If there’s any band that proves the transformative power of music, it’s Los Angeles ensemble Baba Jenkins.
As if delivering a thrilling blend of soul and folk-pop on their recent single L.A. PARTY! wasn’t enough, the band went on to utilise their art as a force for good by partnering with the non-profit organisation, Sharing Love With Others.
Baba Jenkins’ work with the charity saw them donate a portion of their ticket and merch sales to alleviating the plight of homelessness on Skid Row, raising some $3,000 and helping over 400 individuals in their hometown.
“There is nothing better for Baba Jenkins than sharing our music and sharing love with others,” the band told Happy Mag of their philanthropic efforts.
Below, Baba Jenkins share more details about the initiative, their new single L.A. PARTY!, and the simple fact that “music always brings people together.”
Catch our full interview with Baba Jenkins below, and scroll down to listen to their new single L.A. PARTY!
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
BABA JENKINS: Hey thanks for having us here. Good day so far. We just got off a Zoom with DJ Severe from the Los Angeles Dodgers organisation.
He’s the music director and DJ for the Dodgers and we’re in talks about playing our song L.A. PARTY at the home games! Be pretty amazing if we can get this to happen.
HAPPY: Tell us about where you are from? What’s the scene like in your neck of the woods?
BABA JENKINS: This is Guy and I’m from Chicago. We have a thriving jazz and blues scene there as well as some cool alternative clubs.
HAPPY: Describe an average day?
BABA JENKINS: Get up, brush my teeth lol. Then go to my day job and then work on music. It’s always a full day. I have two full time jobs.
HAPPY: What did you listen to growing up that fuelled your passion for music?
BABA JENKINS I listened to everything growing up, classical, blues, jazz, rock, metal, progressive, R&B, techno, funk, fusion and reggae. All of us like various genres of music. I think our songs reflect that depending on the song.
HAPPY: How did your band originally form, and what’s the collaborative process between you all like?
BABA JENKINS: I contacted Ekko and Rone through BandMix.com. Then Rone brought in Skooter. The process is equal, we all contribute and it really works. We also split everything equally which I think is very important.
HAPPY: Congratulations on the release of L.A. PARTY! It’s received a lot of attention. Can you share the inspiration behind the track?
BABA JENKINS: Thanks. Rone came up with that on his own and then Skooter filled it in with the music. I’m not sure exactly what the inspiration was but the lyrics serve as a good reference lol.
HAPPY: The energy of L.A. PARTY! is truly contagious. Could you tell us more about how you managed to capture the dynamic spirit of Los Angeles’ nightlife in your music?
BABA JENKINS: Skooter incorporated some super cool heavy funk elements in this track and along with the starts and stops. Lyrically, Rone and Dannielle DeAndre, who is featured on this song, fused together so well and they sounded amazing together.
Then the rap Ekko threw down took it in another direction to its peak. It was fun recording it. Not saying it was easy cuz there were a lot of elements going on, but we’re glad you think it captured the nightlife vibe!
HAPPY: It’s wonderful to hear that you’re partnering with the organisation Sharing Love With Others to make a positive impact. Could you elaborate on your efforts to support the Skid Row community and how music plays a role in this endeavour?
BABA JENKINS: Thank you. As mentioned in your piece that came out September 8th, the first song we wrote called “Slow Motion” is what got us involved with Sharing Love With Others and we do our best to donate throughout the year. What they do is so important and it’s our goal to keep doing this on a bigger scale as we become more successful through music.
HAPPY: Turning music into a force for good is a remarkable initiative. Can you share some of the ways you’ve been able to raise funds and contribute to the positive change you’re aiming for?
BABA JENKINS: We raise funds from ticket sales and our super cool Baba Jenkins merchandise sales like T-shirts, Hats, CD’s, and Vinyl, and we donate a large percentage to feed the homeless. That’s our thing and we’ll keep doing it.
HAPPY: You’ve managed to raise $3000 for the Skid Row community. What are your future plans for expanding your philanthropic efforts and taking this movement of positivity and transformation to a global level?
BABA JENKINS: Well that all depends on how successful we are globally. This is just the beginning. We would like to donate tens of thousands per year someday.
By being a member of the Baba Jenkins community whether it’s following us on Spotify or YouTube or Instagram you are directly helping us to achieve that goal and we thank you for that!
View this post on Instagram
HAPPY: As you continue to blend music and empathy, what message would you like to convey to your audience about the power of music to drive change and make a difference in the world?
BABA JENKINS: Music is powerful. It transcends daily life and has always been an important part of our history. Music tells stories, it entertains, it takes us to different places, it calms our soul, or it stirs us up! Music always brings people together.
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
BABA JENKINS: When other people are happy. That’s what does it for us.
