Solana Baptiste: “My music taste doesn’t make me any less Black”
The creator and musician on the battle of being mixed
Hi, welcome back to Mixed Messages! This week, I’m speaking to TikTok creator and musician Solana Baptiste, who is of white and Black Caribbean heritage. Known online as @solanathegreenfairy, Solana has struggled with people’s expectations of her due to her Blackness. Now, she’s come to realise that there’s not one way to be. Read her story below.
How do you define your ethnicity?
I identify as Black-British or Black-Caribbean. My mum is mixed-English and Jamaican. Some people might think that because I don’t identify as mixed I’m not comfortable in that part of my ethnicity, but I’ve realised that people will see me as Black before anything else.
I think your family has a lot to do with how you feel about your racial identity. I was lucky to grow up in a family that has always celebrated their culture and the importance of being comfortable in their Blackness.
Did you grow up feeling Black or mixed enough?
I was always asking myself that question. There’s music that’s labelled as ‘Black’ music, but I was surrounded by a lot of different genres growing up; my mum and grandma are huge Blondie fans, while my dad is jazz saxophonist Denys Baptiste. I didn’t feel like I could openly say that I liked genres like indie. Now, I know that everyone has different tastes and that it doesn’t make me any less Black.
People also make assumptions about the kind of music I make as a musician because I’m Black. That can be really frustrating.
People would also say that I ‘sounded white’ or complimented me on how well-spoken I was, which they’d never say to a white man. I feel like whatever I do, I can’t make people happy. Being mixed is a constant battle.
How do you connect to your culture?
In Caribbean culture, food brings people together. As a child, my grandma would invite everyone to her house every Sunday for rice, peas and chicken. That was a cultural tradition she inherited from her mum.
What’s the best thing about being mixed?
I love thinking about where I’ve come from and all the amazing people that have come before me. Mixed means so many different things, so it’s hard to say.
How do you think the conversation about being mixed needs to change?
I hope people are more open to listening to mixed people’s experiences, so there’s a more well-rounded understanding that there’s not one way to be. Growing up, I was convinced there was one way to be Black.
Can you define your mixed experience in a single word?
Extraordinary.
Next week, I’ll be talking to Natalie and Naomi Evans, the founders of Everyday Racism and authors of The Mixed Race Experience. Subscribe to get Mixed Messages in your inbox on Monday.
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Mixed Messages is a weekly exploration of the mixed-race experience, from me, Isabella Silvers. My mom is Punjabi (by way of East Africa) and my dad is white British, but finding my place between these two cultures hasn’t always been easy. That’s why I started Mixed Messages, where each week I’ll speak to a prominent mixed voice to delve into what it really feels like to be mixed.