First Listen: Monique DeBose writes a universal letter on “Brown Beauty”

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(September 15, 2021) Monique DeBose is someone who knows what it’s like to be in the middle. As a mixed-race child, she was often asked by others to choose a side and was often told by others that whatever side she selected was not the right side. She had to make a decision to embrace herself fully. Living that choice can be a lifetime’s work that many people never complete. If DeBose has not reached the point where she has fully embraced that decision, she is well on her way and will not be stopped.

DeBose’s work as a jazz singer, playwright, actress, life coach and podcast host often finds her taking on questions of identity and self-perception. She has not shied away from addressing those difficult topics, and she takes on the fraught issue of perceptions of outer and inner beauty on her song “Brown Beauty.” The tune is among the 16 tracks featured on her recently released and very good full-length album You Are the Sovereign One.

“Brown Beauty” is a love song to the physical, emotional and spiritual beauty of women of color. The tune puts the spotlight on DeBose’s jazz infused vocals along with the tune’s empowering lyrics by pairing her with a sparse arrangement that features a piano. Check out DeBose’s “Brown Beauty” here.

By Howard Dukes

Monique DeBose – “Brown Beauty”

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