Joce Reyome is quickly becoming one of our favourite soulful powerhouses. The Massachusetts-born, Charlottetown-based artist has been edging to the forefront of Atlantic Canada’s music scene as a massively talented vocalist—riding under the wings of Irish Mythen, KINLEY, Dylan Menzie, and Andrew Waite. Their latest and second single, “News,” has been created and debuted as part of CBC’s The Story & The Song program. Contrary to what the song’s title might suggest, however, the single is closer to old adage: “no news is good news.”
If you’ve cracked a glance at the world anytime in, let’s say the last four years or so, you may have noticed a distinct trend. Not all is right with the world. The news we are bombarded with, day after day, tends to be of a disheartening variety. What might have once been considered a major upheaval, societal disruptions of national or even global scales, have become commonplace.
While it might feel like a burden to see these events unfolding, can you imagine what it’s like to experience your life as the subject of them?
When Reyome took on the challenge CBC’s The Story & The Song they were given three prompt words: isolation, rebirth, and the unknown, before given complete freedom to write a song about any one of those topics. “News” was written under the umbrella of “the unknown.” Although “the news” seems like an inherently known subject, the real “unknown” for Reyome is “when does it end?”
“I wanted this song to encapsulate the thoughts and emotions of the Black Lives Matter movement. As a queer, mixed BIPOC, non-binary musician, the civil rights movement is all that my life is. Me existing is a political statement,” explains Reyome.
“Being an American and living in Canada, I have somewhat of an interesting perspective on the state of the States. And even though I was technically removed from the situation with Trump, every day I woke up, there was always another headline. And I just hoped that it was something positive, anything other than hearing about another unarmed BIPOC person dying because of white privilege.
“I want this song to make you stop and wonder if you are doing enough. Enough to help your family, to help your friends, to help the people you don’t know. Phrased in questions, I want you to listen and see if you have the answers. How many years until we stop making history? How many marches will it take to break the chain? Not enough people are tired of living through negative historical moments.”
With nods to Sam Cooke, Nina Simone, and a little pre-chorus lift a la Michael Jackson, Joce Reyome showcases some spectacular vocals and lyrics that hammer home the fatal absurdity of a society that has yet to evolve beyond this.