Keke "keep a job" Palmer is an icon

Before I knew the name Keke Palmer, I knew the name Akeelah.

"Akeelah and the Bee" made me believe I could make it all the way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee as well. Her character in "Jump In" actually made me want to learn how to double dutch. And watching her character on "True Jackson, VP" showed me that chasing your dreams is doable.

Keke Palmer has been such a long-standing force in the industry and an inspiration to me and many other girls.

Emmy-award winner Keke Palmer was the first Black woman to star in her own show on Nickelodeon. She is the youngest and first Black Cinderella on Broadway and the youngest talk show host ever. She has the No. 1 movie at the box office right now with "Nope." And she is a natural charismatic talent with confidence that makes her one of a kind and booked and busy.

The gag is that she is incomparable. There is only one Keke Palmer, and she's always been a leading lady.

— Laura Nwogu, quality of life reporter at the Savannah Morning News

Follow me on Twitter at @lauranwogu_ or email me at LNwogu@gannett.com

Pulse of the 912

Jacob Evans is serenading Savannah with his voice, guitar and his arsenal of cover and original songs. I chat with the local singer, songwriter and musician about the songwriting process, the culture of gigging in Savannah and the hardest question of all — what his dream collaborations would be, dead or alive.

Follow him on Instagram @jacobsandwhich.

Laura Nwogu: Is there a time you can pinpoint when you became passionate about music?

Jacob Evans: “Probably somewhere in college when I started making money and having an outlet that I didn't know I needed. Those two together became like, ‘Oh, this can be my whole life and it's okay to pour everything into this.’”

LN: And your sound — your voice — is so soulful and you're crazy talented with your guitar. How do you go about finding your voice and sound in music or is that something you're still working on? Is that something you feel like you've established?

JE: “I'm actually still working on that. I never really sang correctly. I'm still working on where my voice should sit because, oftentimes, I'm on the edge of my range a lot with certain cover songs. I think my voice is softer, but just doing bar gigs and stuff like that I have to entertain and belt a lot.”

LN: And speaking of cover songs, you post a lot of covers, but you also have some great singles out. "Imaginary You" was your latest single. I always describe songwriting as vulnerable. What's the relationship between you and the songwriting process?

JE: “It varies from just like a sit down to sometimes years in the making. But my go-to way — and this is probably most artists — is just like to play a song on repeat and then mumble what comes out intuition-wise and then fill in the lyrics later.”

LN: Shifting a bit, you launched a speakeasy-style listener series, which I think is so cool. Can you tell me more about those sit-in sessions and how the idea for this concept came about?

JE: “I performed at a listening room in Atlanta — I think it was like Eddie's Attic. And it was just completely dark, except for the spotlight on the stage, and it was a completely different experience. From me playing bars and hotels and stuff where you’re just background, it was wildly different, like night and day. And I want to give that experience to performers and put an emphasis on artists and performers because that's very important. Also, for the music community, to be able to enjoy it in a concentrated way.”

LN: The first show was sold out. How did that feel seeing all the support that came out for it?

JE: “That was incredible. That was in nine days. It's amazing. It's a little work to like put them together, otherwise, I would have had one back to back. But I also do want to mention that this is going to be an umbrella thing that's going to encompass private shows, public shows, festivals, interviewing artists and also workshops. I don't really have too much of a team so it's slow getting out the gate.”

LN: That sounds exciting when it all comes together. Are there any plans for a second show that people could look out for or is that still in the works?

JE: “So I'm partnering up with New Realm to do the next show. It’s going to be on the second and third floors. That's gonna be a little bit crazy in a good way. I plan on doing music nonstop and also doing a culture shock of genres — having country on one floor while having hip-hop on another floor. And then we change genres each time on each floor. They're going to be going on at the same time so you can go upstairs and downstairs. and it's going to be cool.”

LN: You also share your gifts with a lot of other local musicians. What is it like working with other Savannah musicians and having that community?

JE: "Just like we all have the same job and it's really cool. Somebody can’t make it one day, so they call in sick and they call somebody to cover them. Oh my, God, it's so fun. Watching other people do their version of what you love so much. It's my life and it's their life. An instant connection is cool. And we sit in with each other all the time. We just pull up on each other and play at their gigs because a lot of gigging musicians that gig all the time get tired sometimes, and then we come in and give each other breaks and stuff like that.”

LN: What is your ideal goal or ultimate future look like when it comes to being a musician and sharing your music?

JE: “Being able to efficiently express myself musically, and then also covering the back end of that with the business side. Also, educating and supporting and inspiring other people to do the same because the outlet for me has been substantial. Life changing. Goodness, gracious. And I would love to encourage that and everyone else. And the youth, of course. I’m lucky that I found out what I loved early, you know?”

LN: Speaking of the youth, do you have any advice for any upcoming up-and-coming musicians or singers in Savannah. 

JE: “So first, I would say workshop by yourself. Please, please, please, if possible, learn an instrument for sure. The more you can do on your own, you get more gigs. There are so many solo gigs, and so many open mics. I come from a country town with no opportunity for music and going to Savannah, there's more than enough opportunity and it’s definitely possible.”

LN: Who is your ideal musician to collaborate with dead or alive?

JE: “Oh, Lord. Have mercy!”

LN: (laughs) I'll let you do a top three.

JE: “OK, top three. Barring my insecurity of my knowledge of music, I would love to work with Stevie Wonder.”

LN: I feel like that would be a life-changing experience.

JE: “Oh, you already know it, girl. Let's see. Oh, shoot! I love this question. This is amazing.

“I would say, Richie Havens. He was my first influence for guitar and also kind of just being an artist because he would always do cover songs, but he would never do them the way they are. And that's what I do also, but not consciously. I just never learn songs the way they go.

“And then third, I want to do Kanye West.”

LN: Good one. Producer magic there.

JE: “Oh, goodness. Crazy. Bananas.”

LN: That was a good top three. And final question that I end off with everyone is: why do you love Savannah?

JE: “It's not too slow. It's not too fast. There's a ton of opportunity here. And it's absolutely beautiful. Tons of opportunities. I love the food. And also, this is the first place I ever moved from so I'm completely biased and comfortable. I love this place.”

This interview was edited for length and clarity. 

If you know someone in The 912 community that you would like to see featured, email me.

Art of The 912

The 912 newsletter will highlight a local Black artist every two months as the header image for the weekly issue. This month's artist is Gabe Torres.

Follow Torres on her website and Instagram:

Website: gabrielleelizabethtorres.com

Instagram: @get.arttorres

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: The 912: Keke "keep a job" Palmer is an icon