Afrobeats singer Phyllis drops new single ‘Life is Hard’

Fast-rising singer, Phyllis Abena, has dropped a new single titled ‘Life is Hard’.

The single, produced by Stephen Ezihe, resonates with the struggle of blacks, including undergraduates, regarding job opportunities and promotions.

Thor Hagedorn recorded the song while

Jefferson Henrique Pereira de Arajo did the mixing and mastering

Speaking about the track in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the singer said, “Life is hard is a summation of the identity crisis of a black lady raised in a white german household and her understanding of her roots”.

The German-born artiste is one of Africa’s fast-rising musical talents. With roots in Ghana, she said she returned to her mother’s land to enrich the sound waves with her music.

Born in Bremen, Germany, Phyllis was in touch with musical instruments at age six and then began taking singing lessons when she turned seven.

Phyllis, however, believes music has been flowing through her since she was in her mother’s womb as her mother sang in the choir.

A multi-talented musical prodigy, the young musician plays various instruments, including, Drums, Keyboards, Xylophone and Flutes.

She’s also a graduate of American law and Music and media management.

Phyllis gave this newspaper an insight into her life, music and her appeal to the new sound arenas she is venturing into.

Hard work pays

Phyllis described her recent musical themes as motivating people to reflect on their lives and work hard.

“The music I have created so far is about how it is to work hard for what you want in life.”

Further illustrating the theme of her songs, she drew attention to her debut single, ‘Bye Bye’.

“My very first song is mainly about being the cool kid, that is hustling, as the proverb says, “Fake it till you make it”. It’s about a student finishing her degree but struggling to pay the bills by working hard and being good at university for a better future.“

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Phyllis, who also spent most of her life being the black kid on the block or in the classroom, recalled how battling with people who were not open-minded made life hard.

“Playing the cool kid, but simultaneously lying, that it is not easy on the way to success, as many people are not open-minded and make assumptions due to how a person looks.

“This makes it harder for certain groups of people to reach their goals, especially as a black person in an environment of a mainly white society,” she added.

In her second song, she reminds people to keep going despite all odds.

Appeal

Speaking on her musical appeal to the Nigerian community, Phyllis, who worked with Sony Music as a student and spent most of her life abroad, claims that her songs would appeal to everyone in any country.

“I think that my songs do have the potential to appeal to anybody, not only Ghanaians but also everyone worldwide. Ultimately, it’s all about the flow concerning the melody and harmonies,” she said.

Although her songs are mainly in English, she illustrated that as a kid, she listened to music in languages she didn’t understand but vibed to them.

“The main parts are in English so that many people can understand. I remember listening to music in languages I did not know as a child and still felt the grove and the vibes of the song. The listeners will be able to feel my music without the need to understand 100 per cent.”

Creative Influence

Reacting to the wild spread of Afrobeats, Phyllis, who is also a graduate of Media and music management, claims that the genre has played a significant role in her life for the past nine years.

She said, “In 2015, I changed from being a hip-hop dancer to taking Afrobeats dance classes. I started singing when I was seven, and Afrobeats has finally also influenced me concerning my career as a musician. Having my roots in Africa, creating my music makes me feel even more buying on buying childhood experiences while growing up in a foster family.

“There are no influences in my music or messages, at least not so far.”

She highlighted that when opportunities present themselves, she will share her experiences in her song with the people who might be struggling as she did.

“I think there would also be opportunities to put some of my experiences into my music and help others not to feel alone in a possible identity crisis or other aspects of growing up in a foster family.”