Today, Ghana Plug limelights an upcoming female Ghanaian singer and songwriter from the Brong-Ahafo region Mary Yeboah stage name Asari Music.
As a small Ghanaian artist and also as a Junior at the University balancing school during the day and studio sessions in the evening, She aspires to enter the Afro-Beat industry one day where she hopes to inspire young girls navigating the music scene across Africa.
Reflecting on musicians that inspires her today, Asari Music envisions herself collaborating with many African artists. When looking at female artists, she hopes to work with Gyakie, Ayra Star, Amanda Black, Fatoumata Diawara, Angelique Kidjo, Aya Nakamura, Wendy Shay, Tiwa Savage, and many more! Asari also wants to work with a lot of the male artists in the Afro-Beat industry.
Who is Asari Music?
“My name is Mary Yeboah or as many know me, Asari Music. I started singing at the age of seven in my small West African town of Techiman, Ghana. At a young age, I had so many unanswered questions about the world. My brown eyes means of imagining the world outside the boundaries of my childhood home was through music. When I migrated to the US, music continued to be a safe place despite the discomforts that came with being a young African immigrant trying to navigate the music scenes in the states.”
Your First studio experience
“I snuck out to the studio for the first time at age seventeen. From that day on, I began going to more studios and music network workshops. And of course, my friends always covered for me when my parents called to ask where I was”. Because Asari was a good student and received honors, her parents believed her whenever she will say she was going to stay after school for extra studying.”
The Making of Asari
First time in a choir in 9th grade. Thoughts going on in my head: “ok this wasn’t bad”
By my senior year in high school, I had been in choir for four years. I grew more confident and began performing for outside community organizations: airports, community stores, etc. Despite this, I felt very unseen in my predominantly white choir. I began to question how I could use music to encapsulate my experience as an African woman in the US.
Link to my choir performance
“My determination and passion for music led me to establish music networks. During my junior year of high school, I began to visit various studios and meet-ups for creators, meeting new producers and artists. Because my parents did not support my decision for wanting to go into a creative career pathway, I often snuck out to studios after the end of a school day. I would save up money from my fast-food job and attend studio workshops. Despite the hardship of navigating in male spaces and not having my own family support, the journey ahead continues to shine bright.”
Any Hobby?
“I often make covers, freestyle to random instrumentals, and also sing my own songs and post them on my social medias!”
Her Recent release?
“Last week, I was finally able to release my first ever song. The journey to releasing my first song was difficult. It entailed going to studios after my lectures, using my work-study pay to take uber and pay for studio sessions, paying for artwork, streaming sites, etc!
Asari Music new single release is titled, “Like Dat“, which is on all streaming platforms. The song combines her own native language of Twi and mixes it with English. As she explains,
“I wanted to bring my culture in my first single and create a unique sound that speaks to whoever listens.”
The song is an afrobeat song about heartbreak and lies, aiming to speak to young women like myself who may have had a similar experience. It incorporates my own cultural language, Twi, and also English. It combines a diverse medium of cultures and mixes it into something that young women can understand. My aim was to create a space for my African identity to come out in my music. The song is available on all streaming platforms”
Have You Released Any Album?
“Despite the release of my first single, My goal is to release an album titled: “A tale of African women“. The album has 8 songs. Each one of the songs on the album has already been written by me.
The album dives into the experience of a Black woman in the diaspora. It covers the feelings of heartbreak, feeling lost in life, being looked down upon, being true to oneself, enjoying your life, and being okay with making mistakes. The album aims to combine afrobeat, R&B, and pop while bringing a creative sound that speaks to whoever listens.”
As an African women trying to navigate through the music industry, gaining support or even finding the resources has been hard. My goal is to release my first album while inspiring other young women to follow their dreams despite the odds. I have written over 70 songs and do local performances/shows. I have dreamed of releasing an album for the past five years. Meeting this goal will enable me to breakthrough and enter the music scenes for the genres I want to be a part of someday for my career: afrobeats, R&B and pop, which will all be on my album. I dream of traveling and performing around the world. I am planning on following this calling of mine. And I need help in making this dream of mine come through.
Overall, when Asari Music is not at the studio, she could be found in school, where she is currently a Junior on a dual degree program.
“Balancing school and music is not an easy task. While you may find me in the studio in evening, my mornings are filled with my lectures.”
As a University student, Asari Music expresses that she wants to motivate young musicians who are also in school that it is possible to do both. She understand the struggle of breaking stigma when it comes to doing music in an African household. For her, music is a safe haven, where she feels seen. Even when the journey is lonely, her passion for music pushes her above it all. Asari advice all African musicians to to keep going and follow the sound of the rhythm that moves them in music.
