Edgar LPH on doing music in the diaspora

“You probably want to know why I started doing music. The honest truth is that after high school I thought to myself what job would let me say and do what I want. A job where you could break all the rules and everyone would sit back and clap. Aside from Donald Trump not many people have jobs like that. That’s why I decided to do music.” Edgar LPH begins to explain his reasons for pursuing a career in music. Edgar Mbaraga is his given name while Edgar LPH is his stage name. “LPH stands for Love, Peace, and Happiness. I wanted a project that was inclusive to all kinds of people and themes that most people often strive for in their lives. I find that everyone is aiming to reach love, peace, and happiness and what better way to help people achieve that than through music.” He started out by recording covers of his favorite artists ranging from Sam Cooke to Bob Marley. “This cost me ridiculous amounts of money and, to save face, I had to keep going. If I had stopped, all that work would have been for nothing.” Edgar is Rwandan but lives in Ottawa, Canada where he moved when he was 16. It’s the reason his music comes with a personal disclaimer. “For you to see past my accent and enjoy my music, you must understand the full story- well at least the parts that I understand enough to share with you.” He was born in Uganda, where he attended Taibah School, and while in Rwanda he attended Green Hills Academy. So how did he end up in Canada, so far from home? “My parents always wanted us to grow up and go travel and study abroad, they wanted us to be strong and Independent. That is why I moved to Canada, to “grow up”; at least that is how my parents put it to me. I am thankful for them pushing me to study abroad and see a different part of the world. This has in many ways made me a better artist since it gave me a very unique way of telling stories and seeing a different worldview.” Edgar believes he had a very similar childhood to most other youth in Rwanda, with his parents as his biggest childhood influence. It is then that he started developing an ear for music. “I remember knowing every single song on TV Rwanda. Most youth in Rwanda will relate to this as back in the days TVR played the same songs repeatedly.” To Canada he eventually moved, but cultural shock awaited him. “Canada in comparison with some developed countries is a pretty conscious and well informed country. However, I still laugh at the fact that eight out of ten times when I tell someone I am from Rwanda they immediately tell me they watched Hotel Rwanda. Although it is humorous to me, it shows how out of touch and out dated in thinking people can be.” Music for emotional release Edgar does music because he loves telling stories and bringing people together. “Music has become a way for me to stay out of trouble and to express myself. In my music I talk a lot about what it feels like to be pulled in multiple directions. The reality of being a youth in a low income area in Ottawa has exposed me to hardships and struggles that are fundamentally different from those that I faced in Rwanda. This has also strengthened my relationship with music as I use it as a primary outlet. From growing up alone in a foreign country music was often my escape from the struggles that I was experiencing. Making music not only reinforced my confidence at points when I needed it, but it has taught me the beauty of passion. Being passionate about music taught me patience, it taught me to not give up, and it taught me how to take the negatives around me and make them positives.” On December 1, his EP (Extended Play CD) became available on Apple music and CD Baby. The artist revealed that in a few days it would be available for download on other platforms like Spotify, Google Music, Shazam and Amazon, among others. An EP is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single, but is usually unqualified as an album or LP. “I hope this EP tells you a story of an African boy that swam across the world to eat Big MacDonalds and found out African chicken is better. My hope is that in my EP you will be able to feel the love enough to fall in love again, fall in love despite all the different hurdles you might be going through. I hope in my music you find the encouragement to bounce back and recover from a huge loss in life,” he explains. The EP contains such titles as; Terre Obande, Deeper Stills, Love to Love, Pace, and 24. 24 is a poignant tribute to his late mother. And clearly it’s one of his personal favorites. He explains that through it, he is able to stay in touch with his Rwandan roots while away from home. “I sang parts of it in Kinyarwanda. I did this because it was a very emotional topic for me and the best way that I could express my emotions was in my native tongue. As I grow up and mature, I am increasingly realizing more and more how my Rwandan roots play a huge role in the way I see myself. This song is about pain, closure, emotions, and all sorts of things. Aforementioned, this song is dedicated to my late mother whom I did not get a chance to say goodbye to. In a way this song represents my goodbye and an instance of closure. It also represents the strength of family in instances of pain and rebuilding.” On Terre Obande he teams up with another Rwandan musician, Ikirezi, “which gave us both the opportunity to celebrate ourselves as Rwandese artists.” “Terre Obande is about finding your footing and not letting moments of struggles deter you from the success you are destined to find. It is about love and about happiness. It is about not giving up hope or losing sight of things even when that may appear as the only option. This song is about celebrating your successes and using those as a reminder to not give up,” he explains. While Deeper Stills sheds light on contemporary issues in today’s world; the struggles of the youth, issues of race and insecurity, and the idea of misconception. Edgar explains that “in a world where there is negativity obstructing our understanding, I hope for Deeper Stills to remind people to go deeper than the surface of an issue to understand the complexity of what may be going on. For example, at the end of my song I use a narrative of Africa as an example of an instance where people often have misconceptions and must dig deeper to develop an accurate understanding. Does he hope to return to Rwanda soon? “I plan on living in all parts of the world and learning a variety of cultures and beliefs. I believe that this will not only make me a better person but also a better musician. I will always remember my roots and Rwanda will always be my true home. In any point in my life when I am having trouble or am in doubt, it will always be comforting to know that I have a place that is filled with love and happiness, and that is Rwanda.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Edgar LPH on doing music in the diaspora