We recently connected with Brigette Yawn Suad Ihsan and have shared our conversation below.
Brigette Yawn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Pandemic – Houston Commission Project – HCDC – New collaborative idea – doing it again!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Brigette: Music has always been an extension of myself. I was singing and dancing since I could walk and talk. I overcame a lot of challenges as a child, but from an early age, I was encouraged to do whatever and be whoever I wanted to be. I’ve always had my heart set on performing, singing, and sharing music. I eventually started playing violin as a kid and I had a very inspiring teacher who invested in me and instilled in me a lot of the drive I have today. I was never a UIL or AP student, I didn’t have the best grades like my peers, I just wanted to play. Eventually, I grew up and life did its thing. I had bills to pay, and my music dreams were taking a rest as I tried to figure it out.
It wasn’t long until I met Suad, we weren’t that close but she was obviously the new cool girl around and I would eventually get to know her. One day I saw her playing Ukulele and I was intrigued and wanted to ask her a million questions. Suad was just doing what she does, being in her own world living her own truth, and being the music nerd that I am, I wanted her to give me a lesson then and there. Music had become the catalyst of our friendship, and a deep connection we share that reveals itself when we sing and play together. It’s like we are speaking the same language we are still discovering, constantly learning from ourselves and one another.
We’ve been through it all, but no matter what, we stay true to ourselves. The music is like its own entity, the more we feed and nurture it, the more life it gives. It tells us what direction to go and when to give and take. Making music is a practice that is completely organic and meditative. It has a life of its own that is fruitful. It takes us on a journey of self-discovery and experimentation. No matter how much time goes by, we still continue to learn and grow and that can be very humbling. We’re just out here pioneering in our own little soundscape, learning about ourselves and the world.
Suad: I had no intention of being in a band. I just wanted to learn a few chords on the ukulele to accompany my voice. That all changed when Brigette came into my life and rocked my world. Music runs in my blood so I naturally gravitated towards singing after my dad. I’m self-taught and still learning, forever a student, screwing up and evolving.
I’m so proud of the fact that we continue to show up and believe in ourselves no matter what happens. We’ve been through a band break up, covid, we both work full time, then there’s life in general but we still keep coming back to the place that lights us up. We are resilient, courageous, tired souls just trying to exist authentically. Our music is honest and raw, connecting with listeners on a deeper, more intimate level.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Suad: I feel closest to myself when I’m around music, creating melodies, singing, writing. In that space I can tap into the purest part of me and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas playfully. The fact that people want to hear it is a total privilege and honor. Connecting with others makes all the fears of vulnerability worth it. We call our fans besties because there is a genuine connection with everyone we’ve met and it is such a gift to be able to share that space and time with them.
Brigette: Having the ability to express ourselves in a way that is so deep and meaningful and true to ourselves is a blessing. Having a strong connection to something and being able to share that with someone is a gift. It’s so empowering to speak your truth in such a vulnerable way and for others to see and hear you. To share your fear, pain, love, and joy with our fans and to see them feeling it too, like we’ve all been there, is a treasure. It’s also so healing and validating when so many people are holding space for you and you for them. Art is so incredibly powerful and brings us together in such a beautiful way, it’s a huge honor and privilege to take part in that and to share with so many people.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Suad: I’m still working on unlearning perfection on so many levels. Acceptance of what is versus what it should be, outcomes of events, honoring who I am in this moment instead of holding on to something that doesn’t exist. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about sharing who you are. If we waited for our material to be perfect, we’d never release anything. I’m still working on knowing when to let go and being proud of all that we’ve accomplished.
Brigette: Life has a way of changing its shape to show us truths we need to see. We may spend an eternity trying to learn. Sometimes when you’re so invested in something you create, you become overcome with the idea that perfection is the goal. As artists and as human beings alone, you become your own very worst critic, and satisfaction like a hallway that gets longer and longer, and the door to the other side is just out of reach.
Say Girl Say experienced what feels like a lifetime of challenges when writing and releasing our last album, “Let My Hair Down”. We went from being a three-piece, to a two-piece band and went on a mission learning how to fill that space together. We spent a lot of time perfecting things and overcoming different obstacles that you just obviously don’t prepare for when you are recording, mastering and releasing your very first vinyl record. Not only that but as soon as we were finishing up, COVID happened and the whole world’s plans were canceled. We persevered a lot in those years and we learned so much. I’m really excited about walking into our next record with a new mindset full of these lessons. I really think you’re going to be able to hear our growth and wisdom in our next release.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.saygirlsay.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/saygirlsay
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/saygirlsay
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saygirlsay5356
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6RLNNxDS6lXy51mBXaTCW2?si=QO63jb6XQXWxHAIXJnDDLg TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@saygirlsay?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
PamAshley Photography