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photo by Talia Hodge
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photo by Talia Hodge
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photo by Talia Hodge
At age 8, Kofi Boakye faced a decision. His father divorced his mom and left the family, telling Boakye and his two brothers they would amount to nothing.
“In that moment, you have a fold or flourish mentality,” says the 24-year-old Akron native. “Will I fold, and believe those things he said? Will I flourish, and do what I believe I can do?” He chose the latter. Boakye, who grew up in North Akron subsidized housing and endured a period of homelessness, discovered a purpose in music.
“Finding a passion like music to put that fuel into was important,” he says.
Boakye took a piano class at the Ohio Conservatory at age 8 — but found other students were already advanced at ages 4 and 5. He almost walked away. Teacher Tricia Hammann Thomson took his hands and reaffirmed him.
“She’s like, I see something in you,” says the jazz pianist, who also plays the keyboard and melodica. “I never heard something like that before.”
photo by Talia Hodge
“It was clear to me this kid wanted music, and nothing was going to stop him from getting it,” says Hammann Thomson, who started giving him private lessons. “This is really what he needed.”
By age 9, he was giving her CD recordings of himself playing music and stunning audiences at piano recitals. But it took time for Boakye to reveal his inner performer to his Miller South School for the Visual & Performing Arts classmates. He showed them a video project — and felt a change.
“I remember a kid saying, Now, we see the real Kofi,” Boakye says. “It really hit me — being original is OK.”
Boakye’s star rose fast. At age 15, he attended Akron Early College High School and was the youngest student to be accepted into The University of Akron’s Jazz Studies program. By 16, he had achieved his dreams of playing E.J. Thomas Hall, for Gospel Meets Symphony, and Akron Civic Theatre, for the release of his first original album, “Made in Akron.”
Behind the curtains, however, Boakye was reeling from the sudden death of his cousin due to cardiac arrest. The tragedy opened his eyes.
“I use that as a motivation. … I don’t think I’ve stopped since,” says Boakye, who went on to win a silver medal at the NAACP ACT-So national competition.
In 2019, Boakye was selected to compete in Amateur Night at the storied Apollo Theater in New York City — but wasn’t victorious in the finals. A host told him to wear something sparkly, and his vibrant look was born: colorful suits, shimmery printed blazers and jewel-encrusted pins. He competed again in 2022, determined to win. Boakye made it to the final round, launching into a captivating instrumental performance of “Say Yes” by Floetry. It earned him the $20,000 grand prize, beating out singers.
“His improvisation is a treat,” says Hammann Thomson. “He’s got his own voice.”
“I feel what I do,” says Boakye, who also received two Emmy nominations in 2022 for video content made with his production company. “That moment is what started catapulting everything.”
photo by Talia Hodge
He scored a movie role as a pianist in the biopic “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and snagged gigs opening for the accomplished Charlie Wilson and Marsha Ambrosius. This year, he made history as the first Amateur Night winner to return and host the season opener.
Now, Boakye is set to release his first album in eight years — featuring feel-good tracks and popular covers seen on his social media, which have received over 50,000 likes. With gigs such as emceeing the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival gala June 8 at House Three Thirty in Akron, Boakye puts his passion for music on display.
“It’s an expression of freedom,” he says. “A lot of people have never felt this free.”
