a lot of inspiration from combining a trio of sounds: jazz, 90s/early 2000s R&B, and acoustic soul. “I’ve really admired artists like Ms. Lauryn Hill, Tiana Major9, H.E.R., and Summer Walker,” Balogun shared. “Their ability to incorporate the guitar into their songs in such a fresh way has inspired a lot of the newer music I’m creating right now.” When it comes to crafting her own music, the guitar is an “essential part” of her music. Jazz chords and harmonies are also a must for Balogun as she is a fan of jazz chord progressions. However, when it comes to the future, Balogun is looking to tap into afrobeat. Listeners may get a chance to experience this shift this summer when Balogun will release what she’s referred to as her favourite song. Balogun hopes that listeners can appreciate all the individual elements that make up a song. “From the melody, to the lyrics, to the vocal delivery. All the parts of the song help to tell the story.
“I think what sets me apart from other musicians is honestly me, if that makes sense. The way I play guitar, coupled with my musical influences, my writing and singing style makes me unique,” said Balogun, admitting this has been a lesson she learned along the way. “It took me a while to realize that by being true to myself, I am different from other musicians because no one else can be me, but me.”
Balogun’s opening track on her debut EP is a testament to the notion of coming to, opening with a near two minute monologue about how the star perceived herself from childhood to her teenage years.
Balogun’s opening track on her debut EP, “Dear Diary Lessons,” is a testament to coming of age, opening with a near two minute monologue about how the singer perceived herself from childhood to her teenage years. This included understanding that love isn’t always a two-way street, finding
Balogun looks forward to experimenting with different genres in the future. PHOTO: Victor Tran / The Peak her own “armour,” and coming to embrace the way she looks instead of “altering her mannerisms” and appearance for others’ approval. What stood out to me after listening through the EP is how it makes you want to dance gleefully. Although each song is unique, it’s clear how Balogun pays homage to various artists. When I listen to her song “Fight For Me,” I feel the same uncontrollable smile creep onto my face as I do when I hear Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On.” When I listen to Balogun’s most streamed song “I Am Enough,” I hear the incredible harmonies that made bands like Destiny’s Child and TLC so likable. Balogun makes challenging topics, like self-worth, into music beautifully crafted for the ears. Her storytelling effortlessly translates into song, aided by the smooth jazz and R&B backing tracks. Somehow, it feels like more than music. It feels like sitting down with a friend and having a soulful conversation — chronicling the inner workings of a teenage heart. You can find out more about Balogun by heading to her website or listening to her music.
SHOW, DON’T TELL
What The Buddha Never Taught showcases outdated narratives The “rock opera” didn’t rock my world
YASMI N VEJS SI MSE K // STAF F W RI TE R
What The Buddha Never Taught is advertised as a “rock opera” and is based on the book with the same name by Tim Ward. Playing at Jericho Arts Centre until July 10, this show was not what I expected. I was imagining something like We Will Rock You meets Waiting for Godot and my anticipated version might have turned out more thrilling than the actual “rock opera” written by UVIC professor Martin T. Adam. The story begins with characters Tim and Jim arriving at a monastery in Thailand, where they expect to “find themselves” in one way or another. They meet like-minded people and are thrown into the lifestyle of the monks who reside there permanently. But that is about it as far as the storyline goes, with no inclination towards a traditional narrative arc or similar story arcs. Written with the intention of celebrating the “western encounter with Buddhism,” it came across as white people pointing out loopholes in the religion and trying to be lighthearted and funny while doing so. Rather than a respectful encounter, the play delivered tired western ethnocentric narratives. What The Buddha Never Taught didn’t keep the audience on their toes, with audience members calling it slow in the interval. It was actually a perfect example of why to “show, not tell,” as everything that Buddha never taught was verbally pointed out in most conversations throughout the performance. This juxtaposes one of the central teachings of Buddhism — to
The play rendition of the 1990s book felt culturally outdated to say the least.
PHOTO: Jill Raymond / WTBNT Productions
learn the importance of silence and stillness in order to discover inner peace.
We don’t want to see this repeated anymore, even when posed as a revolutionary or original thought.
When I attended musical theatre performances, I expected the songs to further or enhance the story in a meaningful way. The songs in this show seemed randomly plopped in and was more a fun, musical interlude than a necessary part of the story. There were also very few rock aspects in the music, with maybe two or three songs I would identify as rock and even fewer opera aspects, with zero opera songs. It would have been better to leave it as What The Buddha Never Taught — The Musical to establish appropriate expectations for the score.
When all that has been said, I don’t believe any of this was caused by this particular production of the show. I think the problem started from the book it was based on, published in the 1990s. In a review of the book, local author Michelle Barker wrote, “I felt like much of his criticism was in fact cultural, aimed at a society that he is not from and perhaps doesn’t understand all that well.” Although Barker identified that the book brought up interesting questions about the life of monks, she said most of it sounded like a judgemental monologue rather than a respectful observation.
My biggest problem, however, was not with the music. As I flicked through the programme before the start of the show, I quickly noticed that out of the nine cast members, there was only one woman and one visible person of colour — who happened to be the same person. It screamed tokenism and realizing just how small her part was only made that feeling stronger. Upon hearing the title of the show, I did not expect to spend two and a half hours on a sunny Sunday, watching white men gather around and joke about one of the widely practiced religions of the world. There is no shortage of western/white voices drowning out the voices of BIPOC cultures and religions.
I think the problem lies in creating a piece of art that does not consider representation or nuance — especially when it could so easily have been much more diverse, being set in Thailand and all. Not only do I expect casts that are true to representation in 2022, I also expect a level of respect for other cultures as well as careful avoidance of cultural appropriation and thoughtful critique. I believe this to be the bare minimum, which I do not feel this piece delivered. I don’t think theatre like that has a place in our century and I believe you have a social responsibility when you put art into the world to be perceived by the masses.
