Photo Credit Heather Smith
Eternia has hip hop star written all over her. Well, that’s not exactly true. She’s actually wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with bold capitals that read: “My favourite rapper wears a skirt.” It’s a brilliant piece of self-publicity dreamt up in 2008. She also has an achingly cool haircut and comes from a family of musicians. Oh, and Eternia is just her stage name. If it’s possible to be born a rapper, Silk-Anne Semiramis Dawn Craig Kaya surely was.
We meet in the living room of a mutual friend in Cabbagetown, Toronto. There’s lots of coffee and a mountain of sandwiches. We chat between mouthfuls and Silk tells me that, as usual, this trip is action packed. Although she was born in Ottawa, many of her close family and friends now live in Toronto, so there are lots of people to catch up with. She’s also headlining a gig at the Rivoli, DJing at a family wedding and having a photoshoot with local photographer Heather Smith. I feel a bit dizzy just listening as she recites her schedule.
She has to jet off, but before she leaves she treats us to a quick performance. It’s fierce, energetic, in-your-face – everything we’ve come to love about Eternia. And it celebrates her greatest weapon: “The tongue is a double-edged sword, the mic is my handle.”
We speak once she’s back home in NYC, and she tells me that the Toronto trip was a success. Her fans are complimentary about the Rivoli gig, deeming it “top notch hip hop,” and she had the chance to spend some quality time with her mom. We keep in touch — she’ll be back and forth to Toronto more than usual recently, thanks to her Juno nomination.
When we speak again she’s survived the whirlwind week of Juno events. She’s clear that “The Juno Week was just as much about reconnecting with family loved ones as it was about work.” When I ask what her highlight was she doesn’t hesitate: “That’s easy — visiting my 94-yr-old Grandma. Twice.” She launches into a list of other memorable moments before assuring me that although they were amazing, “My Grandma has ‘em all beat.”
She headlined at the Hard Rock Café with MoSS; they’ve been working together since 2007 and the crowds still love them. One fan posted on Facebook after the show: “She really lit up the stage.” She was most excited to be introduced by Maestro Fresh Wes and MicheeMee. The next day she was signing autographs as part of the Juno Fanfare at MuchMusic and she also appeared on RapCity alongside Maestro.
She was also busily promoting “To the Future;” she partnered with the charity Kids Help Phone when making the music video. It’s a cause that’s close to her heart, and you can catch a clip of her speaking about the project on MTV.
Awards night was “pretty special.” MoSS showed up to walk the red carpet wearing a “My Favourite Rapper Wears A Skirt” t-shirt. Eternia herself had the chance to wear her first custom-designed piece on the red carpet, a Love Movement necklace by Toronto-based Eric Peterson. (She’s hoping to be back in Toronto in August to promote Love Movement.)
Eternia is proud to represent love, but she’s not afraid to be brutally honest about the times when it breaks down. Her latest single is an unofficial remix to Elzhi’sNas Tribute “One Love,” and is being heralded as one of her most candid yet. Her refreshing honesty is something that strikes you when you meet her, and so I couldn’t wait for the chance to grill her some more.
We continue to talk via email. In writing she’s the same intoxicating mixture of confidence and humility that she is in person. Here are some snippets from our conversation in which I ask her about the things that affect her music:
Someone once said about you, “She represents Canada. She calls New York home.” Do you ever feel there’s a conflict?
I used to. For the first three years or so living between both places, I really kinda left my heart in Toronto and then was resentful to NYC. I had to let go of that mindset quickly. It took me a while, but I finally realized that if “home is where the heart is,” I’m allowed to have more than one home.
You’re a white woman in an arena dominated by black males. Does it ever affect you?
Sure. But I think at this stage of the game (I’ve been rapping for over 20 years now — no exaggeration — and professionally for over 15 years) I’m not really aware of how anymore. I’m too immersed in that “arena” to see how it affects me objectively. You could probably tell me better than I could tell you.
You’ve said in another interview, “God himself is present in a lot of my music, even from very early on.” What do you mean by that?
Well . . . I have always had a relationship with God. I always knew God existed, and had a hand in my life; I just grappled with the “details” and with my commitment TO God. So a lot of that grappling is present in my music. At the time that I was writing, say, “It’s Called Life” (released 2005), I didn’t think it was God-centred music. But he’s there . . . if you listen, themes of my faith are present even before I was baptized and was sure of what I believed.
As well as letting your faith — an element you share with your mother — shape your music, you’re also very open about the role that your father played in your life. Do you think the mixture of influences helps you appeal to more people?
I never think about my life in terms of . . . like the marketability of it.
However, once I think about your question, the answer is undoubtedly “Yes.” I have this very strict, traditional, “religious” background . . . and then I have this other side to my life that carries themes of violence, illegal lifestyles, an immigrant story . . .
But once again, it’s not something I intentionally “market” to my fans to be relatable or appealing. I just talk about what I know. I work through my own life in my music. I look forward to future projects being more selfless and less self-focused.
A lot of your lyrics are very personal. Does it ever get draining pouring your heart out down a mic all over the world?
Good question. Wow that’s the first time I have ever been asked that.
For me, transparency and honesty is the opposite of “draining” — it’s freeing. But for someone else, I can see how that wouldn’t be the case. I have always been — even in my friendships and my dialogue with strangers — a very transparent, straightforward person. To a fault. I define honesty as something beyond “not lying.” To me, honesty is full disclosure — for better or worse. So that’s what my music is: honest, full disclosure. It would be more energy draining for me to keep that all inside of me and NOT express . . . you know?
I’m sure most professional therapists would agree with me — hehe.
I want a sneak preview of what’s coming next! You’re from a very musical family – any scope for more collaborations? Or is it MoSS all the way?
MoSS and I are definitely branching out and doing work with other artists, but we’ve discussed doing another project together. We’ll see. We don’t want to move into something like that lightly, especially considering the amount of time and energy the last project took out of us.
I am working on an album with Apathy (of Demigodz) that has been in the works since 2007. If God wills, that will come out.
My sister, Jessica Kaya, and I don’t have plans for an album together in the immediate future. However we’ll always work together, and I know everyone wants us to do a project together!! 
There are some other producers I’d really love to do full albums with as well. I’m really just taking each day one day at a time and seeing where God leads.
Acknowledging that “God laughs when humans plan out.”
Being free to not know . . . if that makes sense.
Eternia is a social media queen and so you can find out more on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or MySpace.
