Khalid A. Taylor
Art, Community, and Connection have been at the center of what I do and why I do it for as long as I can remember.
My Journey.
ART.
As a choir kid from the 3rd grade onward, raised by a drumming maestro (father) and a vibrant Latin dancer (mother), performing arts opened my eyes to creative power, play and possibility. From drama and tap classes at the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza in elementary school, to trombone lessons and singing in the Young People’s Chorus of New York City in middle school, to choreographing dance performances and even soloing with a national honor choir at Carnegie Hall in high school, all the while acting in every school play and musical, I felt at home co-creating with others on stage!
My path took me to Oberlin College and Conservatory, where I combined my passions for Neuroscience and Vocal Performance into a degree in Musical Studies, researching how music affects the mind and how music therapy could better serve Black and Brown communities. My first encounter with documentary songwriting came into my life the year after I graduated, which became my first single, “F.T.N.,” released on all streaming platforms under the artist name Khalid Antonio.
Growing up queer, African American & Latiné in a lower middle class family in Brooklyn, while attending predominantly white private schools on scholarship, I often felt “different”– like an outsider moving between worlds. It wasn’t until later on that I realized that my years of “observing and responding” helped me bring ideas, people, concepts, communities, and disciplines together in ways that made others feel safe, heard, and accepted.
As an alum of Oberlin College, I worked in their Multicultural Resource Center as a Student Life Program Coordinator, supporting students from historically underserved and marginalized communities (like me)! And again, my favorite part of the experience? Holding space, affirming, and mentoring students on their journey towards self-discovery and collective social justice.
COMMUNITY.
connection.
When I was a kid, casual four-hour-long conversations with my father about “the Universe” were fun! His voice often rings in my head like Mufasa to Simba (from ‘The Lion King’): “Remember Who You Are”. I was blessed with the gift of freedom to explore spirituality, and I have been excited to learn and share those perspectives with others ever since. Over the years, I’ve coached many folks through parts of their own spiritual/metaphysical growth, healing, and development.
Chronic Lyme Disease halted my life in 2019, and I spent three years figuring out how to heal myself, and so much of that involved reconnecting to parts of myself. Reconnecting to my body that I had overworked, neglected, and taken for granted. Re-connecting to all the fear, shame, and anger that I repressed using sugary foods, substances, and unhealthy habits and reconnecting to my ancestors, my guides, and the land through prayer and meditation. I overcame Lyme, thankfully, but I more deeply understand that I’m always on a healing journey, just like everyone else. And now, as a Teaching Artist Educator!
I LOVE being able to facilitate documentary songwriting sessions that are vehicles of creative collaboration AND containers of processing and healing for the people I serve.
