Entertainment of Friday, 31 July 2015
Source: Graphic.com.gh
Kobby Prairie
Patrons of the Piano Bar, near the Greda Estates Roundabout at Teshie-Nungua in the nation’s capital, have discovered a gem which other music lovers elsewhere seem to be missing.
Every Sunday from 8pm to 10pm, they gather around to hear pianist and singer, Kobby Prairie take them on a soothing journey of R& B and Soul spiced with some typical Country feel.
Infact, Prairie’s fans have nicknamed him ‘The Soul Therapist’ and the young musician has no problem accepting that tag.
“The type of music I do sends the listener to a serene, peaceful place. The performance is like a therapy for the audience because it goes right down into their souls,” says Prairie who hails from Aburi in the Eastern Region.
“The place I enjoy being most is on the performance stage. When I’m there, I know I can give everything I have, musically, to make people happy.”
After a course in French and Spanish at the Ghana Institute of Languages, Prairie was torn between going to England to study psychology and staying home to follow up with his love for music.
Under the tutelage of an able piano teacher at Akosombo, he started writing his own material and has not looked back since 2010.
He loves to perform his own material which he sometimes mixes with cover versions of well-known piano ballads.
Whatever he delivers, however, the intention is always to strike at the inner core of listeners and pull them into the music with his voice and deft touches on the piano keys.
“I could have been playing jazz or reggae but I have found where my strength is at the moment and doing my best to build a wide repertoire there.
“There is a contention that stuff like R&B and Soul and Country are not what people like in this country but I’m a non-conformist. I believe I can follow my heart and get to where I want to be.”
Managed jointly by Mass Concept, owners of the Piano Bar and Hillikz Music Production Company, Prairie has recently embarked on a series of recordings. His first single, called ‘Heart Song’, will be out soon.