dna: artist interview -
AKON
WE SPOKE WITH award-winning Senegalese American musical icon, producer and entrepreneur AKON - FOLLOWING HIS LATEST single release ’slow motion’.
To celebrate the release of Akon’s latest single ‘Slow Motion’ lifted from his recent ‘TT FREAK’ EP, we sat down to discuss the influences within the project and the cultural relevance of not only the sound, but also his work outside of being musician.
We know you grew up on genres like Mbalax reggae and jazz, how have these sounds influenced your musical journey? Did anything prompt you to take inspiration from your musical heritage when creating the ‘TT FREAK’ Ep?
Man, I think all of it prompted and it definitely was an influence for the project because ultimately, as the genre started to get more exciting I felt like I wanted to put more acceleration on it, you know? So, we moved towards the Afrobeat influencing sound more than Afrobeat itself. For a long time it was fight of mine and since 2008 I’ve been trying to expose this genre out of Africa and open up the door for a lot of new artists to get exposed and not be so local anymore, now that its being accepted globally we have to celebrate this.
Is this reflective of your journey as a person as well a music artist?
Yeah, I would definitely say it's 100% a reflection because as you grow things around you grow with it. I think musically, the more I started focusing on Africa, to develop as a continent and engulf myself into helping the younger generation of musicians become more, you know, commercial and global, the music itself follows you because I'm around that music all day, writing and producing for other artists. So naturally, when I'm doing my own records I think it's going to rub off.
What do you hope listeners take away from Slow Motion? Is there a particular message or feeling you aim to convey with this record?
Yeah, really what I'm hoping listeners take away from it is that they start now exploring more Amapiano music. When I put out records of different genres, it's because I want the audience to start exploring more of it. If you notice the song, it's just a party record. I'm not saying anything specific that's going to change your life, it just feels good and you can dance to it.
So, now they go online and start searching Amapiano, and then they hear more bigger artists and DJ’s that reflect this sound on their playlist. Now they're like, wait, this is a whole other genre coming from where though? It's in Africa. That's my goal, to expose different genres to people outside of the local market in Africa, you know?
Considering the community work you undertake within projects like Akon City, how do you see the legacy that you are creating continuing into further generations?
That's a great question, because everything I'm doing is to build a memorable legacy, you know, for any ghetto kid that might have come from an undeveloped market to be told things are impossible, it's only impossible for the people that think it can't happen. Believe me there's been so many times people told me it wasn't possible, but we always made it happen. It always was possible, you know, so even when coming up with this concept of me like “Okay, I want to build a city and I want it to be renewable and futuristic in Africa” People even now to this day, don't believe it. And now we've come so far, we're at a point where we're actually in construction, they're actually building it - so its like, wait a minute, what you mean is not happening? It's actually being built right now.
One thing I realised in life is when someone tells you that it can't be done, it's only because the person telling you don't believe that they can do it. And you know, it has nothing to do with your belief. All I can do is prove you wrong that it actually is possible with the right resources, the right mindset, you know, and at the end of the day, you have to be willing to fail. And I don't think it's a just a matter of failure, you can't be afraid to be stalled. Because things didn’t happen the way you wanted it to go the first time around, that gives you enough information to realise that the way you went about doing it was just the wrong way, so really in way I never believed that the word failure exists. You only fail because you didn't have enough information and sometimes you have to fail to get the information you need to do it the right way.
what DO you feel is the most important quality to look out for when signing emerging talent?
That’s a great question too because there is only one thing you should be looking for, and that’s a hard worker. Talent you can find on every street corner, its everywhere right? And if the artist isn’t as talented as you would like them to be, just pray that they are a hard worker, because if they are they will work to reach a level they need to be to take them to a place where they need to go, you know? That’s the bottom line, and this is the reason that Beyonce is who she is, that girl does not sleep bro, and the crazy part around this is that she is so talented too, so imagine having that talent and that drive at the same time - who is going to beat her? Nobody.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who want to make a positive impact through their art and contribute to their communities?
I would definitely make sure they understand that the key is to stay original, don’t try to duplicate the next hit or next artist, you have to create your own originality and people have to be able to distinguish you from everybody else. There is a million clones out there and everybody sounds the same, but still people wonder why they’re not hot, but it’s because the person that is hot is the one they’re trying to imitate, you know?
When an artist makes their sound original to them they're going to make listeners wonder, wait a minute, why this one sounds like this? That makes them want to explore more about you and get a better understanding. Before you know it, they might even like it better because they're tired of hearing the same shit all the time. Most artists that have been around for 10 years or more is because they have their own sound and you don't have to shazam them to know it's them. The moment you hear the song, the moment they open their mouth, you already know who that artist is because they're original.
If you could choose one word to describe your musical journey so far, what would it be, and why?
I would probably say fearless. Because I kind of like to go against the grain with everything musically. I don't feel comfortable if I'm within the grain. Honestly, I feel like a lame, like if I'm doing something and it remotely sounds like something someone else has already done or is currently doing, I can't live with that. I want whoever that person is to be inspired by what I'm doing and figure out, okay, well, how can I duplicate what he just did in my way versus the other way around?
how do you plan to challenge yourself to stay relevant and innovative in today's ever-changing music industry?
I think that part is really easy for me because I always put myself in a position where we're the trailblazers to an extent, you know? A lot of the newer artists that's coming out are often artists that I either mentor, I either developed or I'm already investing in. So we try to be the ones, in front of all, bringing the vibe in so that way we never have to fit in.