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Kris Bliss

@thekrisbliss

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Multi-hyphenate artist 🤏🏾
🎼Vocalist/Composer |📚Educator
🧘🏾‍♀️Yoga Teacher | Storyteller 🎙️
#DoYouKnowYourMusicHistory @betweenthenotesandme

POSTS STORIES REELS

EP 2 | Do You Know Your Music History? LINDA MARTELL

There’s much discourse online surrounding country music and who can make it, and I wanted to take a moment to share the origins of American country music & the origin of the banjo, which is fundamental to its sound. The banjo is a West African instrument, a handmade gourd, that was brought over to the US during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Enslaved Africans carried this instrument, also known as the “banjar” to America by virtue of the Caribbean. All genres of popular music derive from black people, including country music. Taking an excerpt from Skidmore News: “For four hundred years, enslaved people created their own music, hymns, spirituals, and field songs—all with roots in African music. Accordingly, in the 1840s, the banjo was seen as an exclusively Black instrument; it was unheard of for a white person to play the banjo.” White America officially adopted and ‘rebranded’ country music post World War I, although African Americans created it. This often resulted in suppressing black artists who recorded music by having a white artist steal and re-record it; taking credit and making money off of stolen music.

I’m so glad the black community-at-large is discussing and exploring black country music with Beyonce’s announcement of her Country album drop + two country single releases. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Beyoncé collabs with or samples the living legend’s music? Linda deserves the notoriety and success that was stripped away from her all those years ago. Go ahead and stream Miss Linda’s music, it’s so good!

#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #LindaMartell #TheKrisBliss #TheMusicLifestylist #16Carriages #CaseoftheBlues #HeeHaw #Beyonce #BeySuperBowl #actii #SuperBowl #TexasHoldEm #HoldEm #ColorMeCountry #ColorHimFather #CountryMusic #BlackCountryMusic #GrandOleOpry #BoloTies #DoYouKnowYourMusicHistory #BHM #MusicHistory #HerStory
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Would you want to see Beyoncé collab with and/or sample Linda Martell’s music on her new Country Album (act ii)? by @thekrisbliss

Here I am today, an artist and storyteller- a vessel to express how this song today has yet another layer of currency and relativity. A ‘Blackbird’ myself, wanting nothing more but to elevate and evolve past the harmful societal and institutionalized structures placed on me and my peoples… A spirit held in this body, that stands at a very unique intersection- navigating this world as both woman and black, but also a living transmutation of generational trauma by having the audacity to be here 💅🏾. Bearing witness, and using my voice to uplift the messages of those who need to be heard. No one is free until we are all free.

#TheKrisBliss #TheMusicLifestylist #BetweentheNotesandMe #betweenthenotes #Blackbird #TheBeatles #CowboyCarter #Beyoncé #artist #composer #loop #musicloop #acappella by @thekrisbliss

EP 1 | Do You Know Your Music History? DIVA LEONTYNE PRICE

The living legend, Diva Leontyne Price is truly an American icon. It would take me hours to articulate all of her accomplishments and the groundbreaking artist she is, but I hope this video sparked your curiosity. Did you know Diva Price before watching this Reel? In doing my research, hearing her speak on her disposition on life, the seriousness by which she honed her craft, made me realize she truly is 1/1. The way she is able to articulate her approach with the characters she plays through her personal philosophies, shows how brilliantly talented she truly is! She is other-worldly! I believe she is a free-thinker, well before her time, and although a Diva, very charismatic, relatable, with a respect for humanity.

Our stories are so important to be told and shared, so that our history is preserved. Never stop searching. There’s so much more rich history to uncover.

“If you are going to think black, think positive about it. Don’t think down on it, or think it is something in your way. And this way, when you really do want to stretch out, and express how beautiful black is, everybody will hear you.” -Leontyne Price

Happy Black History Month!

Sources & Credits:
* Concept, Production, Edit & Original Music by Kris Bliss
* Falstaff at Herne’s Oak painting by James Stephanoff, 1832
* Interview snippets: Kennedy Center Honors Legend: Leontyne Price (In-Depth Interview)
* Leontyne Price sings Summertime from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin (Munchen, Munich, 1968)
* Leontyne Price sings “Ritorna Vincitor” from Verdi’s Aida (1966)
* Fixed background image is Leontyne Price as Cleopatra in Barber’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’
(September 16, 1966) courtesy of the Met Opera Archives
* Other images by: www.alamy.com, Pinterest, Google
* Additional background research: www.naacpberkshires.org, www.arts.gov, www.wikipedia.com 
#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #Grammys #LeontynePrice #AmericanSoprano #BHM #TheKrisBliss #TheMusicLifestylist #DoYouKnowYourMusicHistory #MusicHistory #Opera #Aida #Julliard #BerkleeCollegeofMusic #Grammywinner #Grammyswinner #BlackOperaSingers #TheMet #TheMetropolitanOpera #HerStory by @thekrisbliss

Our Lush Life event reminded me that growth is rarely loud.

It’s often found in small moments of reflection, honest conversation, presence, and the courage to imagine something new.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for an evening of connecting, celebrating life, and planting seeds—both literally and metaphorically, for the future we envision!

Big hugs to my girls @afenigrace and @to.liveincolor. We did that! 💞🫂🌸🌻🌺 by @thekrisbliss

Join us for an interactive workshop led by Afeni Grace @afenigrace, Kris Bliss @thekrisbliss, and Liv @to.liveincolor in a transformative atmosphere of a garden in bloom— Connected Creatives: Lush Life!

Enjoy sweet & savory bites and refreshments ,
a grounding and guided meditation, and connect through conversation and a planting activity that will leave you full of inspiration, with the seeds to sow your own garden, literally and figuratively!

Registration 🔗 in Bio & Insta Stories. Giveaway deets in the comment section! 👀 by @thekrisbliss

💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾
🎂May 1st🎂

Thank you to my beautiful family, friends, extended community, and loved ones who made me feel special for my birthday! I tend to get overwhelmed, but the peace and ease I felt this solar return, is definitely something to take note of. On that note, I welcome (with ease) all the abundance and expansion that is unfolding in my life!

Ya girl is feeling robustly seen! ♉️ I am in gratitude 💞 by @thekrisbliss

I close my eyes a lot. When I wake up in the morning, I open one eye at a time (left eye first, and I keep the right eye closed until I am actually ready to get out of bed lol). I talk to people with my eyes closed when I’m really trying to make a point, or say something very intentionally… And it’s not a conscious choice, it just how my body responds to connecting to my nervous system and my spiritual network. Prayer, meditation, our inner child, our intuition (third eye)… None of these are physical things we see with our sight.

The powers that be want to keep us distracted from our powerful inner networks and our collective consciousness by the inundation of atrocities, news, events that keep us visibly and physically distraught. They want to harvest more of our time, attention and energy. A perpetual state of panic is the goal.

But if you look away, close your eyes, and sit still long enough— not to ignore what’s happening in the world, but to refocus your inner gaze on your heart space… What you may end up “seeing” is that the whispers of your heart are still waiting on you to take action. Everyone’s path to liberation looks different—but as we enter the Spring Equinox, we’re reminded that no matter how destructive a season may feel, life is already finding a way to begin again. Where might you begin anew?

Thank you @curtkeyz for having me onstage. It’s always a pleasure and a privilege! Thank you for capturing my energy @shotbylindsay 💫 by @thekrisbliss

EP 2 | Keepin’ it Reel | Who Are You Choosing to Be?

This year marks 100 years of Black History Month, and remembrance without action isn’t enough.

Yoga is an embodied practice — and it’s disingenuous to claim to love yoga or Pilates while separating those practices from their history, their culture, and their roots. At the root of these practices is compassion, community, and humanity.

Right now we’re also seeing our First Amendment rights challenged, with reputable independent journalists like @donlemonofficial and others arrested while bearing witness to what’s happening in Minnesota. Press freedom is a cornerstone of our democracy, and we can’t lose our voice. We must use it.

Dr. King didn’t call us to comfort— he called us to courage.

#BlackHistoryMonth #theKrisBliss #Minnesota #KeepinitReal #corepoweryoga by @thekrisbliss

Affirmations and prompts I share often with my yoga students (and myself), that I shared in my previous video within the theme of “I honor the pace I can sustain.” Here are these affirmations, along with some journal prompts that may be useful to explore, as we close out the year.

What pace allows you to show up again tomorrow– not just today? Showing up doesn’t require 100% accuracy or effort. Just showing up IS the skill to build. Building a habit takes time, but with consistency, it becomes sustainable. Are you working to build foundational habits that serve you well, versus making choices that may only be beneficial in the short-term?

Sending slow, steady & peaceful energy, to you carry you into the new year.

Photo credits on ‘Between The Notes’ Pinterest Board (🔗)

#BetweentheNotes #TheKrisBliss #Sustain #YogaTeacher by @thekrisbliss

EP 1 | Keepin’ it Reel | I Honor the Pace I Can Sustain

A reintroduction to who I’ve been, who I am, and to honor the woman I am becoming. I’m practicing showing up more honestly, at a pace I can sustain.

Thank you to @Laurenthelolife for the encouragement to put myself back out there– to stop waiting and start sharing again 🫶🏾✨. The right tools reduce resistance and make consistency possible. The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 would support me in creating and sharing content that’s grounded, present, and maintainable.

“I honor the pace I can sustain, because I am building something lasting within me.” 💫

#ChattyWithLaurenW #TheKrisBliss #Sustain #HonoringCapacity #CreativeSustainability BetweenTheNotes NervousSystem YogaTeacher Wellness by @thekrisbliss

Salt on my Skin. Peace on my Mind. Love in my Heart. by @thekrisbliss

Ebbing, flowing, growing…☀️

#summer #yoga #yogateacher #artist #thekrisbliss #flowwithkrisbliss #wellness by @thekrisbliss