Jamaica-born vocalist Kelly-Jo Williams, who goes by En Ti T, released Aug. 18 her newest single and music video “Oshun,” named after the Yoruba goddess of love, beauty and sensuality.
En Ti T is a play on entity, which isn’t necessarily profound, Williams said, but transmutable.
“I go with feeling,” she told the Charleston City Paper. “Entity is a force. Entity can be anything, and that’s how I feel. Going through all the emotions of what the word means or could mean — I felt like that was all me.”
Music had really grown on her by the time Williams got to college, she said, because she came from a musical family and a background of singing in church. Her college years in New York were spent pursuing a liberal arts education at Stony Brook University and a nursing degree at New York Institute of Technology.
Everything changed in 2012, and she left school to pursue her dream of singing. Thanks to a fortuitous Craigslist ad, she made her way to Singapore to sing in a cover band, gigging for six months.
“It opened my eyes to the world outside — I was in a little bubble of nursing, of church and things like that, which was great, but it wasn’t fulfilling me,” she said. “I was still growing, learning and getting older. It grew me as a performer. It helped me perfect a little bit more of my performance style on stage and feel more free and open and not be shy and reserved or sing a song in one way.”
After music endeavors in Singapore, China, Morocco and Australia, she settled down in Charleston in 2016 and performed as a vocalist with Free Ride Band of Charleston for three years. Since then, she’s performed regularly in the wedding entertainment circuit and connected with many local musicians, which eventually led her to her Wednesday night residency at The Commodore downtown.
The next level
For Williams, being a vocalist helps her channel what is going on in her life into a creative experience.
“I’m able to use my voice to convey how I’m feeling, and it [takes] practice every day,” she said. “I’m able to do the song in a different tone or soften it up with certain styles and it helps to mature my voice.”
Currently, she’s focused on recording her sophomore album, NTR the TMPL (“enter the temple”), which will follow her debut self-titled album EN.TI.T.
The “Oshun” music video features peaceful scenes cloaked in natural light with a vibrant backdrop of green grass and leaves as En Ti T’s sings about the paths of romance and healing.
Above a tranquil, percussive beat, her voice expounds and unravels, drawing the listener to reflect on how the aspects of the goddess Oshun show up in their lives. The lo-fi R&B song rotates melodic verses with spoken-word interjections, as En Ti T considers if her love interest is the right match and ruminates on the meaning of Oshun’s overflowing passion.
“Oshun is all around us,” En Ti T explains in between verses. “She is the energy that lights up a room; the water you prepare to spiritually bathe in; your favorite cologne or perfume. She is the way you kiss your lover.”
Briefly, there is a glimmer of a black screen with the words “Divine lies within for those willing to seek” before returning to the supple, graceful scenes of En Ti T.
Her last spoken word leaves the listener with an abundant image: “As we explore beauty, love and femininity, we know that there are many lessons and many blessings — this is Oshun.”
Taking time for self care and meditation is a daily practice for Williams, who just completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training. While her coming album will vary stylistically, she said, it will incorporate chants and affirmations with messages focusing on the spiritual aspects of self love.
“Throughout these last few years, I’ve been doing personal studies and joining groups and courses that deal with the feminine arts,” she said.
“I like to dive into spirituality, so I’ve been learning about Hinduism, Buddhism and other spiritualities that resonate with me. I am tapping into my priestess energy — that soft, reflective light. I believe that I’m a temple, that the world around me is a temple. Thinking about life in a very sacred way helps me to deal with the challenges of every day.”
At this moment in her life, Williams said she feels like she’s breaking out as an artist.
“I think that’s because I’m ready to take the risks that are involved in it,” she said. “Sharing your music, sharing your art is hard. You’re always concerned about what people are going to think or how it looks — but I feel like I’m flowing. I’m ready.
“The best thing is to just come from your heart. That’s why the music that I write is very personable. I’m still always going to be on my spiritual journey.”
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