Rock Around The Block

Jazmynne Matthews, known by her grand stage name of Lady Jazmynne, started performing and entertaining in her church when she was a young child. Her mother was a pianist, among many other things, and her godmother an opera singer -- two women who trained and influenced her as a performer. Pursuing her talent professionally for nearly two decades, Lady Jazmynne travels the country performing her music, which mixes "soulful dance and timeless funk." Jazmynne also happens to be a male-to-female transgender person.

"Transgender people, we have our own voice," she says. "We have our own singing voice; we have our own speaking voice. It's like we have our own design -- DNA-coded everything. ... I think it's a gift, you know? We think with both parts of our brains: male and female."

Jazmynne will appear on the Fayetteville Underground stage as part of Sunday's sixth annual Block Street Block Party. She was invited by the gallery's executive director, J Aleczander, to fill the 3:30 p.m. timeslot, and she is excited to perform for the Northwest Arkansas community. She says being a transgender performer has its advantages, one of which is that her natural range is more expansive than that of most natural-born females -- a fact she says often surprises people.

"Trans people, we have gifts and talents, too. Of all kinds and sorts. And I'm glad that I have music because that's my avenue to advocate and represent," Jazmynne says. "Without that musical gift, I would have it harder. I could still use my voice to engage as a speaker, but my music has won a lot of hearts -- because people love music!"

Lady Jazmynne is one of nearly 50 acts performing for the Block Party, which has grown to an immense event with more than 10,000 in attendance last year. The musical acts are one way to celebrate the day, but they are not the original purpose.

"In 2011, there was a really long, complicated construction project going on that hindered our businesses for a long time," says Hannah Withers, one of the founders of the event. "When it was over, [the business owners on Block] heard no plans for a ribbon-cutting or anything, and we had all these new trees and flowers and everything looked great. So we planned a party."

There were several thousand in attendance the first couple years of the event, but Withers says it wasn't until last year that she and the other organizers took a step back to admire what a huge event the Block Party had become.

"It's a tricky thing to make a free festival for people a sustainable system," she adds. "But it turned into this one day a year where locals can come out and celebrate everything local. There is so much packed into four blocks and so many nooks and crannies on our street. There will be something for every age -- whether it's a new shop you've never explored or an old favorite."

The foremost mission of the party is to promote the businesses on the street. But the beer gardens and the nonprofits, the family activities and the live music are what make the Block Street Block Party an event for everyone in the family and everyone in the community -- no matter what part of the community you fit into.

"I tell people, 'You represent the whole community.' You're representing yourself first, but you're representing the community too, unfortunately," Jazmynne says of her opportunity to perform at the festival. "For that moment, when I'm on stage and I'm presenting Lady Jazmynne, most of the time all the audience is doing is [staring, awestruck]. So, for that moment, and because I'm [trans], it's also a representation for the LGBT and T community.

"When I'm on stage if someone doesn't know I'm transgender, they're amazed. They say, 'I didn't know you existed -- that it was possible.' Why? You think God, or the powers that be, would discriminate against us like that? No. We are very gifted in every aspect like everybody else. So when I'm given the opportunity, I love it.

"This is big for me," she concludes. "I'm excited to make history in Fayetteville!"

NAN What's Up on 05/20/2016