By Ayo Onikoyi

Electrifying performer, Hess King is an artiste who readily comes to mind when one needs to relish the dynamic and exhilarating fusion of all kinds of music genres serving them as beautifully and commandingly as possible.

Hess King, whose real name is Akanji Abiodun Samuel is undeniably a musical genius who can sing as well as perform on any genre of music.

Reminiscing on how it all started, Hess King in a chat with Potpourri shares, “My father was a Fuji musician back in the 80s and I grew up to see him doing shows. He was a contemporary of musical powerhouses like Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, Barrister, among others. I got to discover myself later while I was living with a friend. Then I thought of what to call myself which would sound catchy and appealing. So I prayed and I saw a scripture in the book of Galatians. The scripture reads; “I would be Honoured, Enthroned as a Son and be a Soldier of a King”. So I put the words together in acronyms and coined it together as Hess King. I can practically say I have been a musician all my life and started discovering and improving my music at an early stage.”

His style of music promptly strikes a chord with any listener who hears him as he predominantly centers his music around percussions such as the talking drums, the horns and lastly his voice which he regards as his last instrument. 2007 birthed the emergence of his band which he later named the Major 7th band. Together they have harnessed the power of music to connect with audiences on a profound level, using a combined artistic prowess to uplift, encourage and entertain audiences.

He noted that, “What makes good music is not in the complexity of music but in the simplicity and straight to the point aspect of music. A song that connects to a story, that springs the soul and whose arrangements are properly aligned.”

With several successful shows in the United States of America, Nigeria among other places, Hess King isn’t relenting one bit in his drive to do good music, entertain his audience and earn a mark for himself on the sands of time. Committed to releasing more musical projects despite his rich discography of content in his credit, the artiste is set to drop another album and invest heavily transcending his current heights. 

As the year folds into an end, the artiste and his band are currently planning a US tour which would run into the first quarter of 2024, then tours to Canada and the United Kingdom.