When Beyoncé gave birth early this year to her first child, the entertainment world came to a collective stand-still—for a second at least—as the music diva, at last, paused long enough to focus on something other than her amazingly successful career as a recording artist. She was joining the ranks of other new mothers like Mariah Carey, Yahzarah, and Pink, all of whom had babies in 2011. However, despite the life-altering event that motherhood becomes, few seemed worried that Mommy-hood would derail the career of the legendary mega-star. Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z have already trademarked baby Blue Ivy’s name for future baby products and less than a month after giving birth, Beyoncé was seen out alone on her way to her husband’s concert, dressed chic and looking fabulous sans the baby belly.
“I think that there are many who consider [Beyoncé] and these women role models and they are showing the industry that is possible to be a successful artist and a mother. I hope that the entertainment industry begins to embrace motherhood more,” says R & B singer Quineice.
Balancing Mommy-hood and a Music Career
Quineice, who will release her debut CD Memoirs of a Soul Pixie this year, suffered several setbacks after having children early in her career. She thinks that Beyoncé’s new role as mother will definitely change her approach to her career. “I will admit that having children slowed me down a bit,” Quineice says. “I took several breaks from performing to raise my children. However, I have grown more resilient and humble over the years because of them. It was difficult to travel, tour, etc. when they were younger, but thankfully I had family around to help out. My children inspire me to persevere.”
Soul artists who are mothers agree that moms like Beyoncé need support to return to the music scene while keeping her family in tact.
England-born soul singer Julie Dexter shares, “Motherhood has been a blessing to me and my career. I have a 6 year-old daughter and a 9 month-old son. I was definitely overwhelmed when I had my first child because I was a new mom but after a while with the help of my husband and family I was able to get the hang of things so to speak.”
Dexter put off finishing her CD for five years after her daughter’s birth, but continued to tour and perform. In 2007 she produced Moon Bossa–a collaboration with Khari Simmons–featuring the single ‘Ketch a Vibe” which was used in national radio ads for then-Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama. A popular artist on the underground soul music scene, having shared the spotlight with a list of well-known acts including Mint Condition, Jill Scott, Bilal, Loose Ends, Rachelle Ferrell, Ledisi, Eric Roberson, and Raheem DeVaughn, Dexter can compare life before and after parenting.
So can Washington, D.C.-based singer Afi Soul. Afi Soul took some time off after her last child– her baby son–was born last year. Now, a full year later, she is building up her momentum again, raising money for an independent CD project to follow after her debut CD Lovely. She has enjoyed a career that has spanned a decade while raising three daughters and her baby son as a single mother. She credits the support of her family and mainstream performers like Erykah Badu for providing a successful model of motherhood to artists and single mothers that shows that women can still have a career even when baby is put first.
“Erykah has always been real open and honest about her experiences as a mom,” says Afi.” I’ve even read where she’s defended some folks’ judgment about her life. She is a true artist and I think she shows that both can be done successfully.”
In a SoulTrain.com interview with singer Yahzarah in 2011 before the birth of her son Miles, she concurred with Afi’s sentiment as she told who her role models were for balancing career and motherhood, “…Sunshine Anderson, and of course Erykah [Badu] having seen her first hand with her son. It was nothing for her to run off stage and breastfeed.”
Erykah Badu, an advocate for natural child birth and notorious for having children by three different men, has had many headlines center on her non-traditional choices and unrelenting stance on family issues. But, Afi believes that Erykah Badu remains one of the strongest examples of successfully balancing of motherhood and a music career. Julie Dexter, however, cautions new mothers to not look to celebrity mothers as the model of how motherhood looks, because it can foster unrealistic expectations.
“I remember when Mariah was pregnant,” Dexter says, “then the next pictures I see she’s had the babies and she’s looking fly again. A lot of mothers aren’t that fortunate to get back to where they were so soon and I think celebrity moms may even add to that pressure of trying to lose that weight and look like a fly mom again; or, they may inspire them– either way it goes, it’s a lot of work and it ain’t easy.”
What can’t be denied is that the celebrity moms are most successful at building awareness that hard-working, money-earning women are not only capable as working women, but as nurturing parents as well. As music makers like Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Erykah Badu bring motherhood to the forefront, their care of their new bundles of joy influence how other women perceive motherhood while being watched ever so closely by the gawking public.
Who are your favorite singers who balance motherhood with their singing career?
-Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman
Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman is a playwright and music writer based in Maryland. Her play “Running: AMOK” is a story about three women artists who struggle with their new roles as mothers and career women. Learn more at http://www.KhadijahOnline.com.
