Be sure to catch Jay Ghartey at the Viva La Vuvuzela Festival in New York City, this Saturday, July 23rd.

We hear your last NYC show sold out. You have eager fans in the states. Are you looking to keep that momentum going or are you still focused on getting the GH brothers brand established in Africa?

Thanks bro, yeah the support has been great and I am grateful to all my fans here and back in Africa. We keep building momentum and its an exciting time . I am actually going to do both. We are building the GH Brothers brand in Africa. However, its still very important for me to bring the African beat to audiences here in the U.S and Europe. I’ll be traveling a lot going back and forth. Its all good because I’m doing something I love and have passion for.

Tell us a bit about your path towards music. Has singing been a family affair or did you just stumble on being a musician from a previous career?

Well my Ghanaian grandmother was a famous singer in Ghana back in the day and my grandfather was a poet so you could say its in the blood. I started performing when I was 11 years old back in Accra and was one of the first people to ever rap in Ghana.

How easy was it for you to adapt to working in Ghana? Are you going to encourage other African artists based in the West to return home?

It was easy because I spent so many of my formative years in Ghana growing up so it was just like coming home after a long time. I would encourage others to go home because there is a vibe in the music scene that is not in the States right now. There is a certain freedom and passion in the music in Ghana that I really enjoy and find liberating.

Tell us, how did it feel to be nominated for the Ghana Music Awards the very first time.

It was special because it made me see how Ghana appreciated my efforts and style of mixing African beats with R and B and rap. I understood clearly that they got what I was trying to do. At the same time I’m down to earth so I don’t get caught up in the hype of awards etc. I’m into it for the music and to make people happy.

How awesome is “Me dc wo?” Whose concept was it and did it exceed your expectations in how it performed?

I came up with it because I travelled a lot in my life and left a lot of wonderful people on the other side of the ocean. It breaks your heart. Its also a universal theme because I meet so many people who left their countries to work and walk around with a burden in their’ hearts.

We realize you did a second video with the same lady? Some fans are curious to know. Is she your girlfriend? You two certainly seem to have an awesome chemistry!

No she is not my girlfriend , she’s a model and actress in Ghana and we wanted to create a story for the videos and she did wonderfully.

Tell us about your new video with Tinny (Go Hard All Day).

Well we went hard on it! Tinny is a great artist and we featured the light heavyweight champ Bukom Banku in it and shot around Bukom and Teshie in Accra. We wanted to keep it local and show how hard people are working and training. So far people seem to really like it.

In a struggling economy, it makes sense that your audience will feel really connected to the lyrics and strength of the song. What inspired it?

Well I recorded that song the first night I ever met Tinny and I was blown away by his talent. Very often, I work all day and night and so it was fitting to do a song called, Go Hard All Day. Its true, people are struggling a lot in the present economy but no one is quitting, if anything people are working harder than ever, so its kind of a theme song for the daily grind.

Finally, what else do you have in the works? An EP? More singles or a full album perhaps?

I’m in the process of finishing up my second album and I’m really in a great zone. Its going to be more uptempo than the first one because I love it when people dance at the shows and I really love the African upbeat.

You are headlining the Viva la Vuvuzela Music Fest! What should your fans expect?

I love playing with my band and so its going to be a great time. I love being around people and you can expect a lot of energy and all I expect is for people to dance when they feel it.

Be sure to catch Jay Ghartey at the Viva La Vuvuzela Festival in New York City, this Saturday, July 23rd.