Gyakie Expresses the Struggles & Success of a Life in Music on ‘Afrobeats Intelligence’

It has been established that Afrobeats Intelligence is one of this era's culture-defining podcasts. Hosted by Nigerian music journalist Joey Akan and presented by OkayAfrica, the third episode in its fourth season features the talented Ghanaian singer and songwriter Gyakie.

On this riveting episode, Joey and Gyakie discuss everything from her roots in the music industry to her current work. A pretty revealing chat; among other things, Gyakie mentions how she didn't want people to know her father was the legendary Highlife musician Nana Acheampong, a relationship that would have — predictably — influenced how the audience received her.

"Actually, when I started, I never mentioned who he was," Gyakie said. "I feel like at first, I wanted to do it by myself. I wanted to see how it would be if your hand is not being held in every stage or every single room. There's nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to feel like I was hustling. I'm starting this journey afresh. So, I never added his name to it."

Gyakie would also discuss her relationship with Highlife, detailing how it didn't have a contemporary audience, but that is changing now, with her recent music subtly incorporating the elements of the genre. The decades-long cultural exchange between Nigeria and Ghana was also a discussion point, as well as personal standards and Gyakie's perspective on love. "When you listen to my songs, you can tell I'm a lover girl," she says.

Watch the episode