Marieme on colourism, self-love, and manifesting success

Your music is reaching international audiences, too. What message do you want to send to people listening to your songs across the globe, especially when we’re so divided?

There’s so much division, and it’s unfortunate. At six months old, I escaped war. I was a refugee, and my parents got on the last plane from Mauritania to Senegal, and we lost everything. I don’t even have baby pictures. I’m like, s***, I knew I was cute as a baby! But I feel like I grew up in conflict most of my life, but also in peace. I know about external conflicts, and I know about internal conflicts just from being an immigrant and the brunt of racism, colourism, and trying to be somebody else. I was called all types of names.

I had to deal with all that, and get past it, to be where I am now. So, I understand that many of the issues we face are societal issues and that they can be fixed through us individually doing the work. I’ve travelled a lot in the world, and I see that people are the same everywhere. We all want to be loved. So, the key to solving those problems will be the individual work we do as people because it reverberates outside.

Off the back of that, we live in a time where brave female musicians are coming forward and talking about issues such as gender and pay disparity. What have been the central issue in your music career so far, if any?

Not only gender but colourism. Do you see any dark-skinned women making it? Never. Grace Jones, maybe, Nina Simone, and they must be exceptional. That’s the main thing I face, but I knew that going in. I can’t look like anybody else. I’m going to be my highest self. The systems of the music industry do not work for me. I’m paving my own way, and it’s a lesson for people just to be themselves, and that the world’s ways don’t have to be the way they are.

As well as your written material, why has expressing yourself visually been so important?

I feel like for most of my life, I was trying to be somebody else besides myself. Once I got through a lot of the noise, I could find myself and do what I wanted. Sometimes when I go outside, people come up and give me a hug. I feel like they were like, “You make me feel like I can be free”. When you’re free, you set others free, and that is exactly the space I’m in. Like I said, I’ve always tried to be somebody else when I was younger. I was trying not to be dark-skinned because of society. But when I found myself and my inner voice, I was able to radiate that out.

What has been the most empowering moment of your music career so far?

The most empowering moment was when I moved to LA from New York. My parents were against it, everybody was against it. But I worked a couple of restaurant jobs, I had $500 in my pocket, and I moved to LA. I was staying in hostels with six other people the first week. But as soon as I got there, I was so determined. I made a song within three days called “Leave,” and I ended up getting a publishing deal with Universal a week after. I started believing in my power of manifestation. I was being responsible for the energy I put out there and understanding my power. That was the most profound moment of my music career.

Finally, what is your message to women worldwide listening to your music, especially in a day and age where they’re submerged in pressures from all angles?

Self-love is the key. When you think about the scale of the universe, our atoms and our cells, everything works at the smallest level, and it reverberates out. I talk about self-love, meaning that we have to love ourselves for anybody else to love us and are responsible for our energy. Love yourself. That’s the best thing you can do in the world.

Listen to Marieme’s music here.