Arts & Entertainment
Issa and Akon Ink a New recording Deal
by Helen Silvis
of The Skanner News
S
inger, songwriter Issa has opened for
Mann at the Roseland, and for
Fabolous at the Convention Center.
Now, he’s about to ink a deal with R&B
superstar Akon.
Issa will perform with Akon, Aug. 13, at
the Palais de Congres in Montreal in front
of a crowd of 20,000 people. He’s one of
five performers chosen through Akon’s
Hitlab.com. Then on Aug. 14, he’ll perform
in Toronto at the Wham Bam 2011 festival,
which also features Ke$ha.
Akon is one of R&Bs most successful
recording artists and producers. According
n’t manage to meet that trip, Issa felt that
destiny was knocking at his door.
After talking with the producer for an
hour, Issa was invited to a studio session,
starting immediately. “That night we
recorded for 10 hours straight,” Issa said.
“But not with Akon, because he was so
busy. He was touring with Usher. So I was
disappointed not to see him, but I thought
that this must be happening for a reason. “
Two months later, back in Portland, Issa
got a call asking him to fly to Atlanta imme-
diately. After clearing the trip with his day
job, Issa jumped on a plane. On the second
day, Issa was in the studio when Akon
arrived with his entourage.
“My jaw dropped when Akon walked in”
Issa said. ‘I’ve dreamed about
this for years, and here he is
telling me that he loves my
songs. He made me feel
proud and happy. I showed
him my tracks and after lis-
tening to my cover of Bob
Marley’s ‘Is This Love’ he
-- Issa said it would be a smash hit
and we should work together,
especially on that song.”
The next day Issa flew with Akon to
Montreal for 10 days of recording and writ-
ing songs. Akon asked him to write a song
for another Hitlab performer, Mary Ndaye,
who flew in from Sweden. “It was magical,
but nervewracking,“ Issa said. “I feel very
lucky and blessed.”
Issa later discovered that Akon had identi-
fied the same Bob Marley track as a song he
wanted to record.
“You’ve got to follow your
dreams, but have an
education. People are going
to respect you more.”
to Forbes magazine, Akon’s before tax
income was $21 million in 2010.
Issa’s break came months after he
uploaded songs to Akon’s Hitlab.com web-
site. In April, he took a call from a Hitlab
producer who told him, “Akon loves your
music and he wants to do a song with you.”
The call came while Issa was in Atlanta
with his girlfriend, Carley Turner, who was
interviewing for medical school. Akon was
in Atlanta too, so even though the two did-
Issa and Akon
Whe the two men did finally meet, they
found they had a lot in common, because
both men have strong roots in Senegal, on
the West coast of Africa. Akon was born in
St. Louis, into a musical family, but spent
half of his childhood in Dakar. Issa grew up
in Senegal, but won the lottery to come to
the United States in 2003.
Born into a professional family – his
mother was a pharmacist and his father an
engineer, Issa says he grew up surrounded
by music, both from his home country and
from around the world.
“In Senegal we had a such a mix of every-
thing from American rock, R&B and
hiphop, to African zouk, mbalaxx, dance
hall and reggae. Of course, I listened to
Michael Jackson and Prince. It’s music
that’s rhythmic. It makes you dance.”
In Senegal musicians usually come from
traditionally musical families. In fact, Issa’s
family would have frowned on him becom-
ing a musician. They would have preferred
that he enter a profession like theirs, he
says. Between classes at high school, Issa
and his friends would freestyle in French.
“I was not necessarily the best,” he says.
“But I wrote the best lines.”
It was not until he arrived in the United
States, after winning a place through the
immigration lottery, that Issa started teach-
ing himself to compose and sing. His first
performance was at Portland State
University’s International night 2008. He
loved it.
“I never felt more confident in my life,”
he says. “The stage was where I felt I
belonged.”
So could Issa be about to hit the national
scene? The Portland State University grad-
uate hopes he will succeed in the music
industry, but just in case, he’s keeping his
day job as sales director for an Internet
Marketing company. He’s glad he focused
on education first, he says, partly because
there are no certainties in the entertainment
business, but mostly because being educat-
ed is a huge asset in whatever career you
choose.
“You’ve got to follow your dreams, but
have an education,” he wants to tell his
fans. “People are going to respect you
more.”
august 3, 2011 The Seattle Skanner Page 5