In a generation where music genres tend to spring forth from every corner at any moment, it is a surprise music categories have not superseded melody itself. While some join in the pool of mainstream styles, which most often send negative messages if nothing at all, others stream to meaningful music and stay true to themselves, not fearful of being different or holding a specific view. Kwaku Darko-Mensah (known as Kae Sun by fans,) is an emerging artist currently recording his debut album which is due in May, though his trek through the music industry, a reflection of who he is and what he stands for, began years ago in his youth.
Like the unique artist that he is, Darko-Mensah uses music as a way of sharing his faith with the world. While his songs are not gospel, they are from a Christian perspective and mirror his spiritual stance, thus, dissecting issues through a godly perspective — a consistent message he communicates to his listeners. While his upbringing and Christian faith influence what he creates, this rapper/singer/songwriter does attribute some of his inspiration to reggae, blues and soul music.
As a young boy, Darko-Mensah often played the guitar but he was unable to master it until he resumed playing three years ago. “Miraculously it was easier to learn so I try to play it all the time now,” he says with a tinge of amuse. “I really enjoy crafting songs from live instruments…I like that aspect of music,” he says. As a songwriter, he composes music while he plays the keyboard or guitar, and other times creates his own beats and writes songs over them. As a rhythm creator, he favors producing his own instrumentals for originality over buying professional ones. “See, music is an expression of a person’s emotions so (someone else’s instrumentals) may not be what I’m feeling, you know,” he clarifies his stance. “I think that’s what sometimes is missing in music because you find that a lot of us sound the same because they use the same people over and over again,” he adds.
Darko-Mensah, 24, currently lives in Hamilton, Canada, where he has been pursuing his music interests and other avenues he intends to branch into, areas far from his academic field of study. Like most Africans who travel abroad, he moved from Ghana (his birth place) in 2001 to continue a higher education at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Though he studied Multi-media and Philosophy, with Multi-media close to his present line of work, his desire was to concentrate in English instead of Philosophy but that did not work out. “I don’t regret because I’ve learned to really analyze things…how certain things in our society come to be and come to be effective, it’s really interesting,” he says of Philosophy.
Unlike most Philosophy lovers, Darko-Mensah takes a lot of pride in his walk with God, one that involves an intense connection he describes as “(Having) my life and my vision and everything I do be approved by him and be done with his help.” Though he was raised in a Christian home, he did not fully grasp the essence of having a true relationship with God until he began to live on his own about 6 years ago. He confidently speaks of his spiritual experience as one that has been great but tough. “It’s basically the feeling of knowing that everything you do or your future and the things that make up your life depend on God…it becomes easier, God be the everyday portion of your life,” he says. As a youngster, he thought Christianity was a joke or just a story, something his parents made him practice, but the few years of parting from his family has contributed to him developing a different and more realistic view of God and Christianity as a whole. “When I wake up, and I’m having a bad day or just wake up having a bad morning, you just remember, you know, what your purpose is…and even when things are bad and you feel down or depressed, just remember what you’ve been blessed with and remember that you’re living for something outside of yourself,” he says of his relationship with God.
Darko-Mensah’s upcoming album, which he will be self-producing with the help of other musicians will be doused in spirituality (God), issues affecting society and people, and as he terms it, “very musical and interesting.” He will be remaking and adding songs from his demo album, Soliloquy, which received a Hamilton Music Award for Hip-hop recording of the year in 2006, one he pulled off the market due to uncontrollable circumstances surrounding its release. “I’ve written a lot of the songs in it, I’ve grown as a writer…there’s no better way to explain it than if you heard it for yourself,” he says of the album in the works. “I’m trying not to make it sound like anything so, it’s the best I can say about it,” he adds. .
He further comments on this forthcoming project: “Sometimes people get the idea that as a believer you’re out to convert them. You’re out to change their perspective on things by, you know, using whatever gifts God has given you, more importantly what experiences he’s given you. It’s going to be me doing a lot of sharing, you know, hopefully that will draw people, it’ll get their attention, it’ll get them thinking about something outside of just the everyday.” .
The rhythms, however, will be a combination of every sound he loves– reggae, jazz, soul and other similar genres. “Some songs will sound more traditional Hip-hop others will sound more soulful, jazzy. It’ll just sound original, but it’ll be a mix of all those things,” he says.
Besides his music career, Darko-Mensah intends to pursue his burning passion for writing, one he was deprived of in college due to registration problems. “I’m really interested in writing poetry, non-fiction,” he says and then adds, “I’ve been writing a lot of essays, short stories…but I’m not sure if I’m going to let anybody read it yet,” he chortles.
As a musician, he plans to eventually venture into other areas like incorporating more African rhythms into his songs as he does not believe he has matured enough as an artist to masterfully practice it. “I guess I’m saving it for when I have a lot of people listening to me. But I definitely want to do it,” he adds.
Darko-Mensah’s initial response to where he sees in a couple of years is: “By God’s grace I want to be a good person or a better person I should say. It sounds corny,” he chuckles and then continues, “And a better musician, you know, everyday, and have my music reach a wider audience.”