Renowned voice coach and talent development manager, Coach Freeman Ame, has commended singer Gyakie for her vocal delivery on her latest single, Sankofa.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z with Kwame Dadzie, Coach Freeman said that although Gyakie still has room for improvement vocally, he was impressed with how she experimented with her phrasing on the song.

“What I like: the ‘wosa wosa’ part, she broke mould, she went rapid. Usually her phrasing style is very straight but she played around. So that rapid up and down movement, I think that is a step in the right direction. So moving forward, we should see her take more risks,” he said.

He added that he had expected Gyakie to hit a few higher melodies to add more colour to the performance. As someone who has coached Gyakie before, Freeman believes she can still stretch her vocal range further.

“In the second verse we should have heard her do brighter tones on top of the melody. So that she can layer a brighter colour but she still maintained. Like I say, some people play to their strength and it is wise to some extent. If you know you can’t do it keep it safe.

I am thinking she played to her strength, they kept it safe. If she could do some of the brighter riffs, going up and coming down,” he said.

He scored Gyakie 8/10 for her vocal performance on the song. 

Coach Freeman made the remarks during the MUSIC LAB segment of Showbiz A-Z, a monthly feature that analyses songs from multiple angles including vocals, lyrics, instrumentation, arrangement and production. The segment offers expert commentary from musicologists, producers and other creatives, making it both educational and entertaining for music lovers, culture enthusiasts and industry professionals.

Gyakie’s Sankofa is taken from her debut album After Midnight. The song tells the story of a woman pleading with her lover to show her more affection so she is not tempted to return to her ex.