Actress, singer, and filmmaker Jessica Oyelowo has unveiled her latest creative endeavor with the release of a storybook album titled “(M)other.”
The project, which hit the shelves on May 12, revolves around the theme of motherhood and draws inspiration from Oyelowo’s personal experiences. Through this album, she aims to recognize and honor the countless mothers worldwide who often go unnoticed and underappreciated for their significant contributions.
Oyelowo, known for her versatile talent across various artistic disciplines, believes that Jesus plays a pivotal role in shaping her identity as a mother. In an interview with The Christian Post, she disclosed feeling like an “other” at one point in her life due to her decision to marry and start a family at a relatively young age.
“I became a mama young; I married very young,” she said. “I was still working. I’m an actress. I’m a Christian. So I’ve always had this feeling of otherness — this feeling of being a little different than people. I always wanted to call it (the album) Mother, and it occurred to me as we were writing the album that I am other, and every mother feels that way at some point in her life.”
The famous actress, married to the Oscar-winning actor David Oyelowo, embraced motherhood at the tender age of 23. Her early initiation into the world of parenting set her apart from her contemporaries, and she vividly reflects on the transformative impact it had on her life.
“There’s an inclusivity of joining the ranks of mothers, and there’s an exclusivity of what you’re personally going through with your own children and your own personhood as you become a mother,” she said.
“You’ve never felt love like this. It’s a different kind of love than you could ever have for anyone else,” she explained. “The children that we love, the children that we birth, the children that we adopt, the children that we nurture, the neighbor’s kids, our nieces and nephews, the way that we mother in the world provides us with a sense of love that I had never experienced before until I had my own children and nieces and nephews and the various kids that kind of populate my house.”
“I’m not capable of separating my spiritual life from any part of my life. Jesus is everything. So everything flows, and every other aspect of my life has to be reconciled within that part of me because that’s everything,” Oyelowo told CP.
“I’m beginning to learn slowly what it means to pray constantly. It’s just to constantly acknowledge the beauty of God’s love and be in communion with Him, with the Holy Spirit. So there’s no separation of church and state in my being at all.”
“(M)other” serves as a testament to Oyelowo’s journey through motherhood, recounting the challenges and triumphs she encountered along the way. The storybook album seeks to offer solace and encouragement to mothers who may find themselves in similar circumstances, emphasizing the importance of embracing one’s unique path.
While Oyelowo acknowledges that motherhood can be an isolating experience, she aims to create a sense of belonging for all mothers through her artistic expression. By sharing her personal narrative, she hopes to provide a voice for those who feel marginalized or overlooked within the realm of motherhood.
In her pursuit to celebrate and uplift mothers, Oyelowo’s work in “(M)other” is a poignant reminder that the impact of motherhood extends far beyond traditional societal notions. Her creative endeavor extends a hand of recognition to mothers from all walks of life, irrespective of their age, marital status, or personal circumstances.
