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Meet Aminata Diop and Asriel Hayes of Jordan in South West LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aminata Diop and Asriel Hayes.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We met in middle school in 2012. We both found that we were inspired and have a God-given talent. After creating music together for almost four years, we decided to take on a duo project called JORDAN – Commemorating both of our middle names, our past, and our faith.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Doubt has been a huge struggle along the way. For so long, we’ve been wanting to challenge ourselves and use our talent in a more comfortable environment. Also, social distancing during quarantine has been a struggle. In addition, it can be difficult balancing both of our crazy schedules but we make sacrifices to make time for it.

We’ve dealt with a few performances where the audience members were disrespectful. They disregarded our presence and our messages about social issues and awareness which can be discouraging. But, we have to think about the bigger picture and our purpose.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Transparency. We like to connect with our audience on a deeper level more than just performing. We create music because we have a passion for it, not to attain clout. We also enjoy performing at events that give back to the community. We’ve performed at events that were centered on collecting clothes for homeless, raised money for fire relief, etc. If the show is not a specific charity event, we make sure to address a social justice issue during our set. We use that platform to bring up relevant social justice matters such as Black Lives Matter, mental health, hate crime victims, and encouraging people to acknowledge their privilege and use it in a way to benefit others.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Healing. If we know, we’ve empowered somebody, that is success to us. Doors will open thereafter, on their own. Being memorable is also success to us. If someone tells that we helped them, that’s success because that’s part of who we are and what we stand for. Always making sure that our family and friends are happy and supported is a huge end goal for us because it shows we stayed true to ourselves and not forgetting where we’re coming from.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
1. Hudson Handel, 2. Solomon Payne

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