Lloyd Ansah had a forbidden love with the arts growing up. Hailing from Ghana by way of Queens, his parents weren’t too keen on the idea of his dream to become a singer.

The Syracuse University junior has come a long way since then. He recently performed at Renegade Magazine’s first annual Reneprom and is now gearing up to release his debut project. Last month, Ansah released “Mary,” the first single off of the project.

As a child, his parents valued a more traditional route of making a living — earning a degree and getting a job. Because of this, Ansah said he felt deprived creatively and turned to extracurricular after-school programs activities like drama and choir to foster his knack.

“I come from Ghanaian parents. They didn’t bring me here to be a singer or anything like that,” he said. “I was meant to be a doctor, which is why we take academics very seriously in my household. That’s why I’m happy to be here.”

Ansah transferred to SU from SUNY Fredonia during his sophomore year. His decision for this move was partly due to his desire to connect with other music creatives.

Growing up, following this musical dream was a constant battle for him as he was always caught between living up to his parents’ expectations and fulfilling his own perceived purpose in life. Ansah’s father would even call his school sometimes to tell them to stop keeping him there later than needed. But Ansah said his teachers would always vouch for him.

“That was a big issue throughout my whole life, but it turns out I was really good at this,” Ansah said. “Like, this is what I feel like I was put on this Earth to do. I feel like I was born for this.”

Ansah released his single,”Mary,” last month and plans to release the rest of the project within a few weeks. Courtesy of Saad Metla

Ansah found his niche for singing after his choir directors praised him for his voice and recommended that he audition for the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, a high school in Queens. It wasn’t until after he secretly auditioned and got accepted that he told his parents. He ultimately convinced them to let him attend.

“(The school) combined academics with the arts,” Ansah said. “I would have a full course load of classes, but then for four extra hours in the day I would just strictly be in vocal performance learning about Mozart, Beethoven. All these things.”

At Frank Sinatra, Ansah gained professional training in musical theater and was able to dedicate time to improving his voice. He also learned how to sing opera.

However, this did not translate well in his community. Among his neighborhood peers, Ansah was the only singer amongst numerous aspiring rappers. For this reason, he was often left out of rap cyphers, a freestyle session between rappers.

Yet, Ansah’s “cousin” Kobe would rap alongside him as they walked to school — coaching him to work on his delivery and lyricism so that his listeners could “feel him.”

“Singing is the one place where I feel like no one can judge me,” he said. “I feel very at peace. I feel comfortable, certain. I feel strong. I’m in my own little world when I sing.”

Ansah spent a majority of the summer working on his debut project, playing around with various sounds and bouncing ideas off of his friends to see what they wanted to hear.

Ansah’s creative process consists of writing about half of a song before going to the studio to complete the rest after hearing the beat. Courtesy of Saad Metla

“I don’t want to be selfish with my music,” he said. “I feel like your music should be a soundtrack for whoever’s around you.”

Before dropping a song, Ansah plays it for his friends to hear their feedback on any changes that need to be made. He said that with all the toxicity in music, he strives to tell his truth, which is one reason why he values writing and lyricism so much.

As for his creative process, Ansah only writes about half of a song and likes to complete the rest in the studio after hearing the beat. This sequence helps him put emotion behind his music and tweak his range if needed.

Aside from music, in 2017, Ansah founded a clothing line with four friends from his former school called Jiggy By Nature (JBN). The idea stemmed from their New York City roots and the competition and camaraderie that surrounded their fashion choices.

“We were just kids from New York that were comfortable with the way we dressed,” he said. “We were always trying to outdo each other. We found our little clique, and everywhere we’d go, they would just call us ‘jiggy’… we would call ourselves ‘jiggy.’”

The group of friends turned JBN into a brand and a mentality where they aim to promote positivity and self-confidence by expressing one’s self through clothing.

On campus, Ansah also co-hosts The Plug Radio: After Hours on WERW, SU’s student college radio station. In conjunction with SU senior Caitlin Joyles Easy, the duo discusses hip-hop, Black culture and Syracuse happenings, along with special guests, every Monday night.

Joyles Easy, who is also a close friend to Ansah, said she admires his work ethic and has been by his side in the studio countless nights as he’s been finishing up his project.

“People say they’re dedicated to their craft, but he literally wakes up, lives, breathes and sleeps singing because it is what he loves to do,” she said. “I really think that it is his God-given talent.”

She also said that she’s been learning a lot about the ins and outs of music just from being around him during his creative process.

Despite being rejected from the rap scene in his community, Ansah primarily listens to rap now. One of his goals as a singer is to mimic the wordplay and charisma that rappers possess because he feels like that is something that many prominent singers lack.

“I think I can always evolve as a singer by listening to singers, but the way a rapper says certain things … a singer can’t make it sound the same way,” he said. “I feel like singers have never been in front of hip-hop. I want to beat a rapper at a rapper’s game.”

As Ansah navigates his singing career, he knows he is still making his parents proud by taking the steps to earn his degree. His goal is to make music that resonates with everyone and can exist in various spaces.

“Now I’m ready for war. I was doing this before it was cool,” Ansah said. “I’ve been singing since elementary school. I studied this; I take this very seriously. Now people want to come and joke in the industry. I just want to show people how it’s supposed to be done.”

Published on February 25, 2020 at 11:57 pm