Lamie

Lamie is an exuberant Afrobeats musician from Ghana, one of the new gems that have sprung up in the African Music sphere taking Afroabeats to a new space.

The versatile artist who has a bit of everything started music when she joined the youth choir at her church, and her versatility allows her to make songs tailored to the taste of music consumers from all walks of life.

Lamie’s music is a fusion of Afro-pop, Highlife, RnB, and Reggae with a jaw-dropping voice that’s certain to give you goosebumps. She is inspired by the legendary Bob Marley and also has a strong admiration for fellow Ghanaian artists Mugeez and Samini, as well as Nigerian Kizz Daniel. Her passion keeps growing as she embarks on her musical journey.

After her debut, Lamie earned collaborations with mainstream artists including Multi-Award Winning and renowned Ghanaian rappers Sarkodie, Ko-Jo Cue, and D-Black. She is the only Ghanaian on renowned South African producer Mzee’s Pan-African album “Rise” which had guest appearances from Salif Keita, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Soweto Gospel Choir amongst others.

In this interview, Lamie talks about her background, aspirations, and new projects among others.

Tell us about your background

Lamie is an Afrobeats artist from Ghana. I’m from Sandema in the Upper East region. I live currently with my mum and my brother. My dad died when I was very young. I have lived in Accra all my life.

For how long have you been doing music?

I joined my church youth choir at a young age so that’s where music began for me. Music has always been in my family though. Almost everyone in my family can sing but no one took it up professionally. Well, I can say I have been involved in music for close to a decade.

How would you describe your struggle over the years to find your feet in the industry?

The music industry is really tough. I don’t have the financial resources that are required to market my music in the right capacity. I’m certain that all of that will change with time and the entire world will hear what I have to offer.

You have worked with, Sarkodie, Ko-Jo Cue, and D-Black, how was the experience like with these A-list artistes?

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to be in the studio with any of them in real time. All of them sent their verses via email. D-Black is the only one I have met amongst them and I have a good working relationship with him. I’m thrilled that I got to work with these big acts at such an early stage in my career.

Tell us about the challenges you face as a female artiste in a male-dominated industry

I think the main challenge most female artists face is sexual harassment. People usually want to take advantage of you before they help you. I think there should also be more programs designated to show off female artists. Something similar to what Spotify does with their “Equal” playlist.

Being a female singer, have you encountered some sort of sexual harassment. How are dealing with them?

Personally, I haven’t encountered any form of sexual harassment so far and I hope I won’t ever have to.

There’s a synergy between Nigerian and Ghanaian artistes, who are those Nigerian artistes you’re planning to work with?

Nigeria is a large talent pool for African music. There are lots of amazing acts from there. It’s really difficult to pick just a few but I’m going to give you four names I’d love to work with. Kizz Daniel is the first one; he is my favorite Nigerian artist. It’ll be a tick off my bucket list to work with him.

I’d love to work with Davido too. He is one of the biggest names in African music and his achievements speak volumes. I love BNXN (Buju) and Fireboy as well and I won’t pass on any chance to work with them. Hopefully, one of these collaborations happens this year.

What project do you want to embark on now?

Right now, I’m working on my maiden EP. It’s titled the “Black Bird EP” and it’s scheduled for release in a couple of months. I will announce the exact date in due time, but the first single “Ginger” for this project drops on 1st April.

Are you signed to a record label?

No, I’m not signed to a record label at the moment, I’m an independent artist.

When did you decide to become a musician?

I decided to do music professionally when I completed Senior High school in 2018.

You are one of Ghana’s artistes on the rise, who influences you in the music industry?

My biggest influences are Mugeez, Samini, and Kizz Daniel. Their vocals and style of music are simply amazing. Mugeez makes me fall in love with music all over again every time I hear him sing.

What do you think the future holds for the Afrobeats in the Western world?

Afrobeats is almost a globally known genre now. It’s still new in some parts of the world but its popularity is growing rapidly. African artists are collaborating with superstars from the western world more often than before. We now have our own Afrobeats Chart on Billboard so the future is extremely bright for African music.

There are also concerts like Afro Nation and others contributing massively to making the genre more popular around the world. Hopefully, I will get on these big stages very soon.

If you’re not doing music, what will you be doing?

My childhood dream job was to work in the military.

Your rising to upcoming artistes like you?

My only advice to the other young artists is for them to believe in their craft and keep improving.

Listen to Lamie’s latest release: