6 - Kojo Ansah: Finding Freedom in the Studio

No Pressure, Just Play

Today, Chris interviews Kojo Ansah, an Australian music producer also known as hip hop artist, 'Citizen Kay'. He is a two-time ARIA nominee and currently makes and produces music for other artists out of his own studio in Canberra, Lake City Studios.

This episode is a great one for any aspiring music producers and recording artists. Chris and Kojo discuss the processes that work best for him in recording and producing great music in the studio.

You’ll learn the importance of:

• ⭐ Detaching from the outcome and how this supports creative freedom;
• ⭐ Fun, play and disinhibition in the recording studio;
• ⭐ How just rocking up and seeing what happens works way better than applying pressure to reach a particular goal;
• ⭐ Getting comfortable with terrible ideas and seeing them as inextricable from the process of creating great music;
• ⭐ Understanding creative alchemy: the impossibility of predicting what creative collaborations will produce between different people at different points in time; and
• ⭐ “Enjoying the sitcom of it all” when touring and all that comes with that.

Plus way more about navigating life as a working musician and performer.

📌 Important Links:

Support Chris and the show by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/endrey

Follow the show: https://www.instagram.com/chrisendreypodcast/

Listen to Kojo's latest album, 'so, where are we?': https://open.spotify.com/album/19iVe4JbdgMsv6CXyD5M8o

Follow Citizen Kay: https://www.instagram.com/thecitizenkay/?hl=en  

Follow Lake City Studios: https://www.instagram.com/lakecityrecording/?hl=en 

Follow Kojo: https://www.instagram.com/ansahkay.o/?hl=en 

Content warning: This episode contains occasional swearing.

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

01:43 How your perception of your own art changes based on how it's received

05:00 Can earning an income from music actually taint your creative output?

07:46 Detaching from the outcome: Music producing unlocking creative freedom

10:52 Play and fun are important parts of creativity

13:41 You can never predict what will happen in creative collaborations

16:44 Producing music for other artists

18:50 Perception is everything

20:51 It's not about the gear

24:18 Emotional authenticity and capturing the 'right' energy

28:45 Touring and fame - not everyone’s cup of tea

32:33 The art of performance and stage persona

40:28 Cultural roots and family sacrifices

51:35 Lessons from legends: touring with Public Enemy

01:00:20 Building your creative ecosystem