We have all experienced the life-altering affects by the pandemic. In THIS INTERVIEW you’ll learn its toll on singer and songwriter Adesha.
The soulful and fun THIS ENT Featured Artist took time to answer our “2000 BC Q&A”, reflecting on her life before COVID-19 and how things have changed personally and professionally since.
Tell us what you miss most from life before COVID-19.
I miss singing with a live band.
While we were all sheltered in place, I still did virtual performances via Facebook Live, IG Live, or Zoom. However, nothing compares to being in a venue where there are people in the flesh that you can engage with.
I love feeling the vibrations of the bass guitar in the floor while performing, it puts me in a trance. This makes performing an experience for me as well as for the audience.
Where were you when you learned about COVID-19 and how did you respond?
I first learned of COVID-19 on the news, but it was in passing and I wasn’t really tripped out by it because it was only in Wuhan, China at that time. It became personal upon my return to San Francisco from visiting family in Austin, Texas in early March of 2020.
When my hubby, daughter, and I arrived at SFO it was a ghost town. I asked the lady at the info booth what was going on and she replied, “Covid-19”. Within hours of hearing that, my anxiety level probably tripled.
I was worried that we might have been exposed to Covid since we were just flying on a plane. I was worried about my mom’s 65th birthday party that would happen that following weekend. I was worried that I might have had covid because I had a fever and sniffles days prior. It turned out that I did not have covid, but I did have a huge case of anxiety.
What, for you, have been the personal and professional benefits, and setbacks, from the pandemic?
Initially, my music career and the collaborative playwriting I was doing was put on hold. I was concerned as to how my family was going to survive financially, which contributed to more anxiety. I lost a loved one and we weren’t even able to be near her in her final days due to Covid. That was very challenging. We could not visit any friends nor additional family members which put the strain of meeting one another’s needs on my husband, daughter, and I. I prayed for wisdom and guidance.
God gave me the grand idea of starting an online class for kids ages 4 – 6, encouraging social and emotional engagement though virtual play. We had a blast. Innovation is definitely born of necessity. I needed to survive so I invented ways to stay afloat. I hosted virtual concerts, virtual painting classes, and virtual meetups in addition to the virtual kids classes.
After the loss of George Floyd, my musical theater cohorts and I entered our play into the National Alliance For Musical Theater Festival on Broadway in NYC. Of the 348 plays that were entered, only 8 were chosen and our play was one of them.
In conclusion, were it not for COVID, some of these great things would not have happened. Being home also forced my husband and I to deal with our marriage issues. I believe that made our family unit stronger and my husband and I closer.
Do you have faith in the vaccine?
I have to. We have nothing else out there that will put COVID on pause. If I have to stay at home any longer, I will likely lose my mind.
Who do you talk to the most to keep your spirits up and help you stay optimistic?
I talk to my husband, but I also am lucky to have a group of girlfriends I call, ZOOM, or text. Speaking with them and doing virtual hangouts has been a real lifesaver.
Has the pandemic caused you to value your life and the lives of others more than you did already?
Yes.
In December my brother and his whole household tested positive for COVID. My little family had just spent the weekend with them, so we had to test for COVID and in addition, quarantine. I remember asking God to help us make it out of the holidays alive. Thanks be to God we did.
Once that challenge passed, I was so grateful to be reunited with my family. That experience definitely made me value them more. It also helped me to see that at times I allow my fears to stop me from living my best life. The fear of uncertain outcomes makes me afraid of taking risks. I grew to see the real killer in this life is fear, because it stops you from doing, period.
What about your immediate surroundings have you become more aware of?
People, not wearing masks and coughing… [Laughs] Young cats driving cars with all tinted windows because Oakland’s crime scene is wilding out right now. I’m also on alert for any live music, because I want to experience it as an audience member again and also as a performer.
What’s something that had to change because of the pandemic that you hope doesn’t change back once it’s over?
I am spending way more time with my husband, daughter, and other loved ones. I truly hope that doesn’t change. |THIS.
[By M.J. Walker]
