Dayton based artist and emcee Wakeen began focusing on music during the pandemic and honing his personal style.
"The type of music I'll make is kind of like pain music," Wakeen said in an interview with WYSO music director Juliet Fromholt. "Just something that people can relate to, [that they might be] kind of like nervous to talk about or express."
Wakeen's latest release, In My Feelings, expands on this idea by "being vulnerable and telling your story and telling the bad and the good because a lot of artists today just talk about the good stuff or a life they never seen. So basically, I just want to keep it realistic. Everybody goes through stuff, whether that's a heartbreak or like a just everyday life sort of struggle. So I kind of just keep it real, as positive as possible."
As a songwriter, Wakeen lets the beat take the lead when developing new ideas. "I would just kind of hum to the beat first, like what melody I want to give it. And then kind of as I hum, I just fill in words."
With a new studio space, Wakeen continues to explore his creative process and plans for more music, video work and more in 2025.
