by mariah estran
photo by niles gregory
“Call the boys inside, tell them it’s alright. There’s no shame in your pain;" is the first lyrical line that breaks through the shimmery nostalgic keys and basslines on Nyiko’s latest track, “Call The Boys.” The spellbinding pop tune checks each box for an addictive indie hit. But it’s the overall message that spotlights a bigger issue, one which has shapeshifted into ghastly news stories filling our TV screens and media feeds. Think school shootings, police brutality, and questionable leaders. Those recurring events weighed heavily on the mind of the Los Angeles based singer-songwriter, discovering that toxic masculinity might be one of the motives.
“At the time, there seemed like every few weeks there was a news story about a school shooting,” he recalls, describing the beginning stages of “Call The Boys.” “That song started as a reaction to the overwhelming amount of school shootings that were primarily carried out by young men.” An observation that isn’t wrong. According to the 2020 Mother Jones A Guide to Mass Shootings in America, of the hundred and nineteen cases reported, half involves male culprits.
Crediting a 2018 opinion piece in the New York Times, titled The Boys Are Not Alright by Michael Ian Black, Nyiko says, “What it showed for me was there’s a breakdown occurring in the developmental stages of young men. In the mentorship, in the leaders that we have, in the media we consume that continues to show men as needing to be powerful, dominant, angry, and violent in order to be masculine.” The singer gathering that those instilled societal behaviors are contributing to these horrifying outbursts we’ve somehow managed to make our new norm. Yet, he knows this is something we can change. “I truly do believe it’s something that can be fixed and be cured with redefining what it means to be a man and to be masculine.”
Through a medium he knows best, Nyiko is reshaping those outdated definitions with his music. “The idea for the song (“Call The Boys”) is to create a new model for what it means to be masculine and to breakdown the toxic masculinity that invades a lot of male cultures,” he explains. “To set-up these new ideals of being tender, being emotionally available. Instead of using power or strength to have control over people.” This single is a call for much-needed unity and support for one another. It’s a song with such effective messaging that it practically speaks for itself, he sings: “We need an exemplary, symbol of masculinity. For these boys, beyond violence and raising a voice.” He’s starting the conversation, and ultimately, setting that example, he hopes others will do so as well. Reiterating that we must work to tear down the negative connotations behind male fortitude. “Use that strength or power to hold other people up, and to make sure that everyone is benefiting from whatever strength you might have like a ‘masculine’ male, opposed to using it to dominate or create fear.”
photo by niles gregory
The courage to share these points of view in music and to be vulnerable is what allows listeners to find relatability, especially in a time of mass media consumption. “I think, what would be amazing, obviously, every artist being true to themselves with whatever they’re writing about, and whatever they’re putting out in the world," Nyiko shares when asked about how the media could change to accept exposed emotion or opinion. Adding, “But also to realize, as an artist, if you have any following what-so-ever you do have somewhat of responsibility, and you are somewhat responsible for what people take away from the art you create.”
Recognizing this responsibility didn’t happen overnight. He was once writing one love song after another while absorbed in a theme of romance. But after discovering more inspiration and gaining more life experience, he’s creating tracks that get the audience thinking. In addition to “Call The Boys,” is the previously released single “Glow." An encouraging tune that celebrates inner-beauty and finding confidence. “I’ve been a lot more compelled to touch on different topics a lot of people can relate to that aren’t purely centered in you’re in a relationship, you’re not in a relationship,” Nyiko says. “I do hope that in the artwork, the songs I create, people can find meaning for themselves, or can take a step back, and explore the true message of the song.”
By the end of 2020, Nyiko will release his appropriately titled debut album Honesty. An eleven song LP that will express the honesty identified within himself. However, this wasn’t all he found; Nyiko discovered a way to share his stories, and feelings, in a world that might tell him not to. He persevered but knows it’s not easy. “As an artist, I feel fortunate to have a creative outlet to process my emotions and the things I perceive,” he states. “If you're feeling lost or confused with yourself and the world right now, I invite you to see if there's an untapped outlet for you to express yourself. It's easy to feel overwhelmed or even hopeless right now, but we always have the capacity to create change and have a positive impact.”