Goapele

Goapele
a.k.a. Goapele Mohlabane

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TIME FOR A CHANGE
Progressive Soul Singer Goapele Takes a Stand on Change It All
Goapele proves it's possible to transcend your local music market without losing yourself. After storming Northern California's Bay Area with her indie debut, Closer, the former Berkelee College of Music student returns with major-label debut, Change It All. The daughter of a New York-born Jewish mother and a South African father, the Oakland native was raised to voice her opinion about how to make the world a better place. But that's to be expected from Goapele, whose name means "to move forward" in the South African Sitswana dialect. On Change It All, she embraces both musical and idealistic challenges, addressing topics from the confrontational ("Find a Way" includes an interview with political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal) to the more typical (the love song "First Love" flaunts her airy alto). Shortly after the album's release, Goapele checked in with Barnes & Noble's Hillary Crosley to chat about her music, her label switch, and more.

Barnes & Noble.com: What made you record such a political album?

Goapele: It's really a mix. Seventy percent are love songs. And the other piece is reflecting on the times. The album begins with political statements I took from ten different interviews. I wanted other people's voices to be represented so I could feel like it wasn't just me. For example, the themes touched on are that we didn't want this war, the government isn't representing everybody, and we need more [funding] in the inner cities for schools. And then we move into the love songs.

B&N.com: How'd you come to interview political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal?

Goapele: A friend works at [long-running Bay Area public] radio station KPFA, and my parents listened to it when I was a kid. Mumia [sentenced to death for the murder of a policeman] has been featured several times doing his radio interviews from Death Row. He's an amazing [speaker] and one of the founding members of [the Philadelphia branch of] the Black Panther Party. He's an interesting journalist who's been in jail for about 20 years [and still maintains his innocence]. It's amazing how bright his spirit still is.

B&N.com: Has joining a major label, Sony Music, changed your perspective?

Goapele: In some ways. It was challenging to start independently because there weren't a lot of financial resources. And we'd never put out any music before so there was a lot to learn, but [through the process] I gained more knowledge about the business. Creative control means a great deal to me, and I feel like it's overflowing, even with the Sony relationship. We got to build our own studio in the Bay Area and recorded most of the album out there. I'm just really thankful.

B&N.com: Any changes between your first album, Closer, and Change It All?

Goapele: The first album was really eclectic, but it could easily fit into the soul category. With this album, there are a lot of soul songs and a lot of live music mixed in. But it does get into new wave. "Love Me Right" could be an '80s pop rock song. All the songs still have an edge that's beautiful and truthful.

B&N.com: Kanye West's newest signing, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, produced three songs. How was it working with the industry's latest golden boys?

Goapele: It was a little before they did their deal with Kanye. I'd heard their stuff because they did a "Catch 22" remix awhile back. It was real funk influenced, but kind of futuristic. I was drawn to their music and most of the songs were there before I started singing. We did "Fly Away," and "Good Love," which is one of my favorites. We also did "Battle of the Heart," which has a totally different vibe.

B&N.com: Were you intimidated about working with Pink producer Linda Perry?

Goapele: I felt pressure, even though she'd come to a show and we'd talked about doing something together. There's just such a trust level that you have to build [in the studio]. So once I trusted it, it was a fun experience.

B&N.com: Were you a Pink Floyd fan before you recorded a version of their "Darker Side of the Moon" with Perry?

Goapele: I wasn't that familiar with their music until I was working on the album, and I watched the making of The Dark Side of the Moon on DVD. I was blown away, and then realized how familiar their music was, and how much of an influence they've had on other artists.

December 16, 2005