A Fight For Freedom

 

chose Whitney Houston's phenomenal rendition of the anthem. This was a clear choice for me for a multitude of reasons. Whitney's voice is not just a sound but an experience and one that demands attention from its listener. On a personal level I grew up in church and hearing the power in her voice coupled with the soft transitions in the anthem reminds me of the soul that can be discovered in the sanctuary. Voices like hers echo in your soul and force you to confront emotions that you couldn't acknowledge without such a strong catalyst. In comparing Whitney's rendition to a church experience you begin to really excavate the route of symbiosis behind her voice and one that you might experience in a sanctuary.  Both experiences are married with The Soulful Voice. The soul and singing found in the church wasn't just praise. It started as an escape for enslaved individuals who used their voices to exist outside of time and place their emotions in a destination: heaven/nirvana. This experience was soulful liberation as it provided equity between hope and trauma. Whitney being selected to be the voice of America for the most televised event of the year, during a time when America was at war, wasn't just a moment it was more. Whitney being on that stage was a live manifestation of the progress her ancestors had hoped for. It was the equity her ancestors could only experience in their hearts and this all was encompassed and conveyed in the soul behind her performance. Her tonation, her vulnerability, the intention behind alternating serenity and power in her delivery, all of it is the power behind the sacredness of music. Alongside these underlying themes there's another dimension of existentialism conveyed in her execution. Whitney 's performance not only reflects the existential struggle for authenticity in a complex world, it speaks on the human experience in a way that shows you can authentically be who you are and use your gifts and thrive in being who you want to be. Struggle for authenticity doesn't mean it's impossible it just means you have to fight for your authenticity and embrace it in every phase of attaining it. We experience the authentic Whitney when we watch her performance and you can see she's completely in her zone. You see the phenomenology manifest as you see her eyes closed while she's singing, the facial expressions of passion as she climbs the vocal ladder to devour unimaginable precision in every high note. In all of this her body is communicating a story completely different from the words yet simultaneously so unifying to the viewers experience. While the song praises the power of nationalism her body praises the power of individualism within a national expression. This communicates to her audience that we all of an attainable part to play in our nation's story and we should praise those in stride and encourage those in development. Whitney's jaw trembles as the vibrato fights to come out as she sings and we get a beautiful example of what freedom looks like. It's a fight, it's a struggle, but it's also a duty. One that encourages those watching as immulates not only the beauty in struggle but the beauty in the result of those who push past struggle and conquer what's waiting for them on the other side. 

In conclusion, to the viewer of the anthem and to anyone reading this post, act in your duty, inspire those around you, and commune with freedom. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAYKTMQl7MQ