I had the pleasure and honour of attending AKA’s ‘Mass Country’ brunch, last Thursday. The event served as a celebration to which his Kiernan’s family unveiled ‘Mass Country’s’ platinum plaque. A significant milestone of which brought up tears of joy, longing and adoration. As the family were in attendance they celebrated and gave out beautiful speeches.
In an intimate talk, Mr Tony Forbes noted how proud he was of his son and his life’s work, additionally adding that his family has taken on the responsibility of continuing his work and expanding it. This work not only pertains to the music that he offered but also the opportunities that he was creating for the youth that were in his reach. Mr Tony Forbes gushed about the developing projects and vision in building on what his son had been doing in order to open up more spaces for young people in the industry. He spoke about specific ‘in development’ projects such as building an arts school, working with government and corporations towards talent development, as well as the building of ‘The Forbes’ foundation.’
A Sony Music Africa representative shared their experience in organising the event, noting how emotional each pursuit following Kiernan has been. They also highlighted that it was the choice of the Forbes family to release the ‘Mass Country’ album “We are very excited. We wanna show off with him and he’s that type of guy, ya know. He’s very forward. He’d be like, watch me and I would be like, I want the world to watch you! So, for me, that’s what is important. As long as the family feels supported it’s important for the rest of the industry as well to understand that we wouldn’t be able to do this without them. “the representative mentioned.
The brunch was an intimate celebration for not only recognising the numbers that the album has done, but rather to celebrate the continuation of his work. Through the dedication and respect preserved by the Siny family as well as Kiernan’s fans, it shows exactly how he is loved.
In a sit down with a few of the other attendees, they highlighted how special it was for them to see and share space with the same people that have contributed to much of the success of Kiernan’s work – the people at the forefront of things. “You get a hint of, or a glimpse of the machine itself” said a representative of Hype Mag.
The event was just part one of a massive project that the Sony team, as well as that the Forbes family has in the works. It was an auspicious moment that will forever leave an impression on me, as I was able to take in and witness the love, care and admiration that Kiernan A.K.A had lit in his counterparts and close community.
Looking forward to the further growth of Mass Country!
