Gold-selling R&B singer and songwriter Ny’a used her music to spread a positive message about resilience and strength to students during a recent visit to Soehl Middle School.
Ny’a sang two songs during her visit on March 22 and followed up with meaningful discussions with students about their meanings.
The first song she sang was “We Are Strong.”
“No matter what you are going through, when you get through – and you will – it’s going to make you stronger,” Ny’a told students. “That’s why I wrote the song.”
The discussion period what moderated by Soehl social workers Jessica Defelice and Gwendolyn Baran. They raised the question of why the song title starts with “We” and not “I”
“It’s about being together,” Ny’a said. “You all have your differences, you all have your individuality, but you are still together. You went through this whole pandemic together. You came back to this school together. You have made history, whether you know it or not, together.”
After singing the song “Spill It,” Ny’a told students that it is about how important it is to talk to someone when you are going through difficult times.
“It’s all right to let people see you hurt,” she said. “It’s all right to peel down that wall that some of you might have for protection, but that wall is actually holding you back. If you have negative battle scars, you have to find a way to get that scar out of you so that you can be the best person you can be. Whether that means talking to someone or finding some kind of spirituality.
“But it’s never good to take that energy and turn that into physical energy. That never is a good outcome.”
Ny’a, who is married to Soehl teacher Eugene Napoleon, had previously met with Soehl students virtually in May 2021, and the sessions were so well-received that the school wanted to have her back in person now that school has returned to a level of normalcy.
“You all are warriors in your own unique way,” she told students. “You all have come through this whole situation.”