Get To Know: Gyakie

Gyakie presents herself as a proud Ghanaian woman, who resides in the city of Kumasi, growing up there has made her the calm and compassionate woman she is today. “The sound, the dance, and the costume of where I come from are so inspirational”.

Gyakie is one of the most talented female musicians to come from Ghana, throughout her career she has collaborated with some of the world's biggest artists including Davido, Diplo, and Omah Lay for the ‘Forever Remix’ a track that earned over 60 million streams, while sitting in the UK Afrobeat Charts for 11 weeks. As well as this Gyakie has received some stunning co-signs from Stormzy, Wizkid, Fireboy DML, and King Promise, it’s an exciting moment for the songstress as 2023 seems to be one of her biggest years yet. Taking time out of her busy schedule, while looking very glamorous, Gyakie sat down with us to discuss some unexpected collaborations, her Dad as one of her biggest inspirations, and her latest single ‘Rent Free’.

With such a stunning voice, it may be surprising to some that Gyakie didn’t initially set out to become a musician, “I never saw myself pursuing a career as a musician until I went to Uni and started working with my producer who was one of the first people to compliment my voice.”. It was soon after her time at University where she studied international business that Gyakie decided to take her aspirations of becoming a musician seriously, when reflecting on her childhood years Gyakie claimed that due to her Dad being a huge Hi-Life musician she was very much inspired by his work from a young age. “When I was younger I would go to the studio with my Dad and witness him performing. I became a huge fan of music from witnessing my Dad’s career in front of my eyes. I recorded a song when I was just 6 years old, I would love to sample that track in the present day”. Despite being heavily inspired by her Dad, Gyakie also took inspiration from a variety of artists including Missy Elliot, Jill Scott, Usher, “I pick a lot of inspiration from old school musician’s because I admire the composition and lyricism, I would say the ’80s and ’90s are my favourite era’s when it comes to music”. With such an eclectic taste it is no wonder that Gyakie has dreams of working with some of the UK’s finest musicians including Dave, Mahalia, and Jorja Smith, “I’m loving UK musicians, that’s truly where my head is right now”.

You’re not a true artist If you’re not a fan of at least one of your songs, when Gyakie was asked about her ultimate favourite she immediately said her 2021 hit ‘Need Me’, which has racked up an impressive 9.4 million views on YouTube. “If I could select one of my previous tracks as a favourite. I would say Need Me, where I worked with a Sosa who is a regular producer of mine and a good friend, he’s the musician I worked with on my first ever track back when I was studying at University. I’m very particular with whom I collaborate in, any of my studio sessions, I need to have some kind of relationship with whoever I’m working with, I also find the creative energy is so much more natural this way”.

A woman of many talents, Gyakie expressed that if she could tap into any side of the music industry it would be the producing side of things, “I often make sounds with my mouth with how I want the beat to go, I would love to figure that out with fingers in the studio, I want to be a multi-faceted queen!”

When discussing her latest rhythmic new single ‘Rent Free’, which is accompanied by scenic visuals that include traditional dancing and Gyakie looking as beautiful as ever, the singer describes the record as "A love song written from the perspective of a woman who cannot stop thinking about a man who she is in love with, therefore he is living in her mind rent-free, which is a phrase that people use a lot, it doesn’t just have to be about love it can be about anything you just can’t stop thinking about, it was a catchy phrase that I knew would resonate with the masses”.

When looking to the future Gyakie's sole focus right now is her upcoming album, “The sounds on that project are clean and something I believe will stay for a very long time, after rent free I will start thinking about going on tour and traveling the world”. Intentional collaborations are also at the forefront of the singer’s mind for the future and with some of the names she’s already mentioned, it’s only a matter of time before we witness another star-studded collaboration from the singer.