Ghana’s music space has been blessed with several amazing acts over the years. In recent years, we have seen the rise of a new generation, which has brought a refreshing listening experience to the space. One such talent is soulful songstress Maame Esi Essilfie. She describes herself as an adventurer, fun-loving, strong-willed, entertainer, and an overall fun person with an interesting view on life. The singer’s career goes as far back as doing covers in a hostel room, and then releasing her first song in 2019. She has gone on to put out some wonderful music, perform on some big platforms, release her EP, Tori’s Lounge, and put on her own concert. In a conversation with Nana Kojo Mula, Essilfie shares her story with Soot Africa.
Kicking off the conversation, Essilfie took us down memory lane to where it all started for her. She started by sharing with us how music has always been part of her life and a long-time dream of hers. However, many times in our part of the world, our dreams fade away, but sometimes, someone or something rekindles that dream of ours.
Essilfie: I grew up around music, with my parents always playing different genres, from country to reggae. I grew up dreaming of making music. I started to write music as early as my days in junior high school. Getting into senior year, my dream of music began to fade for different reasons. I had parents that were supportive of my decisions, but I just wanted to do something different.
As a literature student and writer, I switched to journalism, which felt like a safer option. Plus, I have always loved speaking, and as such, when I got older, it was easier to get into podcasting. My friend had Vonici Radio, which gave me a platform to share my ideas and grow our brands. It was a lovely experience for as long as it lasted.
I hadn’t done anything musical between my days in high school and uni, till one day I saw a tweet from someone that played the guitar in my hall (Julian) wanting to meet singers and just vibe. The session was amazing, and we did a cover of a song, which he recorded. Although I was hesitant, Julian managed to persuade me into putting it out on social media. The feedback was amazing and kind of rekindled my dream of making music again.
With a stint in podcasting ending and rekindling her music-making dream, Essilfie would start putting things in place to kickstart her music career.
Essilfie: It took me a while to drop my first single. I kept dropping cover after cover and gained so many followers. This forced me to go back to the drawing board and get everything I needed to start making my music. The first song I did was with Yung D3mz. Later on, I did another song, which would be my first single, “Gye Wani”.
With Gye Wani, Kay-Em and DJ Segs were very instrumental aside from being featured artistes and producers of the song. I used to help them with work in their studio, so when I wanted to record, they gave me the space and assisted me in the process. As a new artist, I didn’t know much about how to upload or distribute my music. The things I knew were pretty vague, but Kay Em taught me a few important things.
Making music in Africa is twice the work, and if care is not taken, one might give up early or end up depressed. If the system does not kill you, you will find a lot of internet trolls coming at you every other day. Essilfie touched on her own experiences with the struggles that came with being a new artist amidst internet trolls every other day. She spoke on the need to learn the ropes and develop a tough skin against internet trolls and the trouble they bring.
Essilfie: Making music in Ghana is not easy, but it is going to get better. The people in question (trolls) are people I can bet have never listened to my songs. People may not like my personality, so I go where I am loved. Some people don’t even know what they are critiquing. They can’t tell you if it is your voice, your cadence, mixing, etc. They just want to humble you for whatever reason. Ironically, anytime people come at me with hateful comments, it ends up with more people loving my music and deciding to follow me.
I look at how an independent artiste like myself learned the ropes and worked her way to where I am, and there are a lot of people that can’t do what I do. I like to focus on positivity in the negative moments. It used to get to me, but I am learning to develop tough skin because as I grow, the trolls will get bigger and tougher. They’ll compare me to people, say hateful things, and a lot of other negative comments. I just mute, block, and keep it going because I need my peace of mind to make music. I have barely scratched my potential and that is something that scares me sometimes, but I am hopeful for a good future.
The life of an artiste is never easy, and for an indie artiste, it is twice as hard. You need to figure out where to record, how to promote your music, and other things that a label would have handled for you. For Essilfie, she has had to do everything on her own by applying what she calls faith. She also explains why she has been described as an alternative artiste, despite making songs ranging from Afrobeats to jazz and R&B.
Essilfie: It has not been an easy journey; I have not always had enough funds to promote my songs. I don’t wait to have money before I release music. When I released Gye Wani, I got support from YFM Kumasi and Accra, and then later had Live FM. I work with faith a lot, so I don’t wait till there’s a lot of money before I do what I have to do. If I had to wait, I don’t think I would be where I am. I take things one step at a time. Although it has not been easy without funding, I have managed to keep the fire going.
I currently have a team, but it is a very small one. It is just two road managers and a stylist. I also have the support of friends that believe in the vision and want to support it. There are times I get funds, but there are a lot of things that need money. From promotion and marketing to booking studio sessions.
I would say I am a genre-bending artiste. My voice is very soulful, so let’s go with R&B-Soul. I can’t tell you where I fit and I do so many different things. The reason why I am an alternative artiste is that I fuse different things. Maybe I am a fusion artiste because I like to fuse things.
Four years into her career, Essilfie released her debut EP, Tori’s Lounge. She makes some interesting revelations about the project by sharing how she initially wanted to put the tape at a different point in time but had to move it to 2022.
Essilfie: My debut EP is a big deal, and I am still promoting it. The EP was supposed to be out two years ago, but due to setbacks, I had to take my time, and we ended up getting what we have now for Tori’s Lounge. The initial tape had some elements of this tape, but the songs on this tape are right. Tori’s Lounge represents a part of me I wouldn’t ordinarily talk about, but it felt right to speak about those things in the songs.
The acceptance has been super positive from all angles and places. It has been a nice ride, and I believe it still has a way to go, which is why we are still promoting it. People understood what Tori’s lounge represented. I had people come up to me telling me how they could relate to what I was saying in Kae, Tori’s Story, etc. Getting people to feel the way they felt about what I sang, and knowing that they could relate to that, made me feel proud. If there is anything I would change, it would be adding a spoken word prepared as the intro to the tape. I had an idea of making poetry for an intro and outro, which is what I would’ve added.
As a creative, you come into contact with a lot of other creatives as you collaborate and work together. For the songstress, anyone she has worked with has provided her with perspective. That perspective has given her the understanding that, as a creative, you must learn the ropes of the business.
Essilfie: I have worked with a lot of people with diverse creative juices, which I admit has impacted me somehow. I cannot pinpoint it, but everyone I have worked with has affected me in one way or another. I try my best to learn a lot.
As artists, our focus should mainly be on the recording. However, it is important for indie artists especially to learn about the business and pay attention to things to avoid being taken advantage of. People get surprised when they see me do what I do, especially as a woman. But as a creative, I need to be smart and push myself. It is my craft and my music; if I do not push it myself, I can’t expect others to do that for me. I am obsessed with growth and evolution, and I feel I can be greater than this. That is what keeps me going.
We have poor structure, yes, but I am working my way through things. I am growing my community from scratch, building an audience that loves me for me and not just because my song is hot today. Music is an asset, and as I get bigger, it also gets more valuable. The artiste that is not learning on the job would eventually learn it the hard way. Yes, make your music as an art, but also learn the ropes so you know how to market it as a product.
I would want to be signed, but I would want to get a fair deal. I want to have creative control over what I do, and if the terms are favorable, I will sign. However, I am not waiting around to get signed. I am still working, putting out music, and doing my shows until such a time comes.
For music lovers, listening to an artist on a streaming platform is never the same as experiencing them live. Giving your fans an amazing live experience is one of the best gifts you can offer them. We are not in December, but Essilfie has already gifted her fans two amazing shows.
Essilfie: I have had two shows, one in January and one in July. I have always wanted to do a show. Initially, they were scheduled two years ago, but things didn’t go as planned.
Last year, I felt it in my spirit to do one, and here we are. I wanted a very intimate atmosphere where I could connect with my fans. The first show was amazing, but the second was extra amazing. By then I had put out Tori’s lounge, and there was a whole new set of people that would be coming through. I was nervous because I was doing two shows in a year. Thankfully, the turnout was amazing, and we sold out again. It takes a lot to put together a show. Lots of resources, time, and effort. However, I like to perform, so there will be more shows in the future.
With a career that is growing at a wonderful pace, Essilfie is warming her way into the hearts of many music lovers in Ghana and beyond. It is her dream and goal to get bigger and better in the music space.
Essilfie: I will tell people to take advantage of the space and support their friends. This is because it is easier to ignore one person than to ignore a collective. Find what makes you different and highlight that a lot. It has been an interesting journey and I am proud of my achievements so far. I appreciate the support and love; they should keep it coming. I will just tell people to buckle up for greatness. There is more coming, and we go make am. Also, stream Tori’s lounge; you’ll love it.
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