Gyakie Reveals Creative Process: “It’s All About Sweat and Sacrifice”

Ghanaian music sensation Gyakie, widely known as the song bird, is pulling back the curtain on the music-making process and it’s far from glamorous.

Speaking on Asaase Café, the soulful singer shared raw insights into the creative chaos that artistes often endure behind the scenes.

According to Gyakie, the public rarely sees the emotional and mental toll it takes to bring a single project to life.

“I want to believe people don’t really appreciate or see the hard work that is put into everything,” she said. “It’s not just, ‘oh it’s fun time,’ or go into the studio and just drop something.”

She shared that the process is often riddled with arguments, creative disagreements, setbacks, and intense decision-making, all in a bid to create music that truly resonates.

“A lot of things happen behind the scenes—arguments, fights, thinking about this, putting that in place. Sometimes it’s just not working. The music isn’t sounding right,” Gyakie stated.

“It took three years to make this album”

Highlighting more on the efforts she puts into her work, Gyakie opened up about the journey behind her upcoming album “After Midnight” —an emotional and intense project that’s been in the works for over three years.

“A lot of things happen that people don’t really know until you’re in there. That’s why if I say it took three years to make the album, someone will say, ‘how do you mean?’ But trust me, we’ve been working on this album from 2022 till now. It’s been hectic,” she said.

The pressure, she added, wasn’t hers alone. Even her producers were stretched thin during the process.

“Sometimes the producers I worked with would hit me up and say, ‘This really took a toll on me.’ It’s just a lot. People really don’t see the hard work. Every creative who puts something creative out there, it always takes a lot of sweat and blood,” she stated.

Dealing with public misconceptions

Despite the passion and effort poured into her work, Gyakie stated that some fans often reduce an artiste’s absence or change in sound to laziness. That kind of commentary, she said, can be disheartening.

“Yeah, I think sometimes a few comments make it seem like, ‘Oh, she’s a lazy artiste, that’s why she’s not dropping music,’ or ‘Oh, she’s lazy that’s why her sound is this way.’ All those things can make you feel like your hard work is in vain,” she said.

Still, she finds strength in self-awareness and staying true to her artistic journey.

“The moment you know what you’re doing and you appreciate the effort you’re putting in for yourself—you’ll always be good to go,” Gyakie added.