Jay Ghartey, The Fresh Boy

Quite a number of Ghanaians based in foreign countries have returned home to release their musical albums for the love of the motherland.

But even though many of these songs are well-composed, the albums, sadly though, do not see the light of day, and apparently succumb to stiff competitions from home-based ones.

That notwithstanding, indications are that foreign-based Ghanaian artistes are not the least perturbed as almost every year, new faces pop up. This year is no exception.

Announcing his presence this year is fresh looking, Kweku Gyasi Ghartey, who is also called Jay Ghartey. He would be officially stepping into the industry in December this year.

His 12-track album, titled Shining Gold, promises to be a bomb. Already, his single, Me Do Wo, featuring Okyeame Kwame, seems to be getting a lot of endorsement.

His creativity and innovation, which blends with that of Okyeame Kwame, exposes his obvious soothing voice in that track.

For many who had the opportunity of listening to the single, Jay Ghartey is indeed a prolific singer and a songwriter. He uses his Ghanaian-American background in the sound and feeling of his songs.

In an interaction with a section of the Ghanaian media recently, he said his upcoming album smoothly transitions between Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Highlife and Hiplife; creating a genre of music that is distinctly his own, which he calls pop life.

Born in the US, he moved to Accra with his family at the age of 9. It was in Accra that his grandmother, a famous Ghanaian singer during her time, taught him the importance of bringing passion in his voice.

He began performing at the age of 10, originally as a rapper. He formed a group called Chief G and the Tribe, which included current stars like Kwaku T and Abeiku.

After cutting short his education at Ghana International School to continue at Brooklyn High School in the US, and then to the Boston University, Jay settled in NY, where he honed his skills as a vocalist.

Jay writes, arranges and produces almost all of his own music with his brother and business partner Joe.

However, his decision to come back home to release the album, he noted, was partly because he is inspired by Ghanaian music, especially those of Kojo Antwi and George Darko. Apart from that, he said he wanted to use his music to attract US attention to Ghana music.

“We’re trying to get people to wake up and see what is going on in Ghana.

That is why we have featured Okyeame Kwame in our first single. He rapped in Twi but New York loved it. People, our friends out there, love it,” he said, indicating further plans to also feature Sarkodie.

Source: NewsOne