'It's about being the story': How Julian Taylor embraced his intersectional identity
The Caribbean and Mohawk musician has learned to embrace and share his identity through his music
Growing up, Julian Taylor struggled with his identity.
"Never black enough to be Black, never red enough to be red - sort of stuck in the middle," the Toronto-based singer-songwriter told Unreserved host Rosanna Deerchild.
The roots musician has Caribbean and Mohawk ancestry, and he says even though he felt stuck trying to navigate his identity as a young person, he also felt incredibly proud of it.
Taylor, 46, grew up in Toronto and always had strong ties to his family, an important fact that hasn't been lost on him.
"I know that is not something that has happened to many people. Even people in my family went through the childcare system and they didn't really know who they were," he said. "I was very fortunate to know and to have the people in my life who influenced me and shaped me."
For many years Taylor left his Mohawk identity, which comes from Kahnawake on his mother's side, out of his music. The Kahnawake is a First Nations reserve of the Mohawks of Kahnawà:ke on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, across from Montreal.
But in recent years, he's been embracing all parts of himself in the hope that his music will reach other people who might be living with similar experiences.
"I'm proud of my heritage, but I don't necessarily love talking about it," he said. "I only will talk about it because maybe there's somebody else out there like me that might benefit from that."
Learning to understand racism
This shift didn't happen overnight. His high school best friend and longtime drummer Jeremy Elliott has seen how Taylor's complex relationship with his identity has evolved over their 30-year friendship.
The two met in high school and bonded through music.Their relationship shifted Elliott's worldview and his perception of belonging, race, and racism.
He remembers one time when the two were just teenagers hanging out at Taylor's parent's house in Toronto, when they stepped outside for some fresh air.
Taylor left his keys inside the house and they got locked out.
"So then he went around back to try and get through a window," said Elliott. "Next thing we knew there were like three or four cop cars that pulled up."
Taylor remembers it being really obvious to him that they were targeted because of his visibly Black appearance.
"I was just telling Jeremy to chill, do not aggravate these people. It's going to get worse and worse and worse if you do," said Taylor.
It was Elliott's first time witnessing systematic racism.
He says he tried to explain to Taylor that the police were friendly, but quickly realized they weren't there to help.
"In that moment, something opened and my awareness shifted … I think that's when I really started to understand how racism expresses itself," said Elliott.
But for Taylor, it's something he's lived with his entire life and is still navigating from one situation to another.
'Being the story'
For over two decades, the pair travelled across North America, touring with different bands.
In 1996, Taylor and Elliott formed the rock band Staggard Crossing with Dan Black and David E.G. Marshall, who were also high school friends.
Three years later, the band signed with Warner Music Canada, but they parted ways with the major label after only one album.
Staggered Crossing released two more albums under Taylor's independent publishing company and record label, Bent Penny Records, before breaking up in 2007.
That's when Elliott says he began to notice a shift in Taylor and the music he was writing.
"I think after that experience, I just watched JT really open up. There was a consciousness around the writing that I think had always been there, but it became clear," said Elliott.
Coming to share his Indigeneity has been a journey, but songs like Stolen Lands bring attention to systemic racism facing both Back and Indigenous people.
"With Stolen Lands, I wanted to pay homage to my ancestry and my family and the fact that they went through so much to provide for my sister and I and our cousins," he said. "There are slaves in our ancestry and not too far off. And my great-grandmother went to a residential school."
"It's not just about telling a story, I think it's about being the story. I think that that's why my music has changed. That's why my outlook on life has changed."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
