
When I spoke to Chicago born Jaime Woods for the first time I was thrown aback by how energetic she was at 3 am after a show; my heart skipped and my voice trembled as my inked fingers shuffled a piece of paper with key notes in the form of scratches and scribbles, I was nervous and had expected someone who would want to get the interview done and dusted as quick as possible. My expectations were promptly flung out the window of my laptop screen as she spoke from her heart so purely and exhibited such a quaint sense of humor, I had to calm down. We digressed into nuggets of conversations before delving deep into the matter at hand, New Black History Music and how she fits into this huge puzzle of dispersed pieces.
How did you get into music that you do now?
I’ve always been involved in music, singing in choirs before I knew what singing in choirs is and just like you know? Learning music from a spiritual and emotional level and that is what is most prevalent in the music I make today. The ability to connect to people on a personal level. In high school joined the high school choir then joined this jazz ensemble at the community college that I went to and then I went to Berkeley and in there I focused on music that I didn’t know a lot about like Folk, hip-hop and different kinds of soul music. It was more of a process of like 5 years of learning different kinds of music and just living and creating myself and that is how I got to the music that I am at now.
When it comes to understanding the start of our music here, the history of black music. It started on plantations as messages and it started with very emotional ties
How did you stay focused on your musical goals?
The fear kept me going, the fear of not being able to do anything else but music, which was a false feeling but a good motivator, being at Berkeley around musicians and people that were creating helped me push and keep growing.
How does your work essentially contribute to the preservation of black history?
When it comes to understanding the start of our music here, the history of black music. It started on plantations as messages and it started with very emotional ties and I like to be able to create emotions and create scenarios in our music still. The messages in my music are not necessarily political or geared towards political topics but in my shows I make sure to talk about things that are happening you know? So I don’t feel like I am good at writing political music…that’s not where my gift is, my gift is in being active and creating music that attracts people towards change. My ties with the history is to create music like it was and remind people of emotions that they don’t necessarily feel. So I want to preserve the purpose of the music rather than a specific genre.

Photography By: Andre Wagner
Chicago, growing up there how was the mood around Black History Month?
Well Chicago is a very cold city this time of the year so you not really going to find people outside of the house, at least black people (laughs). Chicago is a big city and I know a very specific part of Chicago. But with my understanding of Chicago we don’t leave the house, it’s too cold. I was in Chicago about 2-3 weeks ago and I was about to leave for L.A. and as I got out of my garage my nose hairs froze (laughs) it was like -17 degrees °F outside.
People aren’t out there?
Nah, we are inside making chilli and watching movies but Chicago is lovely.
Generally in a broad aspect of things, do you think enough is being done to create awareness about black history in Chicago more especially when it comes to mixed race individuals, do they get excluded at some point?
Uhmm…Absolutely not and I don’t think enough is being done anywhere else, I feel like the winners of history get to re-write it to whatever they want it to be and I think with us it’s a losing battle as the history keeps changing which is really unfortunate, but in that being done- education is the only way it can be taught, through school but we are not being represented in the curriculum anymore and I don’t know if preserving black history is really a goal for most people living in the area that I am from…for them the goal is more about survival . Especially right now because there’s a lot going on in that city specifically and so making it day to day is more of a goal. There’s a lot that can be done in my city, a lot that I plan to contribute to once I have the means…Chicago needs a lot of help right now.
Okay on a lighter note..
Laughs, yeah on a lighter note
How did you meet Emily King and how did you start working with each other?
I used to sing in a band with an artist named Nick Hakim. My brother Dale and I would sing background for him. So one day we were rehearsing and found out that Emily King was coming to Boston to do a show. I wrote an email to the drummer’s girlfriend to get in touch with Emily to see if she had an opening act for the show and she didn’t and I sent her videos and stuff and she liked what we had. The show date was when we actually met and after that we kept in touch. I was a huge fan and I let her know that whenever she needs anything she should know that I am super down to work with her and she was like “hey move to New York”. As soon as I moved to New York she offered me a spot in the band, I gladly accepted,

How’s New York compared to where you are originally from as well as Boston and so forth, how is it for you as a musician?
New York is incredible, I feel that I am fortunate with the success that I have had in New York and that a lot of people don’t have the same story as I do and I am very, very grateful and giving when I can . It’s been amazing and also having spent time in Boston and moving to New York with a bunch of people that I went to school with was very, very helpful and the circle of musicians from the school that I went to also helped with getting me started here. The energy here is amazing and super inspiring, you are surrounded by people who are doing the same thing and so you never feel alone in the sense of trying to make music and that’s a gift and I don’t know too many places where you are able to do that, being around people who are constantly creating that’s really cool. Chicago is a little more chilled, it’s the mid-west, the urgency is not really present and everybody sort of has time.
Your Troy EP, how did you come up with the album, what message did you want to convey?
Well the TROY EP was more of a self-goal to see if I had what it took to start and finish a project well. It was my test to see if this is really what I wanted to do, and if I really trusted myself to really do it, so I didn’t really have expectations, just goals to this project. I wrote these songs over 4 years, I had a bunch of friends that helped me record some of the music but the bigger picture was really lonely. It was like I’m taking a journey through the dessert trying to figure myself out and it went well, I’m really happy with how it came out and the doors it opened.
I also wanted to be like that for myself, to fight for myself and cherish myself the way that I should and that was really in line with the EP, where I was trying to find myself in a specific time
Will we be getting more from Jaime Woods?
Of course (laughs) absolutely! I’m still writing and creating but it’s hard because sometimes you evolve faster than you are able to record or you record faster than you are able to evolve and so trying to catch both those things at the same time is kinda difficult but it’s cool, it’s a challenge and its very rewarding.
So you are in New York and experiencing all that pace and energy, say I am a fan how do you think you can keep the same relationship with me while you evolve so quickly?
I think that my sound is not what is attracting people but the vibe that is attracting them is the feeling that it gives you, that feeling is consistent and as long as I keep that feeling consistent then it will always feel like home. The emotions will be the same, regardless of what it sounds like.
My personal favourites are “Home” and “Can’t let it go”, what inspired “Home”?
It was a friend of mine who had a girlfriend who was out there living her life and in living her life she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be with my friend or not and my friend had been through a lot..well not a lot but enough. He spent his time waiting with no sense of security and this song is about that waiting and not knowing what’s going to happen but I’m here…

Photography By: Lauren Desberg
Why the Title Troy?
Troy is a flip on Helen of Troy, it’s Greek mythology. I don’t know if you know the story but Helen was the daughter from an affair between Zeus and Leda. She was this beautiful woman who was intelligent and admired, I kinda picture her as Esther in the bible, she was that “it” girl, she was just awesome and she ended up marrying the king of Sparta. The prince of Troy really desired her and he kidnapped/seduced her. War was waged between two cities over her and so the idea of being that powerful and influential that two whole cities would fight for you was really attractive to me and so I wanted the people who like the music that I do to be like those two cities. I also wanted to be like that for myself, to fight for myself and cherish myself the way that I should and that was really in line with the EP, where I was trying to find myself in a specific time and I thought “well Troy fits”. I was thinking of changing my artist name to Troy but I thought that may be too specific and the name is really epic and I am not that Epic yet. That’s basically why.
How can you describe the music you are doing now, post Troy?
As far as the type of music that I am writing now…I try to be me more honest , I am trying to find the courage to write about the things that I am feeling and in doing so I am creating some pretty cool stuff, I got some self-discovery songs that I am really proud of. I’m really enjoying dance hall and some of my songs have that Island vibe with heavier emotions, I like that balance of not being too dark or too light.
Will we be seeing you in South Africa?
Absolutely! It would be incredible.
Written By : Lethabo Ngakane