Meet the producer behind the incredible songs produced by musical artistes in Akwa lbom State, Nigeria. West McPherson popularly known as AY_MIXX is a native of Bayelsa State who takes pleasure in adding spices to the music industry.

Known for his ability to create seamless transitions between recordings and a mixture of rhythms, AY_MIXX as his name implies has given artistes in the South-South region hope of achieving their dreams by creating magical soundtracks , using his grounded knowledge and technical skills. This producer knows his onions very well as typified by his ability to give life to the souls of artistes and the listeners.

In this interview, AY_MIXX took Voice Your Stories team through his life journey on how he navigates through life as a musician.

Having a father who was an industrial farmer but later lost his sight and a mother who was a civil servant with 9 children must have given the performer a level of uncertainty of an appealing future. In his words: “I was born with a silver spoon but at a tender age I lost the spoon when my dad lost his sight. So growing up was very rough coupled with the environment I found myself. I have done a lot of things as a young boy growing up.

“I actually sold sachets of pure water and engaged in other minor trades as a child to support my self financially. My worst experience was when I became a gambler in desperation to survive. I developed habit smoking and drinking in my adventure into street life.

“In the end, I have come to realize that God was preparing me for the future. If I never had all those ugly experiences, I doubt if I would have been strong enough to face my challenges today. So growing up was tough but it was for my own good.”

AY_MIXX is a multi-talented producer and recording artiste. Aside from being a holder of certificate in Music, he also plays numerous musical instruments. He is a singer, composer and studio engineer.

On his education, AY_MIXX has this to say, “As a child, I did so perfectly in School. After College, I decided to be financially independent before furthering my education. I had to engage in learning trades and skills to achieve and deflect some burden from my parents.

“This decision made my parents give up on my education when they saw that I had zero interest in furthering my education. This negligence gave my life a severe pain but l had to pay the price to achieve something more important. After a couple of years, I went to study music at the University on my own terms without being persuaded by anybody and it sure felt good.

“I actually acquired my Certificate in Music with good grades because I knew exactly what I wanted. Although l am still aspiring to go to the Berkly College of Music for a degree, l am delighted that fulfilling my dreams is well planned out and I am achieving my goals one step at a time.”

Throwing more light on the styles of music he produces, the prolific AY_MIXX says he produces any genre of music. He noted that his reason for being a producer is due to his ability to play different rhythms to any songs he listens to. Being into the business since 2008, he stressed that 2020 makes him 12 years old in the profession.

Most music icons had rough starts and AY_MIXX had a fair share of this ordeal. According to him, “ln the course of becoming a recording artiste, it was terrible and it took a crazy determination not to give up because l did not have my family’s support.

“Nobody had attempted music in our history so they saw it as a wayward and useless profession. No family member rose to pledge their support. I was all alone. After some years my siblings showed interests due to my tangible achievement in the music industry.

“Also, learning how to play musical instruments in Church was a hard nut to crack but l was determined to make this work. Now, this is all history.

Stating his reasons for relocating from Lagos to Uyo, AY_MIXX posited that in 2017, he was actually harassed by a studio manager and this prompted him into owning a studio. At this point, he made plans on setting his studio but unfortunately money became a serious obstacle and he had to relocate to Uyo because setting up a studio in Lagos was quite on a high side.

Working in the city of Uyo according to the producer and recording artiste has been a great impact on his career because “Akwa lbom is a music-loving State and it is fast-growing with a lot of good talented musicians. So working with musicians over here has added a lot to my career.”

In his 12 year sojourn in the musical industry, AY has worked with talented musical artistes in Nigeria, including MERA, AGULATA, DANI ANDI, MIROBED, Pst MIRACLE BENEDICT, Pst MAGGY BAM amongst others. He has also trained and inspired many throughout his career.

It is in recognition of the tremendous positive impact he has created in Akwa lbom and Nigeria at large, that Voice Your Stories awards him with Personality of The Week.

Congratulations…..