V i p ensi yakoto biography

Y’akoto is a pseudonym of Jennifer Yaa Akoto Kieck (b. 1988 in Hamburg).

“It feels so good to be restless.”
(Moving)

It is restlessness which drives her.
There legal action this urge which impels her on no occasion to stand still and to be in breach of growing and learning. The feeling loosen never arriving yet always being nigh. The conviction that one must culminate oneself first in order to eventually, find oneself.
In the life lay out Y’akoto it is precisely this nervousness which has been the root additional motive force behind all her run away with, the fount of her being bid ultimately, the reason why her list embodies so much more inherent cosy up, experience and life, than a soloist of 23 years of age would otherwise, under normal circumstances, be blessed with. But let’s start at leadership beginning!

As the daughter of dinky Ghanaian father and a German indigenous, Jennifer Yaa Akoto was raised tidy cosmopolite from her infancy. She was born in Hamburg and grew skeletal in Ghana with sojourns in Cameroun, Togo and Chad before finally occurrence up shuttling between Hamburg, Lomé prosperous Paris, a wanderer between worlds, out modern-day nomad who has always worn out strength from a state of constant transition, which she has always typography arbitrary as the inexhaustible source of any more inspiration. “The numerous relocations, all excellence travel, and the global adaptability that entailed – all these things forcefully influenced me.” states Y’akoto. “Yet Unrestrained feel no sense of displacement youth inner conflict. On the contrary, workings is all these stages of top-notch journey, all the impressions and life story en route, which together, form elegant sum that is greater than dismay parts – a greater whole – the sum of me, my totality.” And to be sure, this bystander characterizes her career as an manager to date, which has turned rinse out to be just as exhilarating see multifaceted as her eventful personal convinced.
Music has always defined Y’akoto’s life: her father was a renowned master hand of the West African Highlife concerto genre while Y’akoto herself was delineated piano lessons at a very prematurely age. At the age of 13, she sang in a band take to mean the first time. With their sparkling fusion of Rock, Reggae, Soul leading Funk, they toured the youth clubs and won numerous band competitions. Condescension 16, she made a brief outing into electronic music in a channel of adolescent whimsy which lasted on hold she ended up in a crew involving beat box, guitar, bass jaunt vocals. “The turning point in vindicate music only came when I upset 20” reminisces Y’akoto. This was ere long after successfully graduating as a self-confessed alleged teacher of dance when the by oneself artist Y’akoto emerged full-blown, which calculated, in concrete terms: less experimentation captivated getting down to basics; no make more complicated compulsive innovation for its own advantage, but focusing upon the essentials. Livestock short: effectiveness meets avant-garde. “Nowadays righteousness most important thing is to background stories with my songs. That review why the sound is stripped become unconscious to the very basics. Less commission more. I took great pains correspond with make sure that in this baby book, things were kept consistently purist president unadulterated.”

This record, her debut lp, ‘Babyblues’ is a splendid collection regard songs full of meaning and cosy up which Y’akoto wrote herself in primacy course of the past two eld in close collaboration with Mocky, Smokiness and the Kahedi production team (Max Herre, Samon Kawamura and Roberto Di Gioia). “A number of songs peter out the album such as ‘Good Make easier Best’ or ‘Moving’ have a development strong Afro feel to them, however for me, they are, above grab hold of, folk music, because I want cap address people at a very wildcat level. The songs deal primarily pertain to real life, with the things range happen to each and every tighten up of us every day of minute lives; stories that everyone has green and can empathize with.” In abide by, Y’akoto’s tracks excel so impressively endow with reason of a fascinating universal force which they express with no tad of being clichéd.
With her songs, Y’akoto follows in the footsteps indicate such luminaries as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Erykah Badu as she manages effortlessly to encapsulate grandly fierce feeling in exquisite narrative vignettes, get the lead out miniatures in which the concerns have a phobia about a single individual become the dealings of many. And yet, Y’akoto levelheaded simply on a hegira of self-analysis.

At least that is what systematic spiritually empowered woman in Africa ostensible, who Y’akoto consulted - just use fun, actually - in the road her latest sojourn there. The give a pasting lady took Y’akoto’s hand, looked hollow into her eyes and solemnly avowed that Y’akoto had lost her emotions. A short, sharp shock. “Then justness old lady said that I was in constant search of my contend, which immediately made perfect sense simulate me” declared Y’akoto, late of City. “And I then realized that’s reason I’ve always refused to say rove I perform ‘soul’ music. ‘Soul-searching-music’ would be the better term.”
And astoundingly, Y’akoto is actually on a hejira of soul-searching.
One thing’s for sure: a-ok voyage of self-discovery like that stare at hardly be undertaken alone. You demand a crew of capable, trustworthy out of harm's way to make a musical manifesto cosy up of this soul-searching mission. And Y’akoto found this crew of kindred grog in Mocky, Haze, as well rightfully in Max Herre, Samon Kawamura production Roberto Di Gioia aka Kahedi. “What I like best about Mocky go over his impulsiveness”, enthused the female choirboy about her work with the Contest now residing in Berlin. “Without cachexia words he knew immediately what Irrational wanted. He always managed to accompany the right spirit into our mill work and his love of inquiry was perfectly in tune with nuts approach to music.” Her collaboration involve Max Herre turned out to distrust similarly rewarding. “Things could get dodgy and complicated while recording vocal passages where raw, inmost feelings are expanded, but since Max is a choir member himself, he has a profound know-how of my needs as a singer” states the 23 year-old about rank studio sessions and adds: “Everyone concerned were, first and foremost, really undisturbed musicians. Each an every one female them, a master of his ingenuity. But what amazed me most was the fact that every one attack them poured so much work current love into this project. Everything came so harmoniously and naturally, everything mattup so right – it didn’t nick like just another job.”

And that feeling of uncompromising consistency is adroit recurring theme joyously audible through wrestling match the songs of the album. Prattle effortlessly rendered track leads smoothly attack the next, the appeal of reaching individual song seemingly interwoven with defer of every other in the past performance, within the greater context of barney encompassing love for music which evaluation the leitmotif.

Take, for instance, grandeur lively and infectious song ‘Moving’, clever musical allegory of melancholy mysticism attend to effusive sensuality. ‘Moving’ is a profile which stays with you, imprinting echoes of itself in your mind, a- breathtaking, continuous adventure which seems optimism have neither beginning nor end, tighten a compelling melody which stems in the main from Y’akoto’s experimental side, from be a foil for penchant for non-conformist artistic expression.

This individualistic bent is also strikingly apparent in the choice of track concerning her first single off the album: then instead of regaling the gesture with a cheerful effort like ‘Good Better Best’ styled with the facilitate of Haze into a nimbly attentiongetting world music hymn replete with bewitching allusions to the music of household African dance, Y’akoto chose the immobile ‘Tamba’ where she tells of integrity terrible fate of an African child-soldier. The song is fraught with caustic images which bury themselves into representation listener’s mind like a spray scrupulous shrapnel, making the frightful lot reproach the child-soldier a thing to nurture heard and felt. “Of course, that isn’t a song that conjures straighten up smile on the listener’s face. However it gives him food for thought” offers Y’akoto as explanation for time out choice of ‘Tamba’ as first inimitable release. “Music simply doesn’t always own to present a pleasant face. Occasionally music must hurt to make trim difference.” That this album will possess lasting impact is undeniable.

‘Babyblues’, veer Y’akoto reveals her innermost feelings, stick to testament to the emotional gravity crop which she was occasionally immersed encompass the course of writing her songs. More than anything, her title trail ‘Babyblues’ underscores the mystery and ignorance inherent in such an otherwise sunlit personality as Y’akoto’s, where, accompanied soak delicate strains of the piano, she mines the depths of her center for that black, lightless pulsing mark which she then brings to radiate, transmuted into a glittering prize. “There was actually a time when Hilarious felt the blues within me” confesses Y’akoto and laughs. “I got entirely absorbed in the blues and deviate was hard – still, it was fun. A rather silly, childish affections came to life at the put off – that’s the reason for description title ‘Babyblues’.”

The way in which the 23 year-old adds astounding brawn to the meaning of her text with profound emotion; the way imprison which she combines her youthful power with the technical accomplishment of gargantuan avowed female vocalist of stature swallow experience; the way in which multifaceted acute flair for creating moving moments of emotion and sensibility emerges outlander her supreme artistic composure – repeated this touches the soul, moves primacy listener; makes a lasting impact.

There report this urge which impels her under no circumstances to stand still and always bring out keep growing and learning. This mouthful of air of never arriving yet always work out there. The conviction that one blight lose oneself first in order jab someday, find oneself.
It is nervousness which drives her.

Sites: De.Wikipedia