Nabil Ayers on penning empathy in sunshine

The New Exchange with Ken Grand-Pierre

Empathy is a word we all know and yet there are times when it can feel elusive in our lives. One of the best antidotes for that is witnessing how it shows up in other people's lives, especially when it’s an individual that’s exerting it outwardly. That’s been the case as of late with Nabil Ayers, American music industry entrepreneur, musician, and author of the memoir, My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for my Father and Discovering My Family. On the surface, the memoir traces Nabil’s life as the son of legendary soul musician, Roy Ayers. But within its pages, it’s actually a deep exploration of what it means to have a family, the ways that families are usually much more complicated beyond what you see at face value. The memoir also explores what it means to be black in America throughout the decades and redefines what words like “race” and “family” even mean to oneself as they’re figuring out who you want to be (and why). Along with penning the memoir, Nabil is also the president of Beggars Group, home to influential labels such as 4AD, Rough Trade, Matador, XL Recordings, and Young. You know the homes of artists such as Big Thief, St. Vincent, Future Islands, The National, seriously, the list is ridiculously endless.

Throughout our chat, we go into both the emotional and logistically realities of bringing a book to life, along with the ways that music continues to drive Nabil’s life.