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‘DO YOU ALSO PRODUCE VOCALS TOO?’

That’s the divine question I was asked a few days ago that triggered this wind back to more than 30 years ago before this question was asked and that rewind gave birth to this article titled ‘WHO THE HELL IS DAVID ONKA’ 😊

Read it all, and I promise you the end won’t be what you expect! 

 

Okay, let's travel back in time. I started music at the age of 8.

I went professional and started working with my music producer dad at the age of 12.

I became a multi-instrumentalist at the age of 14 (playing drums, guitar, bass, keys) at an advanced level. 

I have worked as a professional singer for 29 years including regular lead vocals for a Gospel Choir in front of approx 60 thousand people. 

As a Teenager, I started directing one of the most successful Gospel Choirs in West Africa that appeared weekly on national TV for 8 years and I’ve been a professional vocal coach since then. 

I’ve worked as a sound engineer (live & and studio) for 24 years. 

Presently I am an executive musical director/supervisor for an international cruise line. 

 

I’ve  also been actively working as a ‘One-Stop’ music producer for 28 years including real-time analog music production (which is not just the DAW & MIDI copy & paste style of the modern-day beat makers)

‘One-Stop’ in this context means, one who writes all his lyrics and does all the arrangements; plays all the multiple live musical instruments in the song; performs all the vocals; records the vocals by himself; edits the vocals alone; mixes and masters the entire production all by himself and release without a publisher or label. Yes, I do all that! 

 

That said, with all of these accolades In my music journey, imagine the look on my face when someone asked me what I considered one of the most ridiculous questions of my entire career ... “Do also record your vocals too?” She continued …. ‘OK you are a producer but working with voice is something different.

Even though this younger singer has been acquainted with my work for about a decade, 'YOU ARE FORGIVEN' I thought to myself because the misconception of mere beat makers who pose as general music producers is deeply misleading the music industry as to what title belongs to which roles and actual skills. Moreso, they say, If you never really introduced yourself and your skills, people would never know especially those who don’t know your history. Considering that this singer has only been acquainted with my work online and never experienced the real-life creative moments of mine behind those works, I decided to ignore that statement.

 

However, that got me thinking ‘David how would you actually wanna introduce yourself?’ WHO THE HELL IS DACID ONKA? 

See why I called it a divine question in the beginning? Because ladies and gentlemen, via that question, a blog is born. lol.

 

As I write this blog, I still have the same smile I had when she asked that question because the truth is, I could have chosen all the above-mentioned accolades to introduce ‘David Onka’ but I’m so sure that I rather honestly chose to say;  

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David Onka is simply a messenger who knows he is. A soul with clarity of purpose and passion with the messages he receives & and gives to people through songs. 

A songwriter & and self-aware channel who wants to speak to those that no one speaks to; stand with those no one stands with and mentally hold hands with anyone who’s been manipulated into feeling imperfect and unworthy by reminding them just how awesome they are through the power of music! 

 

There you go! THIS … IS DAVID ONKA and instead of all the previously mentioned music accolades, the latter is just what I want people to remember David Onka as. 

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