A plunge into the Essence of the Winners Pt 3
By Toyin Adeoye
It’s the third edition in this series and we have interviewed seven out of ten of our awardees. In this edition, we spoke to a multi-genre artist who started out in music at age 10 and a photographer with an MBA, who also happens to be the youngest board member of a North American company. Yes, you read that right. Read on! Bon apetite!
AHSIA not only found her passion for music at a very early age of 10, she also fell in love with the piano. She embodies the mind of an artist that cannot be put in a box as she explores various genres of music. For AHSIA, nothing can stop her growth and the extent to which she’s able to reinvent herself; not even a pandemic. She has an incredibly vibrant personality and connects with her audience on a fun and intimate level every time!
AHSIA - FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2022
AFAM: Hello AHSIA, we would love to meet you
AHSIA: My name is AHSIA. I was born in Philadelphia and raised in Vancouver. I have a Nigerian & Congolese background. I found my passion for music at a very young age of ten. From that age, I started singing, song-writing and performing and found that music was my emotional outlet.
AFAM: You found music and the music found you too. Tell us, how did your music career start for you? And how has the journey been from age ten, till now?
AHSIA: So I started music at age 10 as I said earlier and found that my favourite instrument to play is the piano. I fell in love with the piano and began creating music whenever and wherever I could.
Music has given me platforms beyond what I could ever envision. I have participated in a wide range of shows such as Black Lives Matter Protests, the Shambhla festival 2021 in Salmo River, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre opening for the popular group “The Tenors” and have even gotten to showcase my talent at an event hosted by the one and only Sarah McLachlan herself. I am a multi-genre artist; I tap into many genres of music including R&B, Soul, Pop, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Poetic Rap & Afro beat.
Now about the journey, well, my journey as an artist has definitely had its ups and downs. In 2019 I found myself participating in a lot of different events, however as soon as COVID – 19 spread throughout the world, it put a hold on a lot of opportunities for artists such as myself to be able to perform. I believe that as much as it has been difficult, it has also been a learning experience. I find myself wanting to develop other musical skills such as learning the bass guitar and learning to produce.
AFAM: Your journey is inspiring AHSIA! Have any ongoing projects you would love us to know about?
AHSIA: Currently I am working on some singles to release, improving my skills in new instruments, learning how to produce my work and I have also started to create some of my own merch for fun!
AFAM: Send some merch our way, please ma’am. And to my last question, how does winning this award feel? Is this your first rodeo with awards?
This is my first time winning an award such as this one and I am very honoured to have been nominated again since AFAM selected me in 2019. Thank you again to AFAM for allowing me to come back and perform again, as well as everyone who took time out of their day to vote for me and lastly I’d like to thank myself for never doubting my abilities and continuing to learn and grow from every opportunity I’ve had as an artist. Thank you!
Yassss!!! Way to go, AHSIA! Congratulations again!
To follow and keep up with AHSIA on social media and listen to her music, follow the links below
SOCIAL MEDIA:
WEBSITE: https://ahsiamusic.wixsite.com/my-site
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Io9HPbsIs5MqlnCIY1gdH?si=-vVy0JgjRwCN6_NzM1vRCw&dl_branch=1
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ahsiadareal/
SOUNDCLOUD: https://www.instagram.com/ahsiadareal/
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/ahsiamusic
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ahsiadareal
TWINKLZ MULTIMEDIA
When the feathers in your hat are weighed, can your predict the number that would appear on the scale?
In this edition of “a plunge into the essence of the winners” we caught up with Victor Osei-Bonsu of Twinklz Multimedia and winner of the ‘Photographer of the year Award’. In his interview, Victor spoke about starting photography whilst getting his first degree (you guessed right, there is a second degree), the first wedding he covered and how the feathers in his hat could weigh a ton.
Victor Osei-Bonsu - PHOTOGRAHER OF THE YEAR 2022
AFAM: Hi, Twinklz multimedia, please tell us about yourself
Victor: I am Victor Agyeman Osei-Bonsu by name; I am from Ghana, the black star of Africa. I am an MBA graduate from University Canada West. I am a chartered logistician, certified by the Chartered institute of Logistics and Transport, North America (CILTNA). I am also the youngest executive board member serving on the board of the Pacific chapter of CILTNA. I am also a member of Chartered Managers, Canada.
AFAM: Wow! A logistician and a photographer? Amazing!! The feathers in your hat could weigh a ton! More on photography, how has your journey so far been? How it started vs. how it’s going
Victor: My photography and Filming journey eight (8) years ago when I was studying for my first degree in procurement and supply chain. I photographed and produced event promo videos with my friend Lord, who shared similar interest in camera work like me. I started off with photographing and filming my first wedding for my professor. Since then, my career in photography and filming has seen me work on numerous projects, from studio and product photography, fashion projects, events, corporate and brand work, music videos, drone photography, short films, designing, among several others.
AFAM: Shout-out to Lord and your professor then! What ongoing projects are you working on that you would love us to know about?
Victor: I am currently working on corporate projects with CILTNA, DCLM, and volunteer work with a non-profit organization; website, and branding works for three (3) medium size businesses. I have several upcoming weddings and travel documentaries in the 1st quarter of 2022.
AFAM: Is this your first rodeo with award shows like this? How does winning this make you feel (you can be a Snoop Dogg by all means, feel free to start with ‘and lastly I want to thank me for bringing me this far’ only if you feel that way.
Victor: It’s not my first rodeo loll. It’s a privilege and honour to be singled out and I thank God for this award, the people who took time to vote for me, I appreciate you all. Finally, I want to appreciate everyone in my category because I know each of them work hard and I look forward to us working together, BLESS YOU all! #TwinklzMultimedia
Thank you so much for your time Victor. We will be keeping an eye out for you at the AFAM Awards show this February.
To see more of Victor and Twinklz Multimedia, here are his socials
Youtube: Twinklz Multimedia, Twinklz Multimedia – YouTube
Instagram @twinklzmultimediaTwinklz Multimedia (@twinklzmultimedia) • Instagram photos and videos
Facebook: TwinklzMultimedia, (20+) Twinklz Multimedia | Facebook
Twitter: @TwinklzM (2) Twinklz Multimedia (@TwinklzM) / Twitter
Twitter: @TwinklzM (2) Twinklz Multimedia (@TwinklzM) / Twitter
Website: www.twinklz.ca
