In this immersive interview, Rosel Pomaney divulges how she started music, her influences and how far she wants to go with her music career.
Ghana Music – Hi Rosel, firstly we want to know what Rosel is like on a normal day?
Rosel Pomaney – On a weekday, I am usually at work. When it is a weekend, I have vocal training with my coach Bibie Brew, and when I do not have studio sessions or plans, I usually just take it easy at home with my parents watching Netflix or listening to music while my little niece is making a mess or breaking something in my room.
What was your introduction into music (in general) like?
I was raised by my grandparents; music was a huge part of our lives growing up. My Grandfather had lots of these old records he would play on weekends and I would sit with him and pick out records, my grandmother was in the church choir so there was always singing in the kitchen, I watched my uncle (Mawuenyegah, UK based DJ) DJing all the time in his room, and my mum was a big fan of Kenny G, ABBA, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Barbara Streisand. Music naturally became something I grew up knowing and I would always be in my room after school listening to music on my sister’s Walkman.
The genre of music you do, why did you choose that genre against all the genre especially since it’s not the immediate genre of choice in Ghana?
I did not choose to make music about soul, it just reflected whenever I wrote music. I always found myself writing about my feelings and it always geared towards how emotional I was.
Rosel, how long have you been doing what you are doing and how did you get started in the first place?
I have been singing since I could talk but professionally 11years. It all started after Charter House “STARS of The Future” talent hunt 2009, Vodafone Icons Street Edition in 2013, and the GLO X-Factor West Africa in Nigeria, also in 2013.
To make it easy to understand for some, which famous song or sound production ultimately describes what your music sounds like?
Mmmmh that is a lot of option to choose from. Maybe Freya Ridings’ Lost Without you or Kelly Clarkson’s Because of you and Move you song or Beyoncé’s Halo.
Do you think your music is mostly enjoyed more for the melodies or for your vocals and content?
I think it is a combination of vocals, content and melody. It all falls in place.
If you could choose to work with some of today’s established artists or producers, to open up a new audience to you, with whom would you like it to be?
For a Ghanaian artist, I would like to work with Kofi Kinata or Shatta Wale, I thought his Gringo song was unique. They both have a style that is unique of mine.
I would also love to work with David Guetta, Sia, Calvin Harris, Alan Walker or Celine Dion. It would be dream come true.
Which ingredient do you think is most essential in making your style sound the way it is?
I would say my voice.
Out of every emotion existing, which emotion more than any other currently dominates your music? And why?
Love. It is the most powerful feeling to have and can change the world.
What aspect of the music-making process excites you the most, and what aspect discourages you the most?
I would say recording the song at the studio, which is always therapeutic; however, I very much enjoy the live performances.
I cannot really say I have felt discouraged; however, it is not always easy pushing the music with limited funds. It can get very stressful.
How directly are you involved in the recording, producing, mastering and marketing processes needed to make and sell your music?
I write my songs and very much involved in creating the beat. I work hand in hand with the producer, ideas on drums, piano works and mastering.
Social media has made it very easy to distribute music. I use Ditto Music for distribution and my friends are super helpful.
Do you outsource any part of these processes?
Yes, I outsource the mastering of my songs.
With the advent of the internet and all, would you say modern technology has helped your music and independent musicians in general?
Absolutely, modern technology definitely has a significant impact in the music industry and as an independent artist or musician in general, yes, I can boldly say it has created a medium for easy access to my music.
Do you think the internet, inasmuch as it has had a positive impact, has created a mass of mediocre “copycats” who have flooded the web, making it difficult to distinguish good music from bad music?
Everything has its positive and negative impacts; however, I do not think it has made it difficult to distinguish good music from bad music.
Everyone has his or her own preference when it comes to music, so what someone considers bad music might be a different scenario for someone else.
Being an independent artist, which is the one factor, above all else, that you currently desire most (increased music distribution, better quality production, more media exposure, more live performances etc.)?
More of live performances
In your opinion who is the most influential and successful artist in your genre today and why?
Celine Dion was very influential even though she is more of a pop, soft rock artist. She was still very influential and her music made me soo happy.
How important do you think video is to your music, and how do you finance your videos?
Music videos will help in promoting my songs.
I finance my music videos from a paying job, and have massive support from my family and Best friend.
Is going popular in Ghana or winning an award important to you, and If you were forced to make only one choice, which of the two would you choose and why?
Winning an award is recognition of hard work and a stamp that proves you are doing something right, so yes, winning an award.
Your 2018 album, Flame, what was the entire album about?
The album Flame is about the emotion, feeling of love and passion, the excitement, the heartache, basically everything that comes with that emotion
Flame, is a 10-track soul album, 9 songs produced by Ronald Banful a.k.a Guiltybeatz (Ghanaian), mastered by Leo Sokolovsky (Russian) and the song “Loving The Day” written by Mello. D.Lane (Israeli), produced by Benjamin Bishop (Israeli) and mastered by Mahyar Nafisi.
The 5th song, “Take Me As I Am” on the flame album, is the soundtrack to the movie, “Deranged”, directed by Ghanaian actress, Nadia Buari.
Flame could pass as one the best albums, production and content wise, as one of the best albums of 2018. The only flaw could be its low penetration rate. Were you satisfied with the overall financial and musical returns from it?
Thank you for the compliment. However, I was not really expecting much financially because I did not invest a lot in marketing.
What in your opinion is the biggest barrier an artist like yourself, has to face and overcome, to gain any commercial success?
Funding of projects and getting management.
You have a niche audience consisting mostly of middle-class listeners. Are you content with the kind of audience you attract?
I think every artist attracts a certain audience based on his or her style of music; that being said, every musician’s ultimate goal is to grow his or her fan base. You can’t achieve this by being content with whatever audience you have. You have to grow as an artist and be able to tap into a lot more audience.
Would you want to expand beyond that niche and gather a much more diverse audience?
Absolutely, I do not believe in limitation. We have to grow as artists to be able to influence the world.
In closing, tell us something about any projects and ideas you are working or have in mind to work on?
I am currently working on a new album and looking to collaborate with other artists in terms of singing as well as production. I’m really looking forward to how it all turns out.
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