Let’s talk about it: Black Irish creatives and their mental health.
(In association with Minding Creative Minds) – Curated by Tolu Makay.
Panellists:
Loah (Artist / Songwriter)
Simba Bianchi (Music Producer)
Dr Abiola Muhammed Ogunfowora (Psychologist / Therapist)
Ann Marie Shields (Minding Creative Minds)
Hosted by Siobhan Murray (Psychotherapist & Author)
Panellist Bios:
LOAH
Loah is Sallay-Matu Garnett, a singer songwriter of Irish /Sierra Leonian descent. She performs her unique blend of Afro-folksoul across solo projects and with collaborators including Hozier, Lisa Hannigan, Fehdah, and Bantum, and most recently during quarantine, Queens rapper Bas and Ron Gilmore Jr (J Cole, Ari Lennox). She starred as Mary Magdalene in the 2019 Barbican production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
DR ABIOLA MUHAMMED OGUNFOWORA
“Dr Abiola Muhammed-Ogunfowora received her Doctorate in counselling psychology from Trinity College Dublin and currently offers online therapy at Al-Afia Counselling Services. Her research topic was – “Client’s experience of Race in Cross-Racial therapy”. She has years of experience helping individuals and couples find healing and meaning from difficult situations. She is very passionate about making mental health services more accessible. In a bid to achieve this feat, she was part of the team that delivered an alternative report to the United Nations Committee on racial discrimination in Ireland. She also co-founded racism on the couch as a resource for practitioners to address racism more effectively in the therapeutic space.
SIMBA BIANCHI
Simba Bianchi, also known as Mixedbysimba is a vocal recording and mix&mastering engineer based in Dublin, Ireland. After years of self-producing, mixing & mastering from 2009 – 2014 and winning awards like the best male artist at the Irish African Music Award in 2012. He now runs his own successful local and affordable recording studio called Jungle Beam Studio which helps accelerate urban music growth in the Irish community. Working with the likes of Jafaris, Hare Squead, Super Silly, Offica, Tolu Makay, Evans Junior, Celaviedemai, Tomike etc. He is considered the silent helper of the urban Irish music scene today.
ANN MARIE SHIELDS
Ann Marie Shields is Head of Careers, Industry, and Events at BIMM Institute Dublin. She is on the interim board of AIMI (Association of Independent Music Ireland), and is a director of Minding Creative Minds.
Ann Marie recently launched her own AMS Records label, with releases from Side 4 Collective, SELK, and Vernon Jane who she also manages. She has worked extensively in the music industry working closely with bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Rumer, Rob Ells (PJ Harvey) and Charlotte Hatherley (ASH/Bat for Lashes). She spent 6 years at Warner Bros. flagship label Reprise Records and moonlights as a film music supervisor with ‘Music 4 Movies’.
TOLÜ MAKAY
Singer and songwriter Tolü Makay recently unveiled her much-anticipated debut EP ‘Being’ in October 2020 via the Berlin-based label Welcome to the New World, and went on to win the hearts of the nation with her poignant rendition of N17 by the Saw Doctors with the RTE concert orchestra for New Year’s Eve countdown show. Having used music for many years as a medium to speak and driving home the importance of self-love, assurance and confidence, Tolü Makay’s background in Psychology has prompted means of having further discussions relating to mental health within the music industry.