Anike’s Emotional Escape.
Introducing Anike Akano, an 18-year-old musical force whose debut single, “Passing By,” serves as a soulful testament to her journey through the depths of depression to a place of gratitude and creative empowerment. Born out of the artist’s raw emotions and penned at the age of 16, the song not only showcases Anike’s musical prowess but also reflects the transformative power of art in moments of darkness.
In this interview, Anike shares the profound story behind her music, inviting listeners to find hope and inspiration in her journey from despair to artistic triumph. You can check that out below!
The words of Anike Akano for Voidmagazines All Rights Reserved © Void Magazines
I wrote Passing By about 2 years ago while I was in the pits of depression. I was 16 years old, lost, lonely and felt like I was doing this whole ‘life’ thing completely wrong. All I knew to do in moments of desperation was to pour my heart out on a page. Two years later at the age of 18, I’m so grateful for every single breath that I’m blessed to breathe and for every second of every day. In a way, I’m even grateful for the dark times. In those ugly, painful moments, art is born and more often than not, is accompanied by freedom, hope and light. I loved working on this song. It was definitely difficult at certain points to have to relive all those emotions all over again but over all, it was such a healing experience. The song is very personal so I wanted to keep the amount of people involved to a minimum.
Most of the song was created in my amazing producer ELKAE’s bedroom. Seeing as this is my first release, I wanted it to be special so I got two of the most important people in my life to feature on the track; my brother and sister, Stephen and Margaret. The choral section is literally their voices layered over and over. I can’t explain how invaluable they are to me so having them on the song makes it all the more precious, I’m filled with unexplainable joy whenever I listen to Passing By because I know where I was mentally when I wrote it. I want people to find inspiration in the fact that if the girl who wrote this song two years ago is the same girl sitting here today, there is hope for literally every single air breather.
As always, there is more to explore in the void!
