Tell us about your band/career, including your history, where you are from and how you started?
I am an upcoming artist named Asante from Richmond Hill, Ontario. Currently in London as I studied at the university of Western for two years, now switching to Fanshawe’s MIA program to hone my craft.
Growing up, music has always been part of my life. I grew up in a household of music lovers. Music would be played in my house 24/7. As a kid, I used to write my own songs and create different melodies.
I also spent some of my childhood playing a variety of instruments such as the piano and violin, but never fully committing to one. During my grade 12 year, my friend invited me to his place to make a song as he was an artist. This was the first time I actually recorded music. I fell in love with the process instantly; love at first sight. This inspired me to create my first single called “Reality” and got a great reaction from it. People saw my potential and that gave me the fuel to pursue music as a career.
How did you come up with your performance name?
My artist name is my first name, “Asante”. I kept my original name for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to be myself through this music journey. I find that artists get lost in their personas. They are torn between their true selves and the artist they have become, which tends to lead them down a rough path. Instead, I wanted to venture through this journey as myself, from beginning to end.
Secondly, my name means “thank you” in Swahili. I am a very thankful person. Thankful for the family I was born in, the friends I have made and the opportunities that were given to me. I want the artist inside me to be thankful as well.
Do you have any recorded music available for fans?
I do have recorded music available for fans! My songs are on all platforms. Spotify, Apple music, Soundcloud… you name it. I have a lot more to come so make sure you stay tuned in.
How would you describe your music?
I’m a singer who grabs the audience’s attention through catchy melodies and relatable stories. I want my fans to experience my experience, and by the end of the song be able to say “I know exactly what that feels like”. Personally, I love to be able to relate to the artist(s) I listen to, so I provide that element in my music as well. I wouldn’t call myself a traditional R&B artist as my beat selection has a lot of variety.
I use R&B beats as well as Hip-Hop and Dancehall beats. This forces me to experiment with my voice and gives my fans a variety of different styles and sounds to vibe to.
What makes your music stand out from the others?
I stand out from other artists due to my unique sound and flow. I got that catchiness to me. I’m one of those artists you hear one time and find yourself humming the song for the rest of the day. Another uniqueness I have is my stage presence. I’m a natural performer. I love connecting with the audience and I’m very comfortable on stage. I have been performing for two years and had a huge jump of skill from year one to year two. This is because I started to study performances. I watched a lot of good and bad ones, analyzed each of them to figure out “what makes a good performance”. I took what I learned and applied it into my performing. I pride myself over my performing skills as most of my recognition comes from my performances.
What do you like to do outside of music that contributes to their music?
I involve myself in a lot of relationships. That’s where most of my song inspiration comes from. I’m someone who talks to a lot of girls, and sings about it. From all those crazy times to the simple ones I want back. I’m a lover man. Always have been since a kid. I could translate these experiences well into my music due to my empathetic self. I find that I really understand emotions. This allows me to explain myself well in my music.
Name your two biggest musical influences and why?
My two biggest musical influences are Michael Jackson and Juice Wrld. Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved Michael Jackson. I’d mimic all of his dance moves, his voice and his style. His death inspired me to work on my vocals and become a better singer… just like him. Michael Jackson’s performing ability is something I tried to take into my music career, as he is one of the best performers of all time. One of the only artists that would be putting not only 100% into his singing, but his dancing as well. He would bring you in with his voice and keep you there with his dance moves.
That’s a true performer, something I aspire to be.
My second influence to my music career has to be Juice Wrld, more importantly his song “Lucid Dreams”. I listened to “Lucid Dreams” when it only had 1,000 plays on Soundcloud. I knew that song was going to blow up from the minute I heard it. This song helped me find my sound in music. In Lucid Dreams, he sang on a beat that typically gets rapped on, and it worked really well. This was something I have always done, freestyle singing at the end of a lot of rap songs. I didn’t think their was a market for that until Lucid dreams blew up and it gave me the inspiration to sing on my first single “Reality”.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
I am my own songwriter. I have written poetry and short stories before, so I have experience as a writer. I’m a storytelling type of artist. Instead of going bar for bar, I use every line to progress the story I am trying to tell. My stories are typically about girls and the relationship we had. As I said earlier, I am a lover man, and I like to show that off in my music. I try to make my stories as relatable as possible. I want the audience to hear what I’m saying and be able to relate my words to a situation that happened in their life. People connect to my music because it’s very relatable. They understand my words and emotions, as they have experienced the same situation at least once in their life. As I grow and have a bigger fanbase, I want to transition into more positivity in my songwriting. I want to motivate and inspire people to be the best version of themselves. I want people to listen to my music and feel a surge of motivation. That’s the goal.
What has been your biggest challenge as an artist? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
My biggest challenge so far in my music career has been finding the right engineer/ producer to mix and master my music to industry standard. The connection between the artist and musical engineer is very important. If both the musical engineer and the artist are on the same page and want the song to go into the same direction, the song will do very well. I find that I haven’t found that person who understands my sound and will elevate my music into a finished product.
I have worked with a lot of people who has benefited my music career greatly, but now it’s time to release hits and really make music I am proud of. This has been a challenge in my career that I have yet to solve but I’m on track to meeting that person who is going to elevate my production to industry standard.
What current projects are you working on at the moment?
I have singles that are going to be dropped in the summer that I am really excited about. By fall of 2020, I plan on releasing my second EP, a mix of R&B and Hip-Hop vibes. I am super excited for my fans to hear my new music. Stay tuned in because HEAT ON THE WAY.
I have a new song: “She Gon Let Me Down” being released on Monday May 11th.
IG: @asantedeluy
Facebook: AsanteFromTheSix
Twitter: @TeamAsante
