Amidst the struggles of the pandemic and racial justice protests in Portland, Onry has taken the opportunity to clarify his priorities, taking his creative future in his own hands. Onry is a singer, dancer, actor, and pianist based in Portland, Oregon. He’s one of very few Black professional classical singers here. When the pandemic hit, Onry went outside to find places to sing, to keep his voice strong, and that led to some experiences that inspired his new project, a documentary and studio recording project called Livin’ in the Light. You can see a beautiful music video that’s part of the project at moredevotedly.com, as well as a link to a fundraiser that’s still in progress. We talk about how the experiences he’s had during this time showed Onry that it was time to step into his own light, and to show how others can do the same in their own way.
You can support the project here: www.gofundme.com/f/blackopera and learn more at https://www.futureprairie.com/.
Header photo by Wesley Lapointe.
Livin’ in the Light Music Video
PSU National Anthem Video
About Onry
Onry studied music in Ukraine and Moldova and has performed throughout the US and Europe. He’s toured with Lyle Lovett, been a soloist with The Maui Chamber Orchestra and Oregon Symphony, and performed with American Repertory Theater and Portland Opera Company.
Some of his notable performances include the Black Clown, Madame Butterfly, Sanctuaries, African American requiem, Show Boat, Carmen, Faust, The Big Night, La Traviata, Pirates of Penzance, and Hairspray.
Onry is a member of the artist collective Future Prairie and serves on the board of African American Requiem with the Oregon Symphony. He is also on the Arts and Music Board of Kings School in Seattle, Washington, and the board of Active Space, a creative studio for people of color in Portland, Oregon.
Outside of music, Onry enjoys community organizing work, philosophy, linguistics, traveling, tea, collecting vinyl records, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Episode Transcript
Douglas Detrick: Welcome to More Devotedly, a podcast for people who see the arts as a force for positive, progressive change. I’m Douglas Detrick. This is Volume IV, episode 4.
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The pandemic and the economic downturn, the ongoing struggle for racial justice, the wildfires and hazardous air quality, all of that has created profoundly challenging circumstances here in Portland, Oregon. As I looked out the window at a yellow haze and felt the discomfort in my chest just breathing air in my home, 2020 felt even more apocalyptic than it already was.
Amidst that struggle, Emmanuelle Henreid who goes by Onry, spelled O-N-R-Y, has taken the opportunity to clarify his priorities, and to take his creative future in his own hands. Onry is a singer, dancer, actor, and pianist based in Portland, Oregon. He’s one of very few Black professional classical singers here. When the pandemic hit, Onry went outside to find places to sing, to keep his voice strong, and that led to some experiences that got him thinking—Why is it that some people cheer when they hear him sing? Why do others call security?
Those experiences and others that we talk about led to his new project, a documentary and studio recording project called Livin’ in the Light. You can see a beautiful music video that’s part of the project at moredevotedly.com, as well as a link to a fundraiser that’s still in progress. We talk about how the experiences he’s had during this time showed Onry that it was time to step into his own light, and to show how others can do the same in their own way.
And quickly, before we get to the interview, I want to say thank you to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a hero of mine and so many others. If you’re feeling sad to lose Ruth, please don’t despair. Instead, make sure you’re registered to vote, and then make a plan to vote Biden/Harris, and for Democrats down the ticket. Let’s take the White House and the Senate, and we can move forward with rebuilding America so that’s it better for folks like Onry, and for folks like you and like me.
Here’s the episode.
Interview
Douglas Detrick: And, you prefer to be called Onry?
Onry: Yes, that is my actually it’s… Would you like to know the story? So, I decided to go by the name Onry. It’s a name that my professors called me, uh, in school. And it was just a beautiful way for me to receive others as well as calling other people by their last names as well.
So it was just kind of like Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Onry, you know, it was just this kind of a beautiful connection. And, and so as of recent, two weeks ago, my brother actually passed away.
Douglas Detrick: I’m sorry.
Onry: Um, and so this far I have had two brothers pass away and my father has passed away as well. And I realized that I’m the only male to carry on the name. And so I thought it was extremely fitting, just right after I decided to kind of go by Onry and carry that name. That is my legacy. That is the name that I’m going to, have go out for generations and the next generation. So it’s the question of what is your legacy going to be as something that I’m quite conscientious of these days. It’s a time filled with a lot of various highs and various lows, and extreme highs and extreme lows. But nonetheless, a good time to be alive.
Douglas Detrick: Yeah. I’m sorry. I’m sorry to hear about your brothers and your father. Um, you’ve mentioned high highs and low lows and, um, you know, I think this, this project definitely represents that. This is a huge kind of body of work. And I’d love for you to kind of tell everybody what is involved, give us that, you know, how are you doing right now? It’s kind of a good question to start with.
Onry: Yes. Well, um, right now I’m, I’m thriving. I’m living in a space of gratitude. I know that I’m not alone, that I have the ancestors with me that have walked before me, I have other individuals in the community of Portland and also in LA, in New York and, in Australia that are all supporting me a hundred percent.
And so, um, in this process, I know that I’m not alone and that it’s a very, very good space to be in.
Let’s just start with the project. So currently I am working on this beautiful, many pieces of work. Uh, one of them being an EP which is an extended play about 35 minutes long. It is filled with classical music as well as, contemporary alternative music, kind of like a radio head.
So we think of like, if, If Beethoven, Aretha Franklin, the Mississippi mass choir and Sam Smith all got together and created a project, it would be this project of Onry. and so it’s, it’s this really, really beautiful exploration of my personal experience in Portland and bringing these worlds together in a very intentional way and also very educational way.
So we have the EP and that EP is also going to be based around the five senses. And so we have currently Olo fragrances that has come and partnered with us. I’ve curated my own fragrance for the song living in the light.
Um, we have, uh, chocolatier coming on board. And the reason why I created this was because I didn’t know when the next time we’re all going to be able to gather. And so it’s important that we see music and we see art in a very visual way, but also in taste and in touch and scent and smelling.
And so all of these senses create an feeling and it’s all curated by me. And so it’s really important that people are able to experience what I was thinking and the process and the time that I was feeling the song. I think that that individuals will be able to connect with the album little bit more closely as their own and to me as an artist, I’m not as far off as they think, right? So it’s a very, very personal experience that’s that’s coming forth.
And then we have this beautiful documentary based on me being an artist, during COVID, thriving, and then all of a sudden losing almost everything. And not knowing how certain bills are going to maybe be paid, uh, losing about 25 or $24,000 in work. And about 26, 25 gigs as well. And the process only in like one month or so. And, and then having to rediscover who I was and who I am, the process of COVID
I think a lot of us realize without our work, without our professions, we were questioned who we are and what do we do then?
And during all of this time, I kind of realized, you know, if I lose all of my titles and if I lose everything that I’m doing, who am I as a person? Well, I enjoy singing and I know that I’ll find my narrative through the voice. And so I began to go out into the streets and begin to sing. And, there are some people on balconies that applauded and it was amazing.
And then there were individuals, uh, who were like police and security who pulled me over for, for singing and stop me for singing. and we just kind of begin to go about explaining the shame in that process and then writing this documentary . And then from that point, One morning, I met this gal and sing this national Anthem and kind of go on and just continue my days.
And then a few days later, I’m singing, singing at the waterfront during the protest and leading the protest. And all of a sudden, all these different things are happening. I’m continuing to do the documentary. And then I get this phone call later on, which is this video it’s, it’s great. We love this video from Portland state university.
It gets a phone call and they say, we love this, this performance. And I say it, uh, I haven’t performed in quite some time or at least the performances that you’ve probably seen. and I knew that there were not referring to the performance at the protest. And so I’m thinking of what performances it’s and they sent me a link and it is, it says commencement ceremony of class of 2020 PSU.
And I thought to myself, Oh no. And it was this girl that shows up on a screen and I thought, Oh God, I’ve done it now. There’s a lot of things I’ve landed into, but hopefully this is, you know, not going to be one that ruins my career or something of that nature, or to be known as that guy. and then I started to receive really interesting feedback that people really touched by the experience. I didn’t know this girl. and it was something that, that is just kind of my nature. if you have someone who’s singing and song, you go and enjoy them. And if you feel that to sing with them, you ask if that’s okay, cause we believe in consent and then if it’s a yes and we create music together and then we just let it live there, that it live and breathe in that moment. And then we just kind of let it go.
Douglas Detrick: And could you kind of describe what happened in that for folks that may not have seen it? I’m sure they’re all going to go check it out now.
Onry: Yeah. So if you, if you look up national Anthem, or even on reliving in the light, um, you’ll see both, uh, both videos. Uh, you’ll see, this video of Madison singing the national Anthem. Perhaps if you look it up on it, I think the ABC, clip will come up and so you’ll see madison singing the national Anthem, then all of a sudden I come up and join her.
And in that moment, if we just kind of take a step back from the video of you, pause it, I’m walking down the street, headed to get a breakfast burrito. And from that breakfast burrito, I hear this voice. And it’s just kind of soaring within the park blocks and I’m thinking, Oh my gosh, finally, someone else has it.
Someone else is singing in the streets, aside from myself, because it’s not that I enjoy singing in the streets. It’s the fact that everything is closed and I’m a professional opera singer and a professional vocalist. And I have nowhere else to sing because I’m not allowed to sing in doors. My voice is too loud.
The outdoors is the only space. Finally, I see someone else’s caught on and I see this. girl whose kind of got this this small little camera crew with her as if she’s doing like a tik tok or something, or, you know, maybe doing like a class project. Cause it’s on campus. And I’m like, yeah, why not just sing together?
It’s okay. And so I see her singing and I walk past and this voice inside me is like, you should ask her to sing. Yes, no, yes, no. Yes. Uh, I don’t know. And uh, then I just, you know, something in me stopped and said the least that she can do is say no. And so, uh, and if she says yes, then, then hopefully you don’t screw up in the process.
And so I just said, okay, cool. So I took her, I turned around, I asked, I said, Hey, um, do you mind if I sing with you a single, the Portland opera company? And, and she just kind of paused and was like, yeah, absolutely. Camera’s turned on. And then I sang, I gave them my, my Instagram handle. I was like, well, I don’t think this will probably go anywhere.
It’s probably a project or a school project or something, but if you want to send me something and he was saying, contact, feel free. Here’s my Instagram handle. And then continued on. And so what you see is actually me leaving the scene. And so, uh, what you’ll see is this me joining in song and then singing and literally just leading afterwards.
Douglas Detrick: There’s no way that she would have known necessarily…
Onry: …who I was or anything and anyone for that matter. I mean, I’ve done, I’ve done a lot of work in, in my past, but, but in general, I think that I just said, you know, this, this is my voice. It’s not about our names. Cause at this point we’re in, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, everyone’s lost their titles. Right. Um, and so all that matters is who you are at the very moment. You are it. And at that moment, I was just a willing soul wanting to simply sing along with this individual. And it happened. And then a month later I got this strange phone call. Okay. And the numbers begin to escalate and escalate and. Then you witnessed the documentary began to grow from there.
Part 2
A day or two after I got done filming for the BBC news, then the building that we’re currently in right now, uh, I was racially profiled and a friend of mine was racially profiled coming into the building. Uh, there are about four black men that were in the space. And again, the police go by Portland police go by.
And they stop. They see my friend going into the building at night and then they begin to put on their lights and call in for more police to come because they believe that this individual clearly does not belong in this space. And so at that moment, again, there was, I knew that this experience just getting ready to escalate very quickly.
If I didn’t do something about it. And so we’re all sitting, trying to figure out what to do, because we know that there’s four black men inside of this beautiful space. For some reason, in certain people’s minds, black men don’t belong in beautiful spaces at night or during a pandemic. so the cops are waiting outside. I go and see, I go up to about all 40 windows or 40 or 50 windows. And then I begin to lift all of those windows very quickly. And as I lifted them, I began to sing opera to my fullest capacity.
And all of a sudden people were walking by, started looking up and the police pause their conversations start looking up. And I did this, this wave as yes, I see you up here and I’m creating beautiful art. Do you want to go listen or should you go get back down to the protest? Cause that’s where you’re needed right now.
Douglas Detrick: What happened
Onry: And within seconds they waved back and they left. And at that moment, I realized that high art disarms and for some reason, within the white American culture really afraid to, to harm beautiful high art. We’ll harm art that maybe is hip hop at any moment that I would have turned in any hip hop music, or I would have turned on any jazz.
I would have turned on something else we would have been dragged out of the space because of the protest happening less than a mile away. but. The document you need us to say, I don’t want to give away too much, but the documentary shares upon these really personal, beautiful stories that happen and kind of allow for us to think, about what, what is happening in Portland.
Why do we believe in the way that we believe? And what is the overall message? And in that the overall message is once we stop running this race, We finally begin to win. And sometimes when we, when we run a race in life, we run the race of others. We run the race that is not necessarily our course.
And therefore we fail to see who we are in the process. And so, um, for many POC like myself and Portland, I’ve been running a race, here in Portland. That was not necessarily my own. I’ve been doing music and opera spaces. I’ve been doing music in gospel spaces. Maybe I’m not, well, I was definitely classical enough and then maybe I was gospel enough, but these worlds, uh, or even in the Slavic community, uh, I was just slightly Russian enough, but not fully Russian.
Right. Um, and so
Douglas Detrick: you, you spent some time
Onry: and Ukraine.
Douglas Detrick: in Ukraine as part of your training was
Onry: Yeah. And so The idea is you are enough of this thing, but just not fully it, uh, and even in the classical world, yeah, you may have the voice may have this, but you have to look a certain way. You have to be a certain height or stature or skin color in order to get this specific role. You might sound great. But if you don’t necessarily look the part, then you don’t get the part. And so the question, that I kind of had to come to at this point, during the hearing COVID was, uh, what is your race? How do you live in your light and not the light of others?
Douglas Detrick: And what are you you’re using the word race as a. Kind of as a metaphor for a path that you’re
Onry: Yes. The path. Yes. how do you stay in your lane and protect your own lane that you have? And, this far I’m discovering and shedding light upon what that lane is, both musically, artistically, and also with my voice as a public speaker. and it’s, it’s coming along just all right.
Part 3
Douglas Detrick: this time is one of a lot of pain and suffering for so many people, but I think that your experience of, you know, in that time of pain, in that time of suffering, that your purpose is clarified. The word you used, you know, what, what is the race I’m running? Um, is. Is clarified. And I think that’s been a fairly common experience. I’d say I share it to some, to some degree. I’m
Onry: Everyone does. It’s a human thing. It’s not about a race thing. I think it’s once we find that we begin to stop, uh, living in the light or the perspective of others. And we begin to really see ourselves and you’ll, you’ll witness this in the music video, you’ll your witness.
There’s a race. This guy is running for some reason and this film and it looks great. I resonate with this for some reason. And then he stops and then he looks. Why does he stop? Why is he looking? I think he knows that I’m looking at him and it’s, it’s a little bit uncomfortable towards the end.
And then there’s a question that’s there is, do you see me because I’m beginning to see myself right now and this race that I’m running is actually not my own. I choose to not live in the light of others. I choose to live and to see and respect myself and the mom that I begin to see me, that also tells me and enlightens me what I deserve in life.
What jobs do I deserve? What neighborhoods, what quality of life do I deserve to have when I begin to see me and how do I teach others? How to love me in the process. Yeah,
Douglas Detrick: I think you’re right. And I love that you kind of recognize the broadness and I always hesitate to use the word universal because few things in human experience are universal. it’s something that is perhaps approaching universality, you know, is that idea of your purpose, your, your goals, your real values, what’s actually essential to what you are and what you’re doing. Those are clarified in a time like this, the fact that you are a black man and having this experience and then putting it forward to be recognized, you know, it’s significant as well, but, um, yeah. I’m sure. Yeah.
Onry: Um, it’s actually really interesting, um, in the process of creating the film, I thought about, you know, going the direction of, well, why don’t we just like make this a little less universal and about me and this experience. I know that this is what it means to me, but like, how about we add in another model? How about we create this thing and the team kind of pause? And I said, you know, I actually envisioned it just solely being you and, and this. It’s really like, it’s powerful, it’s strong. And I thought, no, that is the most vain thing that anyone could ever do.
I’m not going to be the only person in this music video that is not me. Uh, and then I began to kind of shake and tremble and fear the same exact way and sensation that I felt when protests started. And I had this sensation of. This is what the world is going to think of me. I should not go out and protest, or they’re doing this in the name of, of black people and they, they they’re they’re they, me, me, me, me, me, I don’t know.
And then I realized, wait a second, it’s not about you. and I thought, okay, it’s time to go. And so just as I created this film on January, we shot on. The 3rd of July. And at that moment I decided I have to, to follow that, that fear thing, that’s going to be my navigator. And so at the end of that meeting, I said, okay guys, Andy raised everything that I just said, we’re going to have the video be just me. I’m going to follow the intention of fear, being my guide in this process, knowing that it’s not actually fear, but it’s, it’s vulnerability.
It is power it’s authenticity. And. That is actually what we need during this time. We don’t need another music video. We don’t need another song. We don’t need another BookBub beat bop, let’s dance. And like, yeah, it’s really, really cool to have that, but we need music that begins to process the soul work that the average individual is not able to do for themselves in the workspace or at their, in their home space.
As an artist and musician, I am commissioned during this time to do that work, to do the soul work. And so in order to do that soul work, I have to look and reflect within my own self what that is first. And as you see me on film processing my own soul work beginning to see my myself for the first time.
On film in this way, this is, it becomes very, very powerful. And I want to add to this, this film that we created was not, funded by any corporation or any music company. There was no, we raised money solely on our own through you, the listener. Okay. I do not have a label behind me. I do not have anything.
I’m completely a hundred percent independent. Um, and it is the listener who says, yes, I choose to give to this because I see this individual putting light and beauty into the world. And so that’s, that’s what happened. And hopefully there will be a company or a record label or something that we’ll assume backup the next, video, which is going to be exciting.
Cause we have a new song coming very soon. The idea is we’re solely creating this out of love. Uh, that music video was, has a worth an in donation of almost $300,000 or a little more, a little bit over $300,000. Uh, within the works and the cameras that we used and the time spent and, um, the individuals on, on board, yes.
Many of them did get paid. Um, but a lot of people just said, I want to be a part just because of the love of it. And I believe that there needs to be a revolution in music, and that is what you’re currently creating right now. so that is. The commission of mine and I, I find it very, very important.
Part 4
Douglas Detrick: something that I find really important and that I see in. The music video that’s that is out now because the documentary is not out yet, correct?
I mean, I think one, you know, one thing in the arts that we must do is to show rather than tell, cause you can, say this is coming from love, but then if you don’t show that that is true, you know, and there are a lot of ways to do that, but I think that, you know, That vulnerability that you were talking about and, you know, you felt some fear about putting yourself forward in that way, uh, that, that I’m hearing and,
Onry: I’m still a black male living in Portland.
Douglas Detrick: sure.
Onry: And at any moment for the feds to, you know, to talk to anyone or something like that, like, I, I don’t live in a crazy beautiful house. I don’t drive a really, really great car. I’m just an average guy. Uh, who’s just trying to do the work.
Douglas Detrick: Right.
Onry: Um, and even if I did have any ounce of fame or anything of that nature, If you saw my little Ford focus, you’d be like, now that guy is definitely definitely average. But I mean, but it’s, I realize that in, in even explaining that narrative, it is not about the car you drive. It is not about the house you live in. Is that has nothing to do with, um, gaging deep power and impact that you have, uh, and the impact that you have on the soul.
And also clarity. And so I think when we, when we educate through these lenses of beginning to claim your own identity and who you are, and realizing that there’s celebration and authenticity, and difference, and yeah, there’s, there’s, there’s celebration in that. And there’s love in that space. And so you’ll find your place, you’ll find your people, you’ll find your community. We’re here, we’re here for you, you know, and you’ll come back home when you, when you choose to.
Douglas Detrick: It seems like there’s a moment of transition in there for you where you are. You know, like the first step is to recognize those, those things like that fear of stepping forward into a certain way. And then, but then there’s the next step of taking responsibility for that and saying, this is what I’m doing and yes, I’m going to continue doing it. I mean, if you, if you don’t realize what you’re doing, if you don’t think about it carefully enough to see that perhaps that’s what’s going on.
On this podcast, I just put out this. piece that I wrote that’s, I’d say it’s about 40 minutes long. I was like, I can’t believe how much I wrote about this, but like when the pandemic started, I started building a stone patio and kind of a small retaining wall in my backyard or that I’ve wanted to do for like forever.
Um, and like, it’s like, well, my weekends are, are pretty clear now. So I think I can, yeah, it was, I, I, I feel fortunate to have been able to do it, but I mean, one thing is, as I was trying to write about it, I just kept going and going and going and was feeling just like, this is going terribly. And so I asked a friend of mine, who’s a great writer and editor, and she looked at it and she’s like, you know, what’s really happening here is you are sharing your perspective of what you are learning as you’re doing this project and the things that are going on in the world at the same time, you know, George Floyd, the protests are happening.
I was going to protest for the first time. Um, and like, Wrapping my head about what that was like and what it meant for me. And why did I feel, challenged by that, you know, personally, and maybe not so much ideologically, it’s more about like, I just feel, discomfort personally. and so that this essay just coming back to that, it was like, she’s like, what you need to do is take responsibility for your thinking here. It’s like, , there are times when you say, you know, somebody could think of this or like, you know, it’s, it’s maybe natural to assume this. And she’s like, no, it’s like, you need to say what you think. Um, and even if you aren’t sure, or even if, maybe you feel uncomfortable, what you’re saying, say that too. Yeah. But like, it’s, it’s like, what’s, what’s happening here and what’s, what’s worth doing about this is that you are recognizing your, your limitations. You’re maybe recognizing your own strengths and you’re taking responsibility for that. And going ahead, despite those downsides. but eventually with her help, I got through it.
Thanks Lara. If you’re listening. but it seems like there’s, an important part of that for you too in this project. Where just saying here’s, what’s really important about this. And here’s what I’m worried about. You know, like there are risks to this professionally, personally, personal safety, things like that, you know, and, and, and decided to go ahead and, and, and it’s beautiful that all the people that were helping, you know, decided to take that step with you, I think is really inspiring.
Onry: I will say I have a very supportive team for sure, and I couldn’t do any of this work without them, especially my manager, Jonie, shout out to, to you.
But I will also say that there is an immense amount of turmoil that happens. I realized, I wake up black, I go to sleep black. I’m a die black. I live in this black body. And often times individuals do not see who I am beyond the color of my skin. They don’t see, are not willing to see the character that is beyond my actual skin.
And because of that, it feels like fire sometimes on my skin, if I feel anxiety inside an internally because of it. Not to say that it’s not beautiful because I think that we’ve done a really, really great job in this film, living in light, depicting what it is to live in this beautiful body. And I’m not 250 pounds of muscle.
I’m not this time. All crazy, dude. I’m just this like slender athlete dude is normal guy, uh, simply trying to create art, right? And, sometimes Well, I’ll just say in the process of creating this and also even protesting, I spent about two and a half days in bed, weeping, weeping, the death of George Floyd, weeping, the death of Breonna Taylor, weeping, my loss of security.
The idea that you are no longer able to hide in America as a black male, you can’t hide under certain labels. These individuals could potentially becoming for you who do not like you, you were seen as a threat. What do you do at night now? Is it okay for you to drive to, you know, the outskirts of Portland?
Is it okay for you to go to Hillsboro after a certain time of night? You know? there was a curfew that we had during that time as well. I’m not sure if you remember that. Um, and so there were a lot of individuals who were pulled out of their car who were taken to jail.
Right.
Douglas Detrick: Alright.
Onry: And a lot of those individuals who were taken in jail were not white individuals. There are black bodies, um, being made an example of, and, and in that I did not want to go down that route. I have tried almost 30 years of my life, trying to figure out how to be safe. And when someone says, Hey, just go ahead, go be safe, be safe.
When you go outside, I’ve been doing this my whole entire. Life, and there’s nothing else I can do now. Who’s going to look out for me. And so to go through that process and to go through that emerging space of saying, you know, what, if I’m going to do this, I have to do it a hundred percent. If I’m going to lead that I have to do it for the kids and the youth that come before me.
There has to be a change. Change has to come. Even if that means I put my body on the line, even if that means that I put my voice on the line and I pray and hope that the ancestors are with me in the process in a very, very real way. Uh, and so have you followed me on Instagram at mr. Owner underscore owned, re O N R Y.
You’ll see video footage of me singing at the protest. and there was an experiencing for the NAACP recently where, the president of the NAACP came up to me and he said, you know, the ancestors were with you when you were born. And that surgery room, they were all gathered around. They knew that one day which is going to be that day that I was singing for them, that they would begin to sing through me that day. And so all of my experiences were in preparation for that moment. And so they knew at the beginning of birth who I was, and that there’ll be grooming me to this point of leadership. And then the moment of leadership begin to sing through me as I emptied myself out.
And truly, as I emptied myself out, there is a point in one of the videos that you’ll see where my voice travels extremely far. And if you were there in person, it almost traveled about six blocks. Yes. I had a microphone, but. Usually you have a microphone travels about one or two, right? It doesn’t travel almost six.
And to hear my voice ricochet off of all of these buildings and the wind kind of belongs with these trees, I kind of witnessed like, this is not normal. I am not alone. There’s something greater than I do this moment. That’s that I’m experiencing. And there’s a certain level of faith and a certain level of hope. That I have to continue to do in order to, to reach this destination. I’m now on the path and race of my own.
Douglas Detrick: Onry, thank you so much. This is a really fun conversation and I appreciate all that you shared about it. it’s very generous of you to share that. And I appreciate it. And thanks so much.
Onry: Thank you. yeah, if you want to continue to support, feel free to go to, both our Instagrams of living in light film. And then also, mr. Onry living in the light and, and you can also look up the music video and support the song on YouTube, living in the light. and if at any moment that you choose to, look at our, go-fund me feel free to, to give to that as well. It is going to be connected in our living in the light, Instagram you’ll be able to find it
Douglas Detrick: Thank you, Onry. I really appreciate it.
Onry: Thank you.
^^^^^
Thanks so much to you, Onry, and also to Joni Renee Whitworth for helping make this interview and the project possible. Make sure you check out the music video and the fundraiser for Livin’ in the Light, you can find links at moredevotedly.com.
And while you’re there, I hope you’ll also sign up for our email list. You can also follow the show on instagram, twitter and facebook, and if you value the conversations and music you hear on More Devotedly, please tell a friend, and rate and review the show so the audience can continue grow.
I’m Douglas Detrick and I produced this episode and composed and performed the music right here in Portland, Oregon.
What you’re doing is beautiful. Can you do it more devotedly?