Daughter of Lauren Hill
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$1 Million
“When I do things like model or sing, it’s always, ‘There’s Lauryn’s daughter.’ Yes, Lauryn Hill is my mom. When people say that, they’re thinking a certain way, and they’ve already put you in a box, and now I have to fit into your box. It creates a little friction, but I’ve gotten over that."
Like many young creatives, Selah Marley is still finding her voice as an artist and as a performer. Dabbling in everything from runway modeling to photography, singing and art installations at some of the hottest galleries in New York City. Although not many 20-somethings can boast of such a prestigious family lineage, granddaughter to Bob Marley and daughter to Lauryn Hill, many young artists can relate to the feeling of wanting to experiment with everything in order to discover their calling.
Her work in all of these fields has been exploratory and difficult to pin down. Rather than simply fitting the mold set for her by her famous family members, Selah is reaching to create something all her own.
“Fitting the mold wasn’t something that I was consumed with. That was all the more reason to expand on this other side of myself. If I’m using my platform to show more of myself, not just as a model, other opportunities are going to come, and I’m seeing that happen now.”
A Famous Family
From Selah's last name alone, it's easy to guess her heritage as music royalty. Her father is Rohan Marley, former linebacker for the University of Miami (where he played with Dwayne Johnson and Ray Lewis) and son of reggae legend Bob Marley, and her mother is none other than Lauryn Hill of the Fugees who needs no introduction. This makes Selah the niece of Ziggy and Damian Marley, so it's safe to say that Selah was born into the music scene.
Selah was eager to start expressing herself from a young age, asking her mother at twelve years old if her mother would sign her at Sony, according to an interview in Teen Vogue. Lauryn let her daughter down with a polite "I'll think about it." While she wouldn't be ushered right into a singing career as a pre-teen by her famous parents, she would eventually find her way to the mic on her debut single, "Breathe (2017)," with KPR and IDKHIM.
“My music is super vulnerable, raw, and intimate. I have a super deep passion for music but no one would ever know that because it’s not something I show to the public.”
If you're waiting for Selah to drop a full-length album, you may still have some waiting to do, as she's had her hands full with modeling gigs for Dior, Calvin Klein, Ivy Park, Rag & Bones, Adidas and Kanye West's fashion brand, Yeezy, for which she would walk the runway in the season 4 showcase. Her most high-profile modeling job so far may be 100 Ways To Wear Gucci, a Vogue photo feature showing off the brand and Selah's natural good looks in a stunning gallery.
“I think my mom for one is incredibly fashionable. She’s the one who exposed me to the fashion world simply because of everything that she has.”
Artistic Explorations
“I’m very inspired by outer space. I love looking at pictures of nebulas and reading articles about black holes and dark matter, I always tie it into spirituality.”
Not content with being just a pretty face, Selah Marley has been exploring the fine arts world, hosting "A Primordial Place," an exhibition of her own work at BKLYN Studios in early May, 2019. The show focused on a mesh of concrete, urban surroundings with lush, natural scenery, creating an interesting juxtaposition of the natural and man-made.
In early 2019, she featured in a short film, C'EST LA (2019), playing a version of herself in an abstract mood-piece where she's seen playing piano and monologuing on music and the nature of identity. The short has been praised for its bold style and explorations on the concepts of image and experience. Asked for commentary on the film, Selah would only tell journalists “I’d rather not dilute this piece with words."
Selah's ventures into art and film have been fearlessly experimental and generally unlike anything one might expect from celebrity children. While Selah is still developing her voice and vision as an artist, there is little doubt that, when she's truly ready to make her mark, she will certainly grow into an undeniable talent whether she chooses to pursue film, music, modeling or the arts.
"I just want to show people that the best thing you could ever do for yourself is be yourself."
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