Selah Moonie: The Village Queen

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Selah Moonie is one of few Bahamian women leading bands, the front woman of the village. Join our Jean Joseph as he hears from her about bending genres and gender roles.

Selah Moonie has played at music festivals throughout the US, opening for Rock & Roll Hall of Famers George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic and publicly endorsed by Grammy award-winning artists like India Arie and Dianne Reeves.

COVID-19 forced her to put her dreams on hold. She was homeless at one point as she ran out of money while stuck in the US. because of the border closing.

She eventually returned to New Providence, where she has been showcasing her skills as a bass player, something women are not usually known for.

Selah Moonie is the leader and only female in The Village Band, a group reimagining The Bahamas’ sound.

The multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, arranger, producer, and now leader of The Village Band says the many gender-influenced obstacles she faced have been daunting at times. Still, she is creating her own lane and shifting the gender narrative.

She says the band’s environment is nurturing, and they want to bring light to listeners.

Band members Cyril Thompson on keyboard, Zaavan Colebrooke on percussion, Sean Cunningham on drums, and Mansa Campbell on trumpet, are all talented musicians in their own right and have pledged allegiance to the queen of The Village.

The band performs 8 – 10 pm Wednesday nights at Syrah on East Bay Street and has a special show 7:30 pm – 10 pm September 30th at the National Art Gallery.

They have dedicated the show to King Errisson, a Bahamian Motown musician, whose solo on the Sugar Hill Gang’s rap song, Apache, is the most sampled in history.

You can visit thevillageband242 on instagram to learn about the band and their events.