South Africans have gotten a taste of his music and so far, they love every bit of it.
Now the musician from Ottawa, Canada has his eyes set on working with award-winning Amapiano DJ Kabza De Small.
Lonely Boy, an R&B singer whose sound is hugely inspired by Marvin Gaye, Miguel, and Prince, says he and the DJ could create fire.
“I love his music, it’s a vibe from beginning to end. I am putting out there ‘Kabz listen, I need a remix, I need a song with you,” Lonely Boy tells Drum.
“Out of all the amapiano mixes, his is the one that speaks most to me because of how he builds anticipation. Amapiano overall is an anticipation, a climatic type of music, that builds kind of slow to something intricate and groovy, it’s not just done in one shot. I think it’s great that the music is built like that because R&B is supposed to feel the same way,” Lonely Boy says.
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His real name is Antony Isaac Pierre and he came up with his stage name because he was feeling lonely. “I think a lot of people do,” he says, “I wanted to make music that resonates with the lonely person, that’s why I came up with the name, something simple and direct.”
The 29-year-old artist from Canada has always known that he wants to be a global sensation. He has a newly-established South African fanbase as his two singles Only One Night and the most recent, If I Was Your Man, are on the Gagasi FM Top 10 Rnb chart.
“The song If I Was Your Man is dedicated to people who are in relationships with the wrong person, and I come across a lot of people who are in a relationship with the wrong person. I wanted to make a song that is cocky but romantic, if you were with me, you wouldn’t have to worry about that,” he says.
“People want to feel desired, and that’s why I came up with the song. I was listening to a lot of Prince, Miguel, and Marvin Gay, I wanted to kind of create something around that, and I’m really proud of it, it speaks to my brand, and to my music.”
Lonely Boy decided to pursue his music as an independent artist, but it has been challenging.
“Getting outside, pushing yourself more, expanding, finding connections and a network outside the country has been a challenge but I don’t think of it as an obstacle but a learning curve. I have the talent to back it up, so the challenges do not diminish the work that I do,” he tells Drum.
He has no regrets and thanks the digital era for making it easy for artists to push their music. The pandemic was a blessing in disguise for him, it helped his virtual shows get the recognition they deserved.
“Being an independent artist gives me a lot of freedom to just create, the best music comes from the artist when they are not being pressured and are solely creating and putting their stories out there,” Lonely Boy says.
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The singer and songwriter is inspired by loneliness and he also sings about vulnerability and transparency.
“I’m someone who likes to personally work alone or with my producer or engineer, I just try different melodies, write different things, or sometimes I like to travel, it helps me get a different perspective or inspiration,” he says.
He is working on his album and hopes to deliver it soon. “I’m in the studio every week, the reception to my music has been amazing, I owe my listeners a full body of work,” Lonely Boy says.
He is soon planning on visiting the country, Durban is his first choice.
“I want to go to Durban, Johannesburg then Cape Town, the people look amazing. The vibes look right, the water looks great, the energy that the country has overall is something that’s not to be reckoned with,” he says.
For the rest of the year, he is hoping to have more live performances, “My music comes alive when there is live music and I’m performing in front of a crowd. I’m trying to head out more, pop in SA if that’s possible, and work on my documentary - I’m asking people; of any gender how they feel when they got their hearts broken, a documentary on how the human experience love.”
