We recently connected with Emanuel Asahene and have shared our conversation below.
Emanuel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Experience is the best teacher for everything. You rarely forget a lesson learned from living it. However there were many different avenues that I can say I learned from. I have been a dancer for the last 10 years, and I’m currently transitioning into my life as a musician. Writing always came to me rather easily and I’d have to say that it’s a strong point of mine, but my main issue was being able to convert my writing into song form. Being able to perform at a high level as an entertainer is a key to overall success. In order for me to do that I had to grow into myself as an entertainer as well as a musician. Another essential skill I learned was mixing music. I got tired of recording and getting it engineered on other people’s time. It’s far easier to be creative when you have full control of your recording sessions. Learning the business end of music is a long long road that can be convoluted. It presents quite a few twists and is changing constantly. With the introduction of new technology and new streaming as well as NFT capabilities, there’s new information being introduced into the business end of the music world regularly. I suppose if I focused less on dancing then I would’ve learned some of these skills faster but, I learned so much in dance that contributes to my music in so many ways that its obvious for me, they went hand in hand. Lack of time was my biggest obstacle but eventually you decide that some sacrifices need to be made in order to make the important things a priority. One can say lack of money but with the endless teaching resources that the internet provides, that wasn’t and shouldn’t be an issue. It will more than likely take longer, but In all of my endeavors, practice or rehearsal is the key to everything. Learn apply, Learn Apply. It’s a tough system to beat. Especially when executed consistently.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My musical journey started in 5th grade when I picked up the saxophone. Although I haven’t used it much in my current musical process of creation, it was the catalyst that may have pushed me in this direction at an early age without me even knowing it. I also enjoyed reading and writing. As I got older, I became obsessed with the lyrical prowess of many of the rappers that were big at the time. I’d have to say I have many musical influences ranging from rap to pop and classical. This is one of the things that drives the way I make my music. I began as what I would consider a rapper and have since then grown to be comfortable branching out into other genres naturally. Rap feels like home but my brain doesn’t sit in one place, and instead of fighting it, I’ve decided to see where it takes me. At the meantime, I also work as a DJ/Emcee in the Austin area and work as an entertainer at Labare Dallas off northwest highway. I’ve been big into fitness my entire life. After school, I decided to become a male entertainer to pay the bills and it became a large part of my life. The lessons I’ve learned and the skills I’ve acquired in that industry has added creativity and value to the music I have and will continue to create. 2022 and beyond hold many exciting things not just for me but for artists worldwide. To think I’ve been working on this step by step for years and it still feels like I have a long way to go. It’s exciting honestly.
I’m a recording Artist/Audio Engineer/Producer/Male Entertainer. The beauty of all those “specializations” lies in the fact that they all add value to each other. As a musical artist, I enjoy the process of engineering my tracks and as a dancer, I have created the audio for many of my performances.
What has recently been setting me apart from others is the accountability I have to take for where I’m at. I’ve made my mistakes as well. Errors are opportunities. Learning from my past mistakes has helped make my expressions of art more impactful in how I present them. Whether this is in reference to some of my choreographed performances, or to the music I’ve created. I love to learn not for the sake of learning but for application purposes. I’d have to say that I’m most proud that I answer to very few people. The lifestyle I’ve chosen has given me a kind of independence that with the right application also leaves time for me to live balanced. I put in a lot of work, but I work how I want to.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
NFT’s are the future. Theres no doubt about it. The space for digital ownership will bring a new and ore reasonable way to reimburse artists for their work. The art and music world are in the process of changing forever.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The joy or purpose my music can bring to someone. It’s hard to beat or compare to the feeling of that kind of energy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Asahene
- Instagram: instagram.com/asahenemusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AsaheneMusic
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/asahenemusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIgT9JMBiY4q8zJdZE_9YWA
- Other: asahene.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Steve Ellison Warren Zerr