Tosin Musik bridges two continents with his music.
A native of Nigeria, the Hyattsville resident blends African influences with American styles on his music.
Among other things, he’s released three albums, served as artist in residence at the Strathmore Music Center in Rockville and performed at the Kennedy Center.
He spoke with the Hyattsville Wire about his music via email.
How do you describe your music?
My music is something I termed “Afrikan Rhapsody” because it is a blend of different African contemporary/traditional music genres with some American styles, mainly Yoruba rhythms, afrobeat, highlife, neosoul and jazz.
How did you get into music?
My musical inclination started since I was a little boy who was always listening to music in the house, at church and in the streets. Over the years, my interest grew bigger and bigger and started to take lessons in some musical instruments such as keyboard, guitar and drums. And later ventured into the professional side of music up till today.
Do you have a day job? What is it?
Currently, music is my day and night job. I take care of music business/management, rehearsals, teaching or studio productions during the day and perform gigs at night.
What do you think of the music scene in the greater Hyattsville area?
I see the music scene in Hyattsville as an on-and-off affair. Before I moved to Hyattsville, there used to be a place called Artmosphere Cafe in Mount Rainier, and my band and other bands used to perform there on a regular basis. That drew a lot of people to the area. But the place closed down during the recession storm. So that ended the music atmosphere then.
On another note, there was a time when Franklin’s Restaurant used to feature live bands, but that didn’t last long. I used to organize a monthly live performance here in Hyattsville, featuring different local artists, but I had to stop a little over a year ago for a number of reasons. However, I would love to make that happen again at some point, with new ideas and new people and organizers involved.
I see possibilities in the greater Hyattsville because of the new businesses that have been established in the area and the way the entire community has embraced this change in the area.
How long have you lived in Hyattsville?
I moved to Hyattsville in October of 2008. So I have lived here for almost five years.
