The artist, poet, singer, and musician Jamila Woods’ hometown of Chicago is best known for the blues, yet has a deep and vibrant musical history and music scene that also includes jazz, gospel, soul, house and in more recent years, hip-hop and rap. As a child, Jamila Woods was surrounded by music at home, both hearing her parents' record collection, and singing with her siblings, and church choir. And as she grew up, dove deeper into the sounds that were the musical fabric of Chicago, as well as discovering her love for alternative rock bands like Box Car Racer, Weezer, and Incubus. Jamila's love of music was ingrained in her from the start, but it was poetry and the community of poetry slams that became a key element she discovered on the path to finding her voice.

After forming the band Milo & Otis, and releasing two albums in 2012 and 2014, Jamila struck out on her own. Along with a couple of high profile guest vocals on singles by Chance the Rapper and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Jamila’s debut HEAVN arrived in 2016 to widespread critical acclaim and year-end best-of lists, which she followed up in 2019 with an even more successful and critically hailed second album Legacy! Legacy!. With a deep pride for black history, Jamila’s music has been outspoken on themes of social justice, black feminism, and self-love, as well as inner strength, hope and spirituality. She has been taking a deep dive into music history and learning more about some of the artists she most admires.

Now she is pondering how to speak even more openly and vulnerably through her own lyrics. She is getting back to practicing guitar. And like the city she is so proud to call home, Jamila Woods holds multitudes of sonic and creative influences, unbound by any one genre in her work, her musical tastes, and her vision for what comes next. 

Credits:

Host/creator - Carmel Holt @carmelholt @sheroesmixtape @sheroesradio
Producer, Engineer/Mixing/Mastering - Mitra Kaboli
Theme music - Lucius @ilovelucius
Cover Illustration - Madalyn Stefanak @madalynstefanak
Guest: Jamila Woods / @jamilawoods
Label: Jagjaguwar / @jagjaguwar