The “After Prep” Concert Proves Herman Suede’s endless talent & creativity
2019 can be described as the breakout year for Herman Suede. Off the back of kick-starting a high school tour; releasing his debut EP “Hi I’m Herman“; and being featured on Sarkodie’s critically acclaimed “Black Love” album, the teenage sensation capped his amazing year with the feat of being the youngest Ghanaian act to organize and headline a concert, his first-ever, dubbed “After Prep”.
The After Prep concert which came off on 23rd December 2019 at “The Garden” in East Legon – Accra, drew a teeming crowd of over a thousand young music lovers and fans.
The concert also brought together Herman’s industry friends and players with a supporting cast which included: Asi Renie, Malcom Nuna, Almighty Trei, La Meme Gang’s RJZ, and UK-based teenage acts Benty and Yung Jimbo amongst others.
The concert which opened with a classical piece: Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, the first movement saw Herman Suede churn out several riveting performances. Each major set was characterized by costume changes to match the theme and feel of the performance. Standouts included the “Coming to America” inspired costume for Herman’s “African Prince” performance and the urban hip-hop styled costume for Herman’s “Homies” set.
Having already graced multiple big stages such as Mr. Eazi’s Detty Rave, M.anifest’s Manifestivities and Ghana Rocks amongst many others, Herman has already earned a reputation as an all-round performer and not just a recording artist.
Herman’s love for dance was evident on the “After Prep” stage as most performances were accompanied by synchronized dance routines. A host of Herman’s back up dancers were from various high schools and tertiary institutions all across the capital including Achimota School, Legacy Girls, PRESEC, St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School and Ashesi University.
The most defining element of the concert was how he set the stage ablaze with electrifying high energy performances, effortlessly combining riveting vocals with jaw-dropping dance moves.
The entire experience was like a rush of adrenaline. Crowd interaction was impeccable from start to finish. The teeming young audience, the majority of whom are teenage fans garnered from Herman’s high school tours sung and cheered along as they held up and waved their light sticks throughout the duration of the concert.
Time moved far too quickly by the show’s conclusion. Herman performed intermittently for more than an hour, but it seemed like he was on and off in mere minutes. He closed the show with a beautiful performance of his hit single “Be Mine” which saw the crowd’s excitement go up a notch as they passionately sang along word for word.
Herman Suede had one of the best concerts I witnessed this December. An all-round success in terms of the level of organization, production quality and back to back top-notch performances.
Aside from being an effective medium to connect with, and steadily grow his ever-increasing fan base, Herman Suede and his team are also touching lives with the initiative as a percentage of concert proceeds are donated to the Christ Faith Foster Home, at Fafraha – just outside Accra. Hopefully, this is the first of many “After Prep” concerts to come.