Akon is back in a big way with his latest single, “Akon’s Beautiful Day,” reminding fans why he’s remained a powerhouse in music, hip-hop and beyond. From his early iconic tracks like “Lonely,” “Soul Survivor” and “Locked Up,” Akon has consistently brought a unique fusion of hip-hop, R&B, and global sounds that sets him apart. “Akon’s Beautiful Day” keeps that signature style intact while introducing a fresh and optimistic vibe—a celebration of life’s simple moments, especially after challenging times.
The track opens with a breezy, upbeat instrumental that perfectly captures Akon’s ability to channel life’s highs and lows through an authentic, hopeful lens. His smooth vocals over a mid-tempo beat create a feel-good atmosphere, inviting listeners to reflect on life’s blessings and embrace positivity. Akon hopes his J.R. Rotem-produced “Beautiful Day” will “light the way for more positivity in hip-hop,” inspiring music fans to appreciate the power of gratitude and optimism in a world often overshadowed by negativity.
“The most important part, what I can tell them is that originality is probably the most important thing in the game.” – Akon
Akon’s journey has evolved significantly over the years. Beyond music, he’s made a tremendous impact as a global entrepreneur and philanthropist, particularly with his initiative, Akon Lighting Africa, which has brought electricity to millions across the continent of Africa. This dual role as both a hitmaker and humanitarian has deepened his artistry, adding a sense of purpose to his work.
With “Akon’s Beautiful Day”, Akon bridges his classic sound with the wisdom he’s gained over decades in entertainment as well as life over all, bringing fans an experience that’s both nostalgic and forward-looking.
HipHopCanada had the privilege to catch up and sit down with Akon in New York City to dive into his career, the inspiration behind “Beautiful Day,” his next album Not Guilty, and his hopes for the future of music.
Interview with Akon
HipHopCanada: You’ve built an incredible legacy across music, philanthropy and entrepreneurship, reflecting on your career so far. What defining moments do you feel led you to create “Beautiful Day” at this particular stage in your life?
Akon: Oh man, I just felt like the temperature of music needed to be a lot more positive. You know, I did take a hiatus from music for a while, but I think that’s what motivated me to get back in because I realized that this music is more of a bandwagon driven type of vibe. So, anything that you do that works, everybody, simply follows you know what I’m saying? So, I feel like because the music has just been so low frequency vibration, if I come with something super positive and it tops the charts, then everybody else will start coming with more positive records and it will help shift the positivity into it. So, “Beautiful Day” is more so of an anthem of positivity that will hopefully ignite more positive music in an industry.
HipHopCanada: What message are you hoping to convey to your fans at this stage in your career?
Akon: Well, you know, the whole idea is that for people to just appreciate your life, you know, we’re so worried about what we don’t have or what we should have that we don’t often times take, you know, advantage of what we actually do have. And I think, the message is really no matter what you’re dealing with in your life, man, no matter how bad you think it is, there’s somebody out there that got it worse. You know what I mean? I think the beautiful things that we actually have, especially living in America, we take so much for granted, you know what I mean? So, the idea is really, you know, just take, advantage of the blessings that you actually do have, pay attention to those and really learn to appreciate the simplest things in life that most people don’t even have access to.
HipHopCanada: You’ve been in the industry for over two decades and, and you always adapted with the times while staying true to your roots. What has kept you grounded and inspired throughout your journey?
Akon: I would definitely say what kept me grounded was probably the way I was raised, man. You know, being raised in Africa, we was raised around a huge family environment. So, I’m very heavily family focused. You know what I mean? I was God-fearing also living in, you know, Africa coming to America. So, spiritually being led through this whole process always kept me to the point where I realized that man is man, woman is woman. It’s like no person is bigger than the other person.
You know, we just, as celebrities, we just happen to be blessed for God to utilize us as a beacon to help him do his work. You know? So, my granddad always says, if God gives you an opportunity to speak to a million people, what are you going to say? You know what I mean? So, that’s really what this is. It’s really just, you know, kind of spreading the word of God through the process of what you’re doing, but at the same time, do it in a way to where people can all relate, no matter what religion they actually follow, they can get the message to become better people.
HipHopCanada: Many artists you’ve worked with have credited you, as both a mentor and a visionary. How do you approach guiding new talent in today’s musical landscape?
Akon: Man, today’s musical landscape, honestly, the one thing that I am interested about when it comes to new artists are the ones that like to grind. I love hard workers, man, because you can find talent on every corner block, like… trust me. But the ones that actually have talent… they’re willing to go and work, you know, show themselves to the world, work the whole process, trust the process more than anything, but just, you know, grind out the opportunity to showcase their talents to the rest of the world. Man, those are the ones, because oftentimes you may hear somebody on the radio that may not be as good as you, but you’re wondering how they make it farther than you. Maybe, because they just work harder than you?
You know, the hardest workers are always going to be the one that last the longest as well, too, so those are the people that, you know, you can actually invest in. They’re going to put their work and time wherever your money is, you know what I mean, those are the people that I like to really take time to invest in.
HipHopCanada: Your work has taken you beyond music and into initiatives like Akon Lighting Africa, impacting millions across the continent. How do these ventures align with the themes and messages in “Beautiful Day”?
Akon: Oh man, the impact that Akon Lighting has put into these homes and these people, it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day the day after. Because, mind you, you’d be surprised, man, some of these people have never experienced electricity ever in their lifetime, you know what I’m saying? Night time is, they’ve never experienced it, it’s always been dark, they always use kerosene lamps or kerosene, you know, like candles or whatever the case, they never really understood what light meant in the dark, you know what I mean? So, the impact that it gave to a lot of these people in the villages, man, was unbelievable, and I know that’s an everlasting “Beautiful Day” for those guys.
HipHopCanada: As someone who’s had both mainstream and international success, how do you see “Beautiful Day” fitting into your evolving legacy, and are there any other upcoming projects you’re working on that align with its theme?
Akon: Oh yeah, we got a lot, a lot, a lot of projects coming. I’ll be announcing them as we get further into the development of it. Because, you know, one of the biggest mistakes that I made—and I understand now that when you’re working on major projects that’s going to impact a broad, mass amount of people—you got to kind of keep it under the lid until you get further into it. The moment you mention it and put it out, people think it’s either existing or it’s done, you know.
That was one of the challenges I had with Akon City, you know, one of the big dreams that I plan on doing for the future of development of Africa. But, from the moment we announced it, people thought the city was already up, not knowing that it’s a process that we’re working into, getting it, you know, construction and everything else. So, nowadays I’m just like, you know, let me kind of get the projects moving further along before I put them out. But for the most part, we’re doing a lot of projects for the future, a lot of new development projects and technology, especially in AI, that I’ll be announcing very soon.
HipHopCanada: The world of music, especially hip-hop, has changed a lot since you first started. Has the shift in the industry influenced the sound and direction of “Beautiful Day” compared to your previous releases?
Akon: Yeah, I think the shift in the sound came from how I was feeling and knowing that the vibration of music was just super low and I wanted to kind of uplift it, kind of expand it to a more positive direction. So, that’s the reason why I’m going there, even when you look at the new album that’s dropping in February, it’s called Not Guilty. It’s all about the culture and how our culture has been really mismanaged, you know what I mean?
And I blame our generation and the generation before for not giving the younger kids a better direction and giving them more guidance, more mentees, because we found ourselves being selfish to our own success, not passing that same information down to them so they can actually know how to manage theirs as well, you know? But for the most part, I think the shift of where music is now, we have more advantages than we did when I was coming up, especially with the digital age. You know, expanding and fast-forwarding the way it did. So, I want to be able to utilize that in a way where we can really take music to the next level and allow it to grow in a more positive way.
HipHopCanada: With all your experience in both music and business, what do you think are the most important lessons for artists to understand about building a sustainable and impactful career?
Akon: I think the best lesson or the biggest lesson is for artists to learn the business. You know, most of them come in for it out of passion, but they don’t really quite know the business. And then by the time they figure out the business is too late, because most people got all rights to their material, likeness, name, you know, and their whole movement to the point where they can’t even do anything with it. You know what I mean? Nothing.
The moment they understand that this is more of a business than it is, you know, an industry entertainment type of situation, they’re kind of better understanding how to be sustainable in it and also find a better way to be able to sustain what it is they’re trying to present to the music world in general, you know? But I think the best lesson is to learn the business before coming into it.
HipHopCanada: One of my last questions for you is, as someone who successfully navigated all the ups and the downs of the music industry, what advice would you give to young artists trying to establish themselves today?
Akon: Clearly, I’m learning something every day. So, I don’t know if there’s more downs that I got, you know, experience or ups for that matter. But for the most important part, what I can tell them is that originality is probably the most important thing in the game. And I think people take that for granted because what happens is most people don’t believe in themselves as much as they should. So, whatever is hot at the moment, everyone’s trying to duplicate that sound or that vibe and expecting it to work for them as well. But what they don’t realize is that there’s 10 million songs being released today because of the technology and the access to the audience. Out of those 10 million songs, only 10 spots on the Billboard charts matter. So, that’s like winning the lottery.
When you look at it from that perspective, it’s like, okay, what do I need to do that sets me apart from everybody else where I could skip the line? Not only do you got to have great music, but you got to have a great story, a great experience to offer. And more than anything, you got to be original enough to stand out. So, I think the moment your originality catches up with your talent, you got a better chance to, you know, being one of the top artists in the world.
HipHopCanada: What message do you hope that the new release gives to the new generation of music lovers as well as hip-hop lovers that come across “Beautiful Day” for the first time?
Akon: I hope that this audience looks at this as an anthem of positivity in a time where the negativity is surrounding us in a way we can’t even fight it, man. We got to come together as people. We got to come together as a unit. But more than anything, we got to come together with ourselves, you know, face reality as it is, you know, like live in our own truths. And also just appreciate everything that surrounds you, man. Like just know that everything that’s happening in your life is happening to either make you a better person or prepare you to go through an obstacle that you need to go through to become a better person. You know what I mean? So, I think the “Beautiful Day” is to really not take none for granted. Just appreciate everything in front of me.
