Anjimile - "In Your Eyes" from the 2020 album Giver Taker on Father/Daughter Records.

On his debut album, Giver Taker, Boston-based musician Anjimile was inspired by “faith, addiction, and [their] own transition.” Today's Song of the Day examines the unfair perceptions of others, with Anjimile explaining in a press release, “This is another song about grappling with homophobia and ultimately recognizing that I am what I am. It’s a somber song, but the sorrow is for those who would live their lives constricted by such bigotry.”

He elaborates in an interview with American Songwriter: 

When I was in fourth grade, my homeroom teacher gave us a sort of “family tree/genealogy” assignment. This included learning the meaning (if any) behind our given names, so that day I went home and I asked my parents what “Anjimile” meant. They told me that “Anjimile” means “denied” in Chichewa (the native language of Malawi, where my family is from), and that one of my aunts had cried out “oh, Anjimile” when I was born because she was hoping my parents would have a son. In this context, “Anjimile” means “denied a boy.” There’s a couple of lyrics in this song that go “Does my body divide / was my body denied?”, and they’re quite literal and based around the aforementioned context. The whole song is related to my relationship with my gender, my sexuality, my name, my family. Funny how things connect. 

Read the full post on KEXP.org

Anjimile - "In Your Eyes" from the 2020 album Giver Taker on Father/Daughter Records.
On his debut album, Giver Taker, Boston-based musician Anjimile was inspired by &ldquo;faith, addiction, and [their] own transition.&rdquo; Today's Song of the Day examines the unfair perceptions of others, with Anjimile explaining in a press release, &ldquo;This is another song about grappling with homophobia and ultimately recognizing that I am what I am. It&rsquo;s a somber song, but the sorrow is for those who would live their lives constricted by such bigotry.&rdquo;
He elaborates in an interview with <a href="https://americansongwriter.com/giver-taker-anjimile-album-interview/">American Songwriter</a>:&nbsp;
When I was in fourth grade, my homeroom teacher gave us a sort of &ldquo;family tree/genealogy&rdquo; assignment. This included learning the meaning (if any) behind our given names, so that day I went home and I asked my parents what &ldquo;Anjimile&rdquo; meant. They told me that &ldquo;Anjimile&rdquo; means &ldquo;denied&rdquo; in Chichewa (the native language of Malawi, where my family is from), and that one of my aunts had cried out &ldquo;oh, Anjimile&rdquo; when I was born because she was hoping my parents would have a son. In this context, &ldquo;Anjimile&rdquo; means &ldquo;denied a boy.&rdquo; There&rsquo;s a couple of lyrics in this song that go &ldquo;Does my body divide / was my body denied?&rdquo;, and they&rsquo;re quite literal and based around the aforementioned context. The whole song is related to my relationship with my gender, my sexuality, my name, my family. Funny how things connect.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/song-of-the-day/2021/4/28/anjimile-your-eyes">Read the full post on KEXP.org</a>

From independent music station KEXP, In Our Headphones brings you the songs DJs, artists, and others just can't get enough of. Join host Evie Stokes and guests as they introduce you to new music, with added insight into the artists behind the records.

From independent music station KEXP, In Our Headphones brings you the songs DJs, artists, and others just can't get enough of. Join host Evie Stokes and guests as they introduce you to new music, with added insight into the artists behind the records.

A never-ending journey of music discovery from KEXP.

In Our Headphones

From independent music station KEXP, In Our Headphones brings you the songs DJs, artists, listeners and others just can't stop listening to. Join host Evie Stokes and guests as they introduce you to new music, with added insight into the artists behind the records.

From independent music station KEXP, In Our Headphones brings you the songs DJs, artists, listeners and others just can't stop listening to. Join host Evie Stokes and guests as they introduce you to new music, with added insight into the artists behind the records.

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