Oklahoma City DJ Kora Waves is set to take the stage for Norman Music Festival, with a unique blend of deep house, Afro beats and electric soul.
After playing a 1 a.m. time slot at Brewhouse last year, Waves is excited to return to Norman Music Festival on a main stage.
“I really want to introduce that music and those different elements,” Waves said. “And so having an earlier time and being outside, I’ll be able to express myself, and people can kind of reciprocate.”
With an electrifying set of edits and remixes of EDM, house music and Afro beats, Waves hopes to educate people on different backgrounds and cultures using her music.
“No matter what’s going on in life, music will always bring us together because music is an energy. It has feeling and emotion behind it,” Waves said. “So I really want to keep educating everyone on different cultures, different sounds and bring people together through music.”
Waves’ diverse collection of beats ranges across different artists and genres, guaranteeing there will be something for everyone at each of her shows.
Kora Waves.
“I always try to do a blend of (my music taste and the audience’s),” Waves said, “or I play a lot of remixes of songs they know. And those remixes and those edits might introduce them to a new sound.”
Waves said her diverse music taste is inspired by her father’s love for funk, jazz and disco. However, since recently pursuing being a DJ as a career, her West African background has also had a major influence on her musical choices.
“Afro beats have really hit the mainstream, and so now people are familiar with it,” Waves said. “And it was something I was kind of playing before, but once I saw that people were getting familiar with it, I was like, ‘Wow, I grew up around this element of music.’”
Waves seamlessly blends the Afro beats that she has always loved with some more popular tracks to create the perfect balance of her personal style and what the audience is interested in.
“You have a new popular track, but it’s over an Afro beats instrumental, but I’m playing a song where (the audience) can sing along because they know the lyrics,” Waves said.
Waves creates every blend with the ultimate goal of creating an immersive experience for her listeners and fans.
“Music is a universal language,” Waves said. “So let go. Let loose on the dance floor. Leave all your stresses and worries at home, and let’s just be here for a moment.”
Despite her success, Waves has found that there are some challenges that come with being in such a male-dominated field that not even letting loose on the dance floor can fix.
“I feel that certain businesses and bar owners and club owners think that I don’t have what it takes,” Waves said. “I think some people, they just don't believe in us as women, that we have what it takes to play the same role as a man.”
However, Waves does not let the lack of support from men influence the confidence she has in her abilities.
“I know I can play just as good as the guys,” Waves said.
Kora Waves will be performing on the Gray Street stage at 8:40 p.m. on Friday, April 28, bringing her blend of different sounds and music to create a show that should not be missed.
This story was edited by Emma Blakley and Silas Bales. Francisco Gutierrez and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
