Selah Marley on Asserting Her ‘Star Power’ and Releasing Her Debut EP

Music is in Selah Marley’s blood. As the daughter of eight-time Grammy winner Lauryn Hill and the granddaughter of reggae icon Bob Marley, she descends from two of the most influential artists ever. Still, when it came time to create songs, the 22-year-old star sought to forge her own path. This week marks the release of Star Power, Marley’s genre-bending EP and first official release. A deeply personal undertaking in which she raps about growing up in the shadow of fame, asserting ownership over her body in a society that prioritizes the male gaze, and the power of reclaiming your identity, it reflects Marley’s experiences and the unique position of being famous since birth.

Marley unpacks what it is like to be young, Black, and gifted in Generation Z in just four tracks, displaying a talent for creating thoughtful rhymes in the process. Here, she shares with Vogue the origins of each song and what it’s been like claiming her musical birthright.

What made now feel like the right time to release your first EP?

I realized there was no such thing as the “right time,” just time itself. Of course, you refine and master your craft, but you put all that you’ve learned to use after a while. This entire process has been a co-creation between the universe and myself; my community and myself; God and myself. I think there have been tiny callings shining a soft light on this particular path—if that makes sense. I realized there was no better time than now.

Is there a story behind the title?

24HRS revisits some of the same themes as SLICK, but is more of a reclamation of my identity. It’s a funny song because you can hear my indifference. Speaking about it almost makes me uncomfortable because, generally, I don’t like bragging. I think I allowed myself the space to brag a little in this song and shine for a bit. I’ve played small for much of my life so I wouldn’t disrupt other people’s identities or self-esteem. The problem with that was I played too small; I shouldn’t have done that at all.

The song is the first time I’ve ever let myself bask in my birthright. It’s another example of me creating space for my authenticity. My entire life was a flex, and I spent so much time trying to hide that or fit in that there were times when I almost forgot who I am. I wanted to trade everything in to be “ordinary,” whatever that means. That didn’t work out because it wasn’t honest; I wasn’t staying true to myself. You can’t lie about who you are or hide it; doing so only dims your light and taints your essence. I would try to keep my background a secret if it meant 30 minutes of “normalcy” before whispers started circulating the room.

Strangers have told me the impact mother or grandfather had on their lives and how much they love them. [Some ask] if we can take a quick picture since, “that’s the closest they’ll get to them.” Those experiences have [occurred] almost every day of my life. 24HRS expresses what it's like to live in that reality. [The song] is bit of a humblebrag, but it's also something everyone can relate to in their own way because its telling people to stop dimming their light and express their star power. Overall, this EP is me creating a safe space for my star power.

What are the themes you tackle within the album?

Each track is a sonic journey of some of the individual facets of this concept: star power. This EP isn’t about good, bad, right, or wrong. It’s about creating space for a unique perspective. This is the first time I’ve allowed myself to step into that birthright and speak.

The song and the video for SLICK are an honest exploration of my adolescent experience as [a celebrity’s] daughter. I grew up in the same suburbs that my mother was raised in. When I was in school, I was Selah, the junior at Columbia High School who took Gender Studies with Mrs. Martling & Pre-Calc with Mr. Kirkland. When I went home, I was Selah, the girl who had to get ready in two days because she was joining her mom on tour across the south of Europe.

SLICK [shows] the repercussions of that reality from both angles, what you get when you throw a dash of “celebrity” child to the suburban soup. My lifestyle enticed people because it was unfamiliar to them. I experienced different forms of being taken advantage of. Simultaneously I was trying to escape my reality to fit into theirs.

There are several themes here—escapism from my reality, rebellion from my parents and lineage, awareness of the unique space I occupy, and some self-preservation. This isn’t all explicitly said, but that was the space I was in with that track. What makes it even cooler is that it is my little brother, who features [on the song], supported these realizations of mine and came to his own [as we worked together.] The song went through several iterations because we both hated our original verses. Initially, we felt they were immature and superficial, but they captured an essence, one that we held onto, refined, and let it tell our story.

Can you walk us through the process of making the EP—how did you go about selecting songs and choosing collaborators?

This EP is a hodgepodge of various moments throughout time where I’ve permitted myself to embrace this feeling of bliss and star power.

WTFRN is a song that I randomly created on my laptop two years ago. I’ve always been obsessed with distortion and heavy sub-bass, so I completely embraced that sound and then spoke my peace. When creating this song, the words just flowed out of me because that is what I felt at that moment. I always kept this track very close because I knew it was a little risqué. I’d constantly unearth it, though, because I knew it embodied the energy of liberation. When I created this EP, I unearthed this song once again because I knew it had to be there. So, I brought the track to my engineer, and he helped me keep extracting the essence I was trying to attain with a little production enhancement and the good VFX and EQ and voilà—WTFRN is born!

24HRS was created because I’d just released a mini EP on my Soundcloud last October, and a few producers reached out wanting to share their beats with me. I happily obliged and stumbled on this beat, Awake 5H by BeatsbyHolly. I loved [it] and started doing a little free-styling in my voice memos. Mind you, this particular experience was extraordinary because [at that time] I didn’t rap. This was the breakthrough experience that unlocked that for me.

24HRS gave me the confidence to even release SLICK, which I’d created a few years ago. It started with voice memos of me mumbling a flow with a few rhymes and sharing that with friends like, “Hey. What do you guys think about this?” Once I received that positive feedback, I knew I had to finish it. So, I held onto it until I was ready to start recording.

DON’T LOOK BACK was a song I created when I was a freshman at NYU. I’d started taking music seriously and learned how to produce, so this song is [about] the feeling full of excitement when I realized I could unlock this ability. It’s a complete and total sonic experience of speed, release, and reconciliation. That’s why it is the conclusion. I documented the experience on my IG because I was just in my dorm creating cute Snapchats with music playing in the background until I played with the reverse, slow motion, and sped-up features and heard music. I extracted that sample and let it carry me to create the entirety of the song. What’s funny is you can’t even hear the sample anymore, but it was the origin point.

The music video for 24HRS is truly unique; how did you go about making it?

24HRS was interesting because I originally wanted to do an (almost) uncut 24-hour livestream of my life and broadcast it. Originally it was supposed to be a form of experiential art. We ended up capturing that essence but limiting it a bit once we realized that documenting 24-hours with wireless cameras attached to my ceiling corners and the dashboard of my car was impractical. I was a little upset because I love the interactive quality of livestreams. Still, I’m learning how to create art that’s a bit more sustainable.

Coming from a family of music legends, did you ask any of your relatives for advice about making music or being in the spotlight and all that comes with that?

My parents have definitely been a part of this process [and] I am blessed to have parents who unconditionally support my dreams. They have both made countless sacrifices to see me blossom into my fullest. I think it’s only right that I don’t waste their investment.

That being said, there has been no shortage of advice. My parents make it their absolute duty to share their journey and experiences to ensure that I don’t make the same mistakes. Of course, I just ended up making different mistakes. I had a conversation yesterday with my mother about this. She has been a deep part of my process because she’s my mom, but you also have to understand who my mother is and what it comes with.

My mother is someone who stunned the world as a beautiful, liberated Black woman and was punished for it because that was not what the world was ready to see. My mother was a prominent voice amongst a legion who spoke out against a [system] they knew was unjust. She had me at a young age, so to a degree, I grew up with her. She was pregnant with me while recording The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and then had four more beautiful children. I saw what it was like for her to balance this powerful anointing with daily motherhood and the harsh spotlight—it was not at all easy, and she did it with extreme grace.

It’s hard for me to speak about this concept [of fame and media attention] in isolation because it’s woven into my entire life. How can I talk about “everything that comes with it” when I was raised in it? At 11 years old I got a phone call from my father telling me that I needed to delete my Youtube account because the media discovered it. Pictures of my high school sweetheart and I [were posted] on public websites when we were fifteen [and] the media sensationalized a simple high school relationship.

So to ask that question, you also have to ask how it shaped me. I’ve found escapes and places I can hide here and there, but it’s not something I can get rid of even if I tried. I’ve always been familiar with the spotlight, and I think my parents have helped me craft my understanding a bit more. They just wanted me to be ready. My father grew up like me, and he understands the feeling of the shadow and the spotlight. Watching him navigate his world added a necessary perspective [which informed] the way I relate to my world.

Is there an aspect of the process that you have found especially rewarding?

I think the most rewarding part of this process has been the feeling of purpose. During the past four months, I’ve found so much peace and serenity in this calling. What’s beautiful is that [the music] is something that I can call mine. It’s something that wakes me up every morning because I want to see it through, something that I can look forward to. That the opportunities allowing me to see it through have aligned is a blessing. Ultimately, I’m incredibly excited to share it as well. I love creating for my community—especially when it has a message. I’m excited to see how people relate to my story and to hear their perspectives and personal experiences that somehow intertwined with mine. It’s exhilarating.

What has it been like sharing this journey with your fans online?

Well, it’s been interesting because I’ve been private about this particular experience. I’ve had an Instagram for the past decade, [so] I feel like my followers have inadvertently seen my entire life. I thought it would be nice to keep this [project] a surprise and even create an experience out of it! It’s been killer because many of my fans have been with me for the past several years. They’ve watched me grow up and see the growth in what I’d share online musically. From simple singing videos to screen-recorded voice memos to Soundcloud dumps back to singing videos and then nothing at all and then a song here and a song there and then an installation.

My followers have been a primary part of this winding journey, and it’s been dope because so many of them wholeheartedly support me. A large part of me does this for them and thinks of them in every aspect of my process. Not to mention that many of the people who support me are also my friends, so it’s been an intimate process. They witness the back-end of everything and then watch it blow up and are there to support me because we have crafted a space of love and community. My existence and this project are only one piece of a puzzle. I’m just happy to be a part of this cultural moment and so excited that the world feels ready to accept this offering of mine.

Photographer: Mara Weinstein
Stylist: Jordan Hartmann
Make up: Olivia Barad
Hair Stylist: Raheem Robinson

Originally Appeared on Vogue