Rikson

In Celebration of Africa and its music.



 

“One day I hope to bring joy and awareness to the human race through my music” explains African traditional vocalist Rikson.

Born both blind and amidst political upheaval in Eastern DRC, Rikson used music as a way to “see” and express the world around him.  He moved to South Africa four years ago in hope of getting a bigger market for his music. He has been writing and performing for 12 years both in his home country of Congo and in numerous African themed bars and restaurants in South Africa.

 “My music is mostly inspired by music back home (in Congo) as well as mainstream artists such as Phil Collins. It has developed my singing so the result is I can sing both traditional and world music”

 When asked about the inspiration for his music, Rikson spoke of his music becoming an extension of self.  “I am deeply religious and have experienced a lot in the DRC; I feel my music should reflect that. So I sing of humanity, finding joy in troubled times, the effects of poverty and relationships I’ve had and hope to have in the future”

Coming from a tradition where songs are customarily 8- 10 minutes long and music is more a part of people’s self expression, Rikson has found the South African music scene harder to adapt to. His hope is to be able to appeal to a newer audience by releasing material which is shorter in length without compromising on its core messages.

“Right now the goal is to make an EP that includes both Traditional African music and world music. The problem is finding a sponsor to finance these. I have recorded a few songs but these need to be mastered correctly before they can be properly released” said Rikson



The Lead single Ccoute audio is on limited release but is available online through soundcloud