Sisters’ music rooted in Jamaican heritage

  • By Melissa Slager For the Enterprise
  • Tuesday, March 9, 2010 10:14pm

LYNNWOOD — Sisters Kernadine and Natasha Mullings miss their home in Jamaica.

Since coming to the States with their parents in 2007, they’ve moved from Memphis to Issaquah and finally to Lynnwood, all the while searching for a place to belong while holding on to the essence of the country they still consider home.

It was in the midst of a lonely period in Tennessee, during the 2008 presidential campaign, that the girls turned inward and crafted a song full of hope and optimism – meant as an encouragement to their peers as much as themselves.

On March 12, they’ll perform the original reggae song, “We are the Future,” at the More Music @ The Moore show in Seattle, a prestigious concert for gifted young artists in the area.

“A lot of children don’t realize we are the next generation and we will be the next leaders,” said Kernadine Mullings, 19. “We are the ones who are going to be out there to show the world we can do it.”

As they prepare for the biggest concert of their lives so far, the sisters hope their personal story also resonates with teens and drives the message home.

“We can be an example to them – that they can do something in life,” said Natasha Mullings, 16.

The song already has received good receptions at their high schools, first in Memphis and now at Mariner High School in Everett, where Kernadine is a senior and Natasha is a sophomore. Classmates have hummed their song down the hallways, asking how a particular phrase goes. It’s a catchy tune.

“It’s amazing to know we brought that energy to this school,” Kernadine said.

Now, they are working with professional musicians to rehearse for the show at The Moore Theatre, including rhythm-and-blues singer Bernadette Bascom and music director Daniel Bernard Roumain, a Haitian-American who most recently performed at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

“It’s really a professional training experience,” said Vicky Lee, director of education and community programs for Seattle Theatre Group, the nonprofit that produces the show. “We help open doors for these young artists in the music industry and work hard to make sure the right people see them.”

One of last year’s performers, a trio dubbed the EriAm Sisters (for Eritrean-American), went on to NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”

The Mullings sisters – who call themselves Leah Marie, after their middle names – are already generating a similar buzz to that pop trio.

“Someone said, ‘You’ve got to hear these girls. They just moved into town,’” recalled Lee, who soon after auditioned the girls and immediately gave them a spot in the show. “We thought, ‘Oh my God. We want you in.’”

It’s a quick step forward from the school stages and church pews the girls are most accustomed to.

“I’m the shy girl,” said Natasha, with a sweet laugh. But she says she’s sucking up her nervousness. “I’m really excited to perform in front of a lot of people and bring them that message we’re trying to get across.”

For Kernadine, there’s a feeling of being overwhelmed, albeit aptly masked by a calm and confident exterior. But she’s more anxious to see what this brings next.

“I want to make it out there in the music industry. It’s my main goal,” said Kernadine, who is planning to start at a two-year college next fall before eventually pursuing a master’s in music. “So it’s been an experience just to work with all those other artists. It’s been incredible.”

The girls’ parents, Patrick and Sharon Mullings, are proud of their girls.

“I’m excited,” their father said. “They have talent and they love to sing. … We’re glad they’re doing what they love and what they do best.”

The Mullings family moved to the United States in 2007, first to Memphis – where the girls sang regularly in their church – and then to the Puget Sound area for Patrick Mullings’ job with T-Mobile. Like many other Jamaicans, they left their Caribbean home for the educational opportunities here – if not the soggy weather.

They still miss Jamaica. They grew up near the capitol of Kingston in St. Andrew Parish.

“It was really nice there because we grew up around music,” Natasha said.

“There’s no place like home,” Kernadine said.

Their Jamaican roots show up in “We are the Future.” So does their faith.

Both sisters draw inspiration from their mother, who has been a lead singer in their churches. Gospel is at the root of much of their songwriting and composing. “We’re church girls,” Kernadine said.

For her part, Sharon Mullings said she’s particularly proud of the positive messages her girls bring to their audiences.

“It really does something to my heart,” she said.

The family hopes the girls’ music touches other hearts, too.

Lyrics to “We Are the Future”

By Natasha and Kernadine Mullings

Verse 1

So many things have happened to the nation’s children.

They have no food or clothes nor any bed to sleep in.

They have been bruised or maybe killed in so many ways

Chorus

We are the children of today,

Tomorrow’s future,

We’ll be your presidents and homemakers

So please don’t stop that.

Just lift us up, don’t put us down, because we need your love

Verse 2

Some don’t know what school is nor have an education.

They go through life without their parents and protection.

Some have been left behind and think they have no future,

Just look them up in the eye, and tell them it will be alright.

Chorus

Bridge

Wi a Jamaicans wi a di people wi a di future. Oh yeah

Wi come before yuh, sending dis message to yuh

About di children fucha,

Jus lif jah high an mek wi pray

Because him hold di fucha

We’ll magnify an glorify his name

Chorus

Tomorrow’s future

We are the children of today tomorrow’s future

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