Despite being the daughter of famed highlife musician Ernest “Owoahene” Nana Acheampong, Ghanaian singer-songwriter Gyakie had never considered pursuing a career in music until she had a chance encounter with a producer (one-half of the Lumba Brothers combo). She claims that despite the fact that her father was a well-known musician, she had no intention of making music her career. When she was a 2019 international business student at the University of Science and Technology in Ghana, she first met Sosa. She asserts that the words “started gushing” as soon as he agreed to send her some sounds.
Gyakie admits, “I was mind-blown by the responses I got when my first song, ‘Love Is Pretty,’ came out. Then I came to the conclusion that, “No, this is something I need to keep doing.” Following that, she enjoyed success with singles like “Never Like This,” which primarily had Twi lyrics and won over Ghanaian listeners. Meanwhile, the Afrobeats single “Forever,” along with its remix collaboration with Nigerian hitmaker Omah Lay, quickly gained popularity online and sparked a flurry of dance challenges.
Although she attributes the inspiration for her diverse, cross-genre Afro-fusion sound, which incorporates elements of highlife, hip-hop, reggae, and soul, to artists like Ghanaian singer Efya and Nigerian singer-songwriter A’a, she considers her father to be her greatest inspiration. She explains, “My dad was always playing highlife music around me. It was especially significant to me and to everyone from Ghana since highlife was performed by all the legends. Highlife music evokes the feeling of an old-school African. I ardently hope that the majority of musicians, especially those who are just starting out, will make an effort to incorporate highlife sounds and be successful in spreading them throughout the rest of the world.
Following her debut EP, 2020’s Seed, her second EP, MY DIARY, reveals additional dimensions of her personality. She claims that when she talks about experiences, she may not always be speaking the truth. “I talk about a lot of things, including my experience and the situation right now. It’s like getting a glimpse inside my life, and my fans may come along.
