We were lucky to catch up with Abdul Sesay recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Abdul, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
In 2014 I met a man who would change everything I felt about the music industry. It was an eye opener into the real world. At the time I was a sophomore in college attending McNally Smith school of music. That was the same year I got the opportunity to go on American Idol. Things were going great! It was the same year I also met Richard, aka “the music man”, the title given to him by fox 9 news after doing an investigation. Richard was a big time music producer back in the late 90’s or according to the plaques on his wall. Richard saw a lot of musical potential in me and asked if I would be his business partner and grow a record company with him. He asked if I could produce all his artists and I he would oversee the business side of things. At the age of 19 I was honored! I trusted him without any doubt. The guy was old enough to be my dad. So he told me in order for us to start the record company I should invest 2,000 dollars. It wasn’t like he faking anything. This guy had a state of the art studio with all the bells and whistles. All I had to do was do the work and get paid for what I love doing. As time kept going more and more artist began flooding into the studio, so I quit my job and completely dropped out of college to pursue my dream. But when it was time for me to get my big check from Richard he kept prolonging making excuses. A month goes by, two months, three months nothing but wings and beer. That’s when I began to doubt if this guy was legit. Six months go by and I made no more than $400 dollars from this guy. I was sleeping on his studio coach and could barely afford gas for my car. That’s when I finally pulled the plug. My hands were tied. What was I going to do, report him to the police and say he stole my money. I had lost everything. So I decided to start my own studio in my own home and do my own projects. Turned out I wasn’t his first scam. Turns out he’s been doing the same thing to others for even bigger scams up to $50,000 dollars. It wasn’t till a couple years later fox 9 news did an investigation on the guy. I was just one of the many. It was a big eye opener. I’ve learn when people start name dropping, be aware… It was a big risk. Some might say it was a dumb risk but I’ve learned how this industry operates. I’ve been able to produce two projects on my own. My latest project “Colours” which came out in 2020 is on streaming platforms. I am proud of my work and I love what I do.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I go by the artist name Sesay, which is my last name. It is a very common last name in Sierra Leone, West Africa where I was born. At an early age I had an inclination for music. Without a doubt I knew I wanted to peruse a career in music so at the age of 9 when I moved to the U.S I bought my first guitar and kept playing ever since. What has gave me an edge is my unique style of playing. It is a combination of my west African rhythmic roots with American pop. Drumming on the guitar makes me sound like a one man band on stage. People sometimes don’t believe what they hear because it is a very smooth blend. It definitely sets me apart from other performers. I write my music, produce my music and have produced music for many others in the past. My favorite project was my last album “Colours”. It is such a fun challenge to write the music and lyrics and then do the production. That album is my baby. You can find it on Spotify, iTunes and other streaming platforms.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Go read “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. This book did something to my brain in such a way that I have to read it once every year. I’d recommend it to anyone pursuing their dreams. It frames things in such a perspective that makes you hungry to chase your dreams. It gives hope to your dreams.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2019 I was in Los Angeles getting ready to take another big risk to relocate in the golden state and peruse my career when the covid 19 pandemic happened. I was making little strides in my career at the time but I had to move back to Minnesota. I lost hope and thought all my hard work was in vain but it pushed me to finish my album “Colours”. Perhaps I wasn’t ready yet and needed to improve my craft. Sometimes just when you think you’re the best someone out there is better. We are never done growing.
Contact Info:
- Website: Sesaymusic.com
- Instagram: @sesay101
- Facebook: Sesaymusic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@SesayMusic