The Rising Comet – Akin Brown

Hi guys.. i trust your week is going smoothly, so today i’m going to talk about a voice… no, not just any voice, an awe-inspiring voice, a vocalist, a singer, an astronomically rising wonder, he is an awakening, waiting to blast into a prolific career he is no other person than, Akintunde Obaoluwasanjofunmi Brown commonly known as Akin Brown.

Akin Brown is an emerging modern folk singer/songwriter. He was Born and raised in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, Lagos. His father’s diverse yet colourful collection of records was his very first inclination to music exposing him to incomparable talents like Herbie Hancock, Lijadu sisters, Van Morrison, ABBA, The Commodores, Bob Marley, King Sunny Ade, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Mavin Gaye, Bobby Benson, Queen Salawa Abeni, Orlando Julius Ekemode, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and a host of other amazing musical geniuses.

“Back then in my home, television was a rarity but I had access to the record player and radio and so I discovered Femi Kuti, Keziah Jones, Tracy Chapman, Elton John, Lagbaja, I fell helplessly in love with Sade Adu, John Mayer, Asa, Ziggy Marley, John Legend, Jay Z, Wasiu Ayinde and Majek Fashek. Their music influenced me a great deal, with them I felt normal. And till date, I still listen to their songs religiously.

Music brought me out of my shell. Growing up, I was more of an introvert — what the Yoruba local parlance refers to as an ‘Otolorin’ (one who prefers the lone company). Then, from my days at Boys Brigade, to the school choir at Camp David and to the children’s choir in my church, I always looked forward to holding the mic and just having fun singing my heart out.

I knew I would be a musician. And of course, coming from a family that loves music very much, I could dare to dream. My mum is still an active member of the good women choir and she sings very well.

My open, curious and highly creative mind is one of my greatest strengths. I do lots of meditative thinking so my art reflects my experiences, my confession, yearning and that of people/places/cultures I know or read about. I love reading, travelling, photography, abstract art and these reflect in depth of what I write. Music is a way of life. It is an expression-a language.”

When asked ‘Why music?’ his answer is always the same captivating tale. “I kinda got tired of trying to be who I’d never be, trying to fit in where I don’t belong, watching the singing competitions and crying myself sour to sleep because I can’t sound like Bruno Mars. I decided to do just me and it’s been a helluva ride ever since. Sometimes i’m hopeful, other times i’m unsure — aren’t we all? That and more I let my music reflect. It’s a confession, of an inner yearning sort of. It’s the tension of any artist torn between two worlds, and the only way to overcome this is to create something that overcomes the divide. I believe my songs are so hopeful; they point toward a better future for all of us.”

Akin tends to blend ancient Yoruba traditional folk sounds with a plethora of ultra-modern influences together, while still remaining true to his roots and capturing the exhilarating feeling of discovering new, totally unexplored musical territory.

Akin, a graduate of PEFTI is a multi-instrumentalist whose lyrics portray a depth well beyond his years. He writes, records and produces his music. He is currently recording his debut album which will reveal the work of a mature minded artiste finding his own unique sound and niche in the eclectic world of music.