Music is one of the greatest creations of man. The power of music in the heart of a humanbeing is uplifting. With music, there should be a revival of hope, joy of existence, happiness and peace of mind. Sadly, these days our ears are mostly bombarded with a cacophony of songs glorifying the debasement of women. Some, openly objectifying women in misogynistic themes! No wonder, Domestic Violence, a human rights violation continues to be a global pandemic.
Ric Hassani’s single “Gentleman” like a deep sigh of sweet relief subtly addresses Domestic Violence reminding every woman that she is a jewel of inestimable value and therefore should not remain in an abusive relationship.
Ric Hassani, born Ikechukwu Eric Ahiauzu , observed the lack of sustainable music appreciating a woman’s worth. To him, most songs seemed to project the vibe “Oh I’m a man and you have to shake it for me before I love you”. He was inspired to fill the void and channeled his creativity into writing “songs with good lyrics, that puts nice words in a man’s mouth so if he does not know what to say he can just recite my music”
Ric holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and master’s in Energy Economics and Policy. He has been able to combine academics with music. Last year, he released two projects – a compilation album called African Tour Select Singles 2015 and an EP tagged Ric Hassani – The Acoustic EP.He calls his genre of music Pop-African and cites Boyz II men and Craig David as some of his musical influences. ‘Gentleman’ is the first single off his highly anticipated debut album ‘The African Gentleman’.
The African Gentleman, Ric Hassani, can be seen spruced up in classic western styles designed with African prints. He explains that his fashion direction was inspired by Triple MG co-founder, Ubi Franklin who advised him, “ Ric, let your music look like you, you should look like what you sound like or sound like what you look like whichever comes first ”.
Ric, who has four older siblings is an ardent lover of movies. Most of his best songs were written after a good movie. “Sometimes even during the movie , I literally pause it and write a full song and go back to it.” He said.
Ric also enjoys having a good laugh by watching funny videos on YouTube.
As you enjoy “Gentleman” with it’s rich vocals and vibrant acoustics be reminded that every woman should be treated with love and respect. …every woman deserves a gentleman.
Watch GentleMan by Ric Hassani below: