By Madeleine Jenness

SassyBlack, a Seattle-based artist and producer, comes from the stars. Literally. Her Zoom background in my interview with her is of space. I ask her how it’s going. “I am in a good space,” she remarks with a laugh. “I’m a very punny person.”

Black has been honing her musical and vocal talent for over 20 years. “This Goddess of “electronic psychedelic soul” & “hologram funk” explores the concepts of sound through deep compositions. With roots in classical & jazz, her voice is often compared to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Erykah Badu & Georgia Anne Muldrow,” her website describes. 

“I’ve been songwriting since I was 10,” says Black, who describes that her initial dream was to go into acting. “I was a part of the Langston Hughes summer musical program, where I played Rizzo in Grease at the Paramount.” 

“I was also doing all the Open Mics… I hung out at UW so much that people thought I went there,” says Black, a Cornish alumna. “I was even part of the BSU [Black Student Union] at one point,” Black says with a laugh. “I was just trying to get on a mic anytime there was a mic around.”

Black is often called an Afrofuturist. “I identify as a Black queer person. People have called me an Afrofuturist, and I think that’s what’s ended up landing for people. [Afrofuturism] is mostly just about a Black storyteller, Black experience rooted in the future, rooted in existence and perseverance, but also believing that Black people belong in the future.”

For the full interview, hosted by Campus Events Board (CEB), please go to UWave’s Youtube Channel.

CEB is also hosting “Black Joy with SassyBlack this Thursday, March 4th from 5:30-7p.m with the Social Justice Organizers (SJOs). You can visit their Instagram for the Zoom ID.