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|  Over the years, the reggae dancehall star has virtually played in a number of European cities notably Spain and Switzerland; thus promoting his music. He has recently released his 11-track CD called ?CONFUSED WORLD?, which according to him, was made possible courtesy of and in support of ?Annaf Records? his own Record Label. In the excerpt of the exclusive interview with Freadyman below , The Gambian star talked a lot about his music, new album, achievements, and plans for the 2010 among others.
How did you originally get into music and where were you drawing your influences from?
Freadyman: Well, it all started in my first year in the high school, when I visited a friend called Pa Ousman Joof at his house. He turned his tape on and started raping on a musical piece and I was listening to him till he finished up. Then I asked him to play it again. He did and I followed. Joof got delighted with my singing and the voice and proposed that I join him in making up a musical crew, to which I agreed. So things started from there and we chose to name the crew as ?New Edition?.
At first I thought it was a joke and so I was not serious about it. But after our first concert performance, I realized that things were going serious. After a while with the ?New Edition?, I decided to shift to another band called ?Hamaleh G?. However, I have no musical foundation from my family, because non of my family members is a musician, but I was able to get my musical inspiration from Pa Ousman Joof.
Could you describe your current music style?
Freadyman: Hmmm... I called my style of music ?Melting Pot? because I mix different styles of music, ranging from Reggae, R&B, African Hip Hop. This means I love mixing because you can get the different listeners all over the world.
Did you ever wonder what you'd be doing if you weren't a musician?
Freadyman: Yea! Besides serving as a musician, I am a computer technician and a web designer too. I also do graphic designs; you can even see that I am the one who designed the CD inlay of my album and am also the multimedia designer of Annaf Digital Studios. So if I was not doing music, I was going to concentrate more on the other side of my profession.
Your debut album ?CONFUSED WORLD? has just been released. Do you feel that you've achieved what you set out to with this release?
Freadyman: Well! Thank God for the release of the album. Oh yeah I do actually. It?s a broad spectrum of the different styles of music I'm into. I've also managed to reflect my other styles too. If anything, making this album has made me more ambitious about approaching music and my next projects.
You?ve got some great collaboration on the album, particularly with Mary Jane of the ?Emeterians?. How did this come about and how was it like to work with her?
Freadyman: Mary is such a great lady and was always ready to show out anytime I needed her for voicing. We did a track together called ?Mama?s Love?, which I invited another Senegalese female singer called ToureFA. Besides doing a track with Mary Jane, she also did all the backing vocals in the album.
I did a track with Sheriffo Sissoho, who is a Kora player and he played the kora in that particular track which I named after myself ?Freadyman?. I also did a track with Delgadosan, a Spanish rapper, and Hakim of the Sunland. So it was a great pleasure to me, working with the different professional musicians and I thank them all for taking their time for me.
As the CD is now released in the market, what about your fans in The Gambia. Is the CD released in there?
Freadyman: Not yet but I am planning to release it in Gambia right after doing the promotions, because I have been away from The Gambia for few years now. I can?t just release a CD here like that, I need to do the promotions first before releasing it here.
You have been in the music scene for sometime now. What would you say has been your biggest achievement to date?
Freadyman: I'd say making a career out of a hobby which I clearly love. I've seen the world; I've played in so many places and played with some of the biggest bands in Spain too. Other than that setting up my own record label called ?Annaf Records?, which by the grace of God will start signing talented artists, for me, is something I'm proud of.
Are there any new producers or musicians breaking through onto the scene that have really impressed you and that we should be keeping an eye on?
Freadyman: Yea of course, not being in The Gambia doesn?t make me not to know what is going on in my country. Thank God with the help of the Internet, online radios; the media I mean, is helping me a lot. I am aware of all the developments that are currently taking place in The Gambian music scene. We have so many talented international artists, and they are really appreciated by the world at large.
Coming back to your crew-?Hamaleh G?, did you stop doing music together or are you no more a member of the crew?
Freadyman: Well, doing a solo album doesn?t mean that I am no more part of Hamaleh G band, we are still intact and working together and we?ve even planned to do some releases by the mid of 2010.
I know you have plans to address some of the challenges you couldn?t overcome during the past years. What have you planned for the rest of 2010?
Freadyman: Laughs... Well, I?ve got a lot of plans but I will tell you one or two: To develop my Record Label ?Annaf Records?, and to finish up with my private projects.
Any last words?
Freadyman: Yea just want to thank everyone that is supporting and listening to my music, and for the interview. I also want to thank the Gambian media, Production55 in Spain, Uprising Sound based in Switzerland for all their efforts.
Author: SHeriff Janko | |
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