WHO IS SELAH MOONIE?
Selah is a Bahamian bassist, vocalist, composer, arranger, producer, educator and cultural advocate whose music carries the spirit of her homeland and the conviction of a life built through perseverance. Her work brings Jazz, Funk, Soul, Gospel, Hip-Hop and Afro-Caribbean influences into conversation with Bahamian musical traditions, creating space for cultural preservation and artistic evolution.
As founder and bandleader of Selah Moonie & The Liberation Village, she leads with musical imagination, social consciousness and an enduring belief in the possibilities of Bahamian creativity. Behind that vision is a deeply personal journey: a teenage single mother determined to show her son that circumstances need not determine the reach of his dreams.
ROOTS & BEGINNINGS
Born Selah Halie Simone Poitier, Selah grew up in Nassau with roots in Andros and Cat Island, Bahamas with Afro-Bahamian and Seminole heritage. Her parents—Ossie “Andros” Poitier, a folk, blues and gospel guitarist, singer-songwriter, pastor and activist, and Sebrena Rolle-Poitier, a choir director, gospel minister and civil servant—grounded her upbringing in music, faith and service.
Poitier began playing piano in church as a child. At Government High School, she discovered the double bass at 14. When her teacher asked who wanted to play the instrument, she raised her hand—a seemingly small decision that would shape her future.
At 15, she received an apprenticeship scholarship to study and perform with The Bahamas National Symphony Orchestra. Her involvement from 2006–2012 included service as a co-principal double bassist and community volunteer. Alongside her orchestral development, she volunteered with the Salvation Army and later mentored with The Bahamas National Youth Orchestra.
Her creative voice was emerging early. At 15, she wrote, produced and performed “What’s Going Down,” earning third place in the Junkanoo in June Song Competition and national radio play. In an archived teenage interview, she expressed her ambition to become a jazz musician, singer and cultural activist. Music was already becoming a way to participate in her country’s future.
Motherhood & Becoming: The Pursuit of Berklee
Poitier continued through Government High School’s Magnet Performing Arts Programme and music education studies at the College of The Bahamas. When instruction on her chosen instrument was unavailable, she advocated for the college to arrange private lessons.
In 2011, she appeared as both bassist and vocalist in the Nassau presentation of “105 Voices of History,” a Kennedy Center initiative. A 2013 reference from Audrey Dean-Wright, then Head of Visual & Performing Arts, documented her community and government performances, compositions and commissions for advertising music.
Throughout this development, Poitier was raising her son, Kaleb, as a teenage single mother. Her determination to attend Berklee College of Music carried a responsibility beyond her own career: she wanted him to see that a difficult beginning could still lead to extraordinary possibilities.
Reaching her dream school required repeated attempts. She initially lacked the money to travel for an audition. After raising funds for another trip, she arrived at the airport with her double bass, only for the pilot to refuse to transport the instrument. She watched the aircraft depart without her.
She continued saving, seeking support and preparing. After arranging a rental bass for another attempt, she successfully auditioned and earned scholarship support, with assistance from Bahamian businessman Dionisio D’Aguilar.
In Boston, the dream demanded daily endurance. She carried her instruments through snow, hail and subway journeys while managing intensive coursework and the responsibilities of motherhood. Taking additional classes and studying through summers, she completed her degree in under two and a half years.
She was building a future—and giving her son a living example of persistence.
FINDING HER VOICE..
At Berklee, Poitier developed her musicianship under teachers who recognized her potential and challenged her to realize it. Bass professor Lincoln Goines believed in her unique talent and pushed her to become the strongest bassist she could be. John Lockwood told her she possessed the “X-Factor,” encouraging her to remain focused on her potential to become a top bass player.
Under Professor Bill Banfield’s guidance, she discovered a deeper passion for Bahamian history and ethnomusicology, drawing inspiration from the pioneering spirit of Zora Neale Hurston. These studies helped her understand her cultural inheritance as a foundation for composition, storytelling and artistic exploration.
Poitier also credits her dear friend and fellow Berklee alumnus, Nigerian producer and bassist Chuks Okpu, with helping her uncover and embrace her distinctive sound. His encouragement became an important part of learning to trust the voice emerging from her Bahamian upbringing, musical influences and lived experiences.
Together, those relationships strengthened both her craft and her confidence—the foundations of the artist who would become Selah Moonie.