Music of Wednesday, 2 November 2011

Source: Ameyaw Debrah

Introducing Sexy Lousika on ‘No be Alo’

Although much is not known in Ghana about the up and coming singer/rapper Lousika, it’s almost certain that the status quo wouldn’t be for long as she has what it takes to make it in the music industry. She’s sexy, bold and talented in her own right as can be seen in the music video for her latest single, ‘No Be Alo’.

Born Christelle Akua Sika Amankona, she adopted the moniker Lousika, which is a fusion of Lou (the French word for wolf) and Sika her middle name, to represent her French/Ghanaian backgrounds as well as the wolf’s protective nature and her love for all the finer things in life. Lousika was born in La Garennes Colombes, Paris to Ghanaian parents. Although she moved to Kumasi so she could have a feel of her roots at a young age, she has spent most of her life in Paris with her mom and dad. After her parents separated in 2001, she dropped out of high school and run away from home to experience life on her own because she couldn’t deal with the stress that came with the separation.

While on the streets, she took a job as a barmaid at a nightclub. She was later recruited into the street team of ASPROD; an event organising company, where she started distributing flyers for them. While working for ASPROD, she took advantage of their industry contacts and recorded 6 songs, one of them ‘Stop Hating’ which was in French and Twi garnered her buzz among the Ghanaian community in Paris. She moved to Toulouse to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Paris streets where she met Mike Santino, an industry bigwig who introduced her to La Fouine and The Game leading to a cameo in their videos.

After a while, she moved back to Paris and started MCing at nightclubs. She met French rapper Greene Money one night at a club and did a freestyle which impressed him. Greene Money invited her to feature on his mixtape ‘Vol.3 – Greenologie’ and after hearing her song ‘Stop Hating’ offered to shoot a video for her and get her a deal with Rolls Royce Music – an indie label in Miami – the deal couldn’t materialise however because she had to come to Ghana on a family emergency in April 2011. In Ghana she hooked up with Lloyd ‘Peewee’ Baffour, a founding member of The Cue who she knew through a mutual friend in Paris. She has become a member of The Cue family ever since and has been making music with them.

Heavily influenced by artists like Missy Elliot, Beyonce, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Michael Jackson and Chris Brown, she does a blend of Hip-hop, RnB, Zouk and Afro-Pop music. She raps and sings in four languages (French, Twi, English and Spanish), dances very well and expresses herself through her music. She uses music as tool for motivation and empowerment of women. Her songs are mostly about love, partying, enjoying the finer things in life and being comfortable in your own skin without letting hatred from other people bring you down. She aims at making African woman more comfortable being sexy, confident and content with their bodies.

With the support of The Cue and her family, she is targeting the Ghanaian entertainment scene and eventually Africa and the rest of the world as well. She plans to go back to school to get her bachelors in Business and Commerce, and also chase a career in theatre which happens to be her second passion.