Well… What do you think?
Guyanese singer Erica Sember debuts ‘Trust Me’
Caribbean Life, AUG. 27-SEPT. 2, 2021 31
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Whaddaya think?
Surely, you’ve got opinions;
everyone does these days. You
have ideas about this and that,
you’ve given things a lot of
consideration, and you know
how you feel. It’s nice to have
your mind made up. Now you
can move on and maybe, with
these great books, you can see
what others think, too…
If it seems that pop culture
dominates our lives these days,
well, you’re right. Author Nichole
Perkins agrees, and in
her book “Sometimes I Trip
on How Happy We Could Be”
(Grand Central Publishing,
$17.99), she writes about how
the internet, wealth, TV, racism,
misogyny, health issues,
and beauty standards for Black
women have affected her in the
new millennium. That might
sound like a serious rant, but
it’s not… not entirely; Perkins
shares her thoughts on a few
somber topics but even on
those pages, she’s sharp, relatable,
and witty, giving readers
plenty to discuss and plenty of
reasons to nod their heads in
agreement.
No doubt, you’ve got lots to
say about racial issues in 2021,
so how about another point of
view? Read “Don’t Let It Get
You Down: Essays on Race,
Gender, and the Body” by Savala
Nolan (Simon & Schuster,
$26.00).
As the child of a Black and
Mexican father and a white
mother, Nolan knows what it’s
like to live a life that’s not:
not Black and not White, not
wealthy and not exactly poor.
She knows what it’s like to
grapple with body image issues,
financial insecurity, and with
racial myths. She’s well aware
of what society – both Black
and white – expects from Black
women in their feelings and
their appearances. She writes
of motherhood and how racism
affects it from the moment
a child is born. And she writes
about her own history, and her
white ancestors who enslaved
the Black ancestors in her family.
Savor these essays. Discuss.
And finally, you can learn
a lot about what someone’s
thinking from the stories they
tell. Remember that as you’re
reading “Give My Love to the
Savages: Stories” by Chris
Stuck (Amistad, $24.99).
Life as a Black man in America
is really something: you
might be called by a racial slur
one minute, and find yourself
on the creepy end of too much
attention from a white woman
in another. You try to live your
life, not bothering anybody, but
somebody’s inevitably bothered.
You stay in your own lane
until someone (or something)
hits you head-on. You wonder
why white people do the
things they do – but one day,
you might find yourself doing
them, too.
Family, masculinity, love,
and getting by in American
society, those are just some of
the plots in these tales. They’ll
give you something to think
about, and to chuckle about.
If these essays don’t quite
fit what your head and heart
want, be sure to reach out to
your favorite librarian or bookseller.
They have plenty of other
books available, and they’ll help
you find the essays and stories
you need to know whaddaya
think?
Essays by Black Authors
by various writers
c.2021, various publishers
$17.99 – $26.00
Various page counts
Photo by Terri Schlichenmeyer
By Tangerine Clarke
Erica Sember has potential.
The singer, songwriter, has made
her move to capture the hearts
of R&B fans with her debut
single, “Trust Me.” The official
video is trending on YouTube
with more than 1600 views.
The chanteuse showcases a
sexy mature vocal sound while
singing; “You’re the one I am
missing, there’s no other one,
I can’t stop loving you, and I
know you feel the same way. All
you gotta do is just trust me,
love me.”
Guyanese-born Sember, who
migrated to the United Kingdom
at the tender age of five,
the daughter of proud parents,
Ingrid and Neville Bissember,
recalls growing up very shy.
But by all indications, she has
overcome her coyness, and is
embracing her newfound fame,
as “Trust Me” heats up media
platforms.
In a recent virtual interview
with 94.1 Boom FM Guyana,
the London-based songstress
said as far back as she could
remember, she would stand in
front of the television set and
imitate singers, wishing one day
she could maybe, do what they
did. Fortunately, Sember’s
mother saw potential in the
melody maker and signed her
up for piano lessons, a move
that helped her singing gifts to
flourish.
The sultry singer is determined
more that ever to make
music her career goal, after
breaking out of her shell, thanking
her piano teacher for the
stamp of approval.
“I battled with myself, as to
whether I should go ahead and
take this seriously,” the vocalist
questioned herself, adding
“that the last year, we all had
the time during the pandemic
to be in our own space, and our
own heads, and I thought of
what I wanted for myself, and I
can’t see myself doing anything
else.”
She has much more to offer
from her songbook, developed
over several years. And with her
good looks, and singing chops,
the songstress is well, on her
way to securing a music contract,
and will be on the Grammy
stage, before we know it.
Sember shared that she initially
had a completely different
idea for a song she had
rewritten, but went ahead and
recorded “Trust Me,” which was
composed in 45 minutes.
“I hope you’re all enjoying
‘Trust Me’ just as much as I have
been, said the optimist, via the
interview platform.
Screen grab of Erica Sember.