Mary Otumahana aka WondrWomn; The girl next door that raps

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Pink was never been my favourite colour, but pink is bold, it is humorous, it is happy! I like looking at things from a pink perspective; anything covered with pink, you have to look at it differently.” ~ WondrWomn

I won’t lie, the very first thing that I noticed about this young woman was all the pink that she was rocking; she has pink in her hair, her clothes are usually pink, and it is not just an ordinary soft pink, it is that pink that makes you take notice. The same thing can be said about the North London native’s sound; what I heard when I first took in this young Hip Hop genius is reminiscent of the days when I really loved Hip Hop. The days of McLyte, Miss Elliot, Tupac; it was not a surprise that during our interview, she mentioned some of these names when we discussed who some of her inspirations were.

During our interview, Mary displays all the characteristics of the young introverted child that she refers to herself as. She tells me that she knew she loved Hip Hop from a very young age; she remembers listening to Hip Hop with her older brother, and there was something about the flow of words that got her. She knew that words had power, and if strung together the right way, they could tell a compelling story.

She began rapping at the age of 14, and by the age of 17, she was given an opportunity to record her music. It was then that Mary realized that this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. “It is not the easiest decision to make; rap music is not a realistic career in the UK. I was saying this at a time where there were few Hip Hop artists around. Yeah, we had The Skinny Man, and Kano, but they are considered Underground Hip Hop Artists.”

Of course, choosing to be a musician is no easy choice, especially when it comes to parents. I was curious as to what her mom said when she told her the decision that she had made, “Mom knew I was good; she knew I had talent, but like any parent she was worried about me. She wanted me to have a stable life.” One thing Mary knew was that people liked what she was doing. “When the kids at my school heard, ‘Me and my Boys’ they began to give me credit. I knew that I had a tough decision to make, music or school; music won!”

“With music, it allows you to explore, and use your imagination. You are allowed to be more individual and unique” ~ WondrWomn

She knew that she wanted to be an independent artist; where she could manage herself, market herself and you know what? It has turned out pretty well for her. She has managed to cultivate her own niche style of rap; her style would be described as a mix of boom bap, sprinkled with a little bit of jazz, with a dash of live bands. Her collection of work includes her new single “Table 4 1”.  “I think this is the one song that you really hear a lot of my story. The reason I make music is because I am the one who can tell my story.” Coupled with its sweet and raw melody to match the personable nature of the track shows another side of this beautiful mind. The song follows the release of her hip hop based three track EP “The Girl Next Door, That Raps” that came out mid 2018.

With the popularity of the Internet and social media, independent artists have a chance to do more, and WondrWomn is taking every advantage provided to her. She is fresh home from her latest international live performance, where she opened up for Spanish Hip Hop group SFDK in Jerez, Spain, to a crowd of over 3,000 people. “I was actually very inspired during my time in Spain; not only was I honoured with opening for SFDK, I also had a chance to be interviewed by Onda Jerez. This industry can be a bit exclusive at times; it is an industry that is filled with this elitist idea about success. What many don’t realize is that success can be different for different people. We as individuals have to determine what success means for us.”

Other then writing her own music, Mary has focused her attention on her own project that offers young people (aged 16-25) access to free studio time, music industry mentoring and performance opportunities. She sees it as an important way to engage the young people who have a love for the music and creative arts industry. Her program provides training for those looking to gain experience in the real world.

The inspiration for The RecordShop came from her attendance at a Young Creative’s course at the Roundhouse. The program was for people aged 11–25; they are given practical experience in a creative space where they were able to develop their skills in different art sectors. Mary recalls that one of her first stage performances was at the Roundhouse. This was the place that she was able to hone her skills and meet other like-minded individuals. In October 2015, she decided that she would find her own way of providing that same experience to young people, so she rented a space at the Tottenham Enterprise Centre and started The RecordShop.

It is her dedication to the music, and to her community that allows her to keep going regardless of the difficulties that she faces. All the way from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we want to give a shout out to Mary Otumahana, our very own girl next door!