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LL: You were invited to film an episode of the TED Talk. How would you sum up the thesis of

your presentation?

QE: Those simple black keyed chord progressions, that melisma, that flattened fifth, that blue-ing
of the note that is intrinsic to twang -- And yes, that banjo! Don’t forget that banjo! -- are elements
that form the heartbeat of country and bluegrass, yes. What must be understood is that all these
things are intrinsic to Blues music. And where did Blues music come from? Generation after
generation of Black people who were enslaved in the American South over hundreds of years,
bringing their shouts, field hollers, spirituals, work songs, moans, and folk songs to the fore to
create Blues. That’s why it’s the root, the absolute source, the sonic DNA of American popular

music. Without it, country and bluegrass wouldn’t exist.

I could go on about how they marketed country music away from Black people, how every country
music icon -- from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash and of course the Carter Family and countless
others -- had a Black mentor, showing them how to play guitar, write songs and perform, and how
these white country music superstars constantly mined the Black church, Black songwriters, and
Black performers for fresh material. I could even say a few things about the deeply embedded belief
that Americana comes from a specific
place in the South. You’ll have to watch

my TED Talk for the rest. Queen Esther’s TED Talk

LL: As a black woman who chooses
to perform some Country/Americana
genre tunes, do you feel you need to
explain yourself?

QE: Let me get this straight. I am from
the South -- the Blackest part of the
South that you can possibly imagine. I
am two generations removed from the

Black enslaved people that fully
encompassed African music traditions
that blues music is made of. And
somehow, I’m supposed to feel the need to explain myself because I’m singing country music and
Americana? That’s rich.

The implication is that what I’m doing needs to be justified or that I want some sort of validation or
approval for my music. Nothing could be further from the truth. That train left the station a long
time ago. I’m pretty sure it never showed up. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had plenty of insecure

moments as a person but not where my talent, my creativity or my art is concerned.

It sometimes feels like others are convinced that they are owed an explanation. Because what I’m
doing is out of place and inconsistent with what they think they know about country and Americana
music and their idea of who should be singing it. None of that has anything to do with me.
Someone should explain that to them.

Country music isn’t something I tripped over in my mom’s record collection and then I just became
obsessed with Waylon Jennings or Dolly Parton or Lucinda Williams or whoever anybody thinks is

cool. That’s not what happened to me. Twang isn’t something I heard that one time, that changed
my life, or something I listen to whenever I’m in a particular mood. It’s who I am.