“Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.”
— Ziad K. Abdelnour
MY STORY.
As long I can remember, I have always been passionate about music and performing. Though I was shy as a kid, when it came to singing in front of an audience of hundreds or thousands in middle school I was bold, fearless, and free.
I moved to New York in September 2019 to take my music career to the next level but like many in March 2020, my life changed, and I found my music plans that included performing, touring, recording, shooting a music video, and putting together a live series event all come to a screeching stop due to the global pandemic of the coronavirus. The fact that my producer wanted to continue working on music and my fans inquired about new music, solidified that I needed to keep moving forward despite the state of affairs. Out of this realization, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Pushing through the struggle and pain of navigating this new norm as an independent artist, my debut EP and live series was born.
After being on the scene for several years pursuing my music endeavors ---- I, Fiki, feel that the time has finally come for me to take my music brand to the next level. The same way I continue to bet on myself and going after my passion fervently, I am asking you to take a chance on me to create my FIRST EP, build out my brand and start a live music series.
WHAT I DO?
My name is Fiki and I'm Afrobeats singer songwriter. I moved to New York from Philadelphia in September 2019 because I am committed to seeing my music career go to the next level. I love, breathe, and sleep music and know it is only a matter of time before things take off in a big way.
A little about my journey...two years ago I had the privilege to be invited to a meeting at Roc Nation Group, in NYC, that is run by Jay Z. In this meeting, I had the opportunity to have some of my music played to “Brian (Beehigh) Biggs, Jay’z cousin, and current director of Mobile strategies at Roc Nation. After they heard some snippets of my music after an overview of Afrobeat by my current management representation, Brian and his team went on to say that they loved my sound and they would be open to providing me with a distribution deal through Roc Nation, contingent I go back out and grow my social media numbers and build some traction in the market place, hence the reason I am now committed more than ever to finishing my debut music EP.
And just a few weeks ago, in the month of November, I was fortunate to travel to Atlanta and record music in a studio session with a great group of individuals that have worked and collaborated with Davido, one of the top international Afrobeat musicians in the industry, and that experience was amazing! I was introduced to this team by the current band/management representation I have. During my time in the studio, I worked with songwriters that have also worked with the likes of Tiwa Savage, and Toni Braxton. At the conclusion, of the ATL trip I was successfully able to record a song that was written and produced by these top players. Overall that experience led me to see how close I was to my dream. It was a mutual vibe and I was determined to get back in the studio with this team and keep the momentum going.
So what does this mean? I realized this was the moment, now, that I needed to crystallize my dreams and move forward from idea to manifestation. I would do whatever it took to bring this vision to the world and take my career to the next level. I plan to do this by creating a 7-song EP with the Atlanta based team. I had a clear vision that my music will bring people joy and get them dancing during these challenging times. I anticipate it being a three-month process with a projected release date of May 2021.
WHAT IS MY EXPENSE BUDGET?
I am looking to raise at least $20,000 to go towards creating my 7-song debut EP, building out my brand, and putting on the first annual live music series.
Recording
I plan to come together to record 7 tracks for the EP (extended play) in a professional studio & quality instruments. Also plan to be joined alongside a very talented production team consisting of an Atlanta-based production team and talented group of writers, that I would be sure to keep each of you all, as my supporters in the loop and aware along my EP recording journey.
Mixing
The mixing process is one of the most crucial steps in the music creation process. A mixing engineer is responsible for taking the completed song(s) and sonically cleaning them up so it ensures that no matter the fashion in which the music was recorded, it impacts with the correct aesthetic and allows the listener to be enveloped by the song. I will collaborate with dynamic producer & music engineer, Shizzi to mix the EP. Shizzi has a solid track record of working with major label artists such as Davido, Beyonce, and Wizkid, which again, I plan to share the journey and periodic real-time updates and snippets of when this process is happening as it is important for me to keep you all aware of the developments that occur in this musical journey I'm embarking upon.
Mastering
This is the final step in the production process, where the songs are touched up to ensure the music comes out sounding just right & pleasing to the ear.
Distribution
After finishing the layout and design, we will send the music to Symphonic to upload and distribute the freshly mastered songs to all digital platforms including Spotify, Apple/iTunes Music, and TIDAL, ready for you to listen to with one click.
Launch Music Series
The plan leading up to the launch of the album is to roll out a unique music series called "Vibes From The Other Side" at the historic Underground Arts venue in Philadelphia PA, my city & eventually to other venues through the direct financial support received through this campaign. I would love to actually have people come out and hear me perform tracks off my album live!
Social Media
The power social media has given artists like myself has made things easier to get the message directly to the supporters. I understand however that social media strategy is a skill & glad to have been made aware of leading social media firm Kingdom Social Media ran by David D. Simons that would undertake my roll out on social media platforms to amplify the message to the world. I'm serious and passionate to share this journey with my supporters. Social media vehicles will be instrumental in this.
PR/Marketing
You can have a great product but without it reaching the proper channels and markets, the great product you have won't be maximized to it's fullest potential to explode and catch. That's where PR/Marketing agency comes to play. I plan to work with a PR firm that will push the EP to ensure it gets to the masses and target demographic.
Miscellaneous Fees: If I make over my funding goal, will use extra funds towards the below:
Shooting Music Video for First Single
Artist Management Fees
Music Equipment
They say there is no time like the present and I want to be fully present NOW & ready to get my voice and passion I pour into my music out for the world to hear.
Thanks in advance for visiting my campaign page! Much love!
