– Young musician with a different sound

BY MARISSA V. FOSTER

ANTHONY Baynes grew up in the village of Agricola. His childhood there was really quiet despite all the perceived stereotypes of that area. One thought that kept him on track during his childhood was his passion for a better life for himself and family. He grew up with his parents and siblings; they were very church-oriented and were not the wealthiest. In church, his passion for music developed and grew. At age 10, he could play the drums and since then he has been learning to play other musical instruments. He describes his childhood as fun and interesting, because he never felt as though he missed out on anything despite his circumstances.

Baynes attended the Agricola Primary School and after writing the Common Entrance exam, he obtained a place at the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School. There, he graduated in 2016 and is currently furthering his education with a Degree in Communication Studies at the University of Guyana. He is the first person from his family to pursue a tertiary education and every day he uses this as motivation to make his mother proud. He expressed that his mother has been his biggest supporter and continues to support him. She has truly inspired him to become the person he is today.

After finishing secondary school, Baynes took his hobby of music more seriously. He’d use his spare time to write songs and create melodies. Eventually, he started to record and produce his own music. By the end of 2017, he had about five recorded songs out on YouTube. He started to gain recognition and attention by a small audience for his outstanding vocals and musical creativity. He has also networked with other local artistes and created music with them. With the support of local radio stations and DJs in Georgetown, he was able to showcase his music and story to a larger audience.

Thus far, he has faced a lot of challenges. One of those challenges being the lack of basic resources he needed to pursue his dreams. He always wanted to have his songs recorded, but was financially unable to attend professional studio recording sessions. Nonetheless, he managed to start purchasing his own small-scale equipment by working two jobs. Now, he can record his own music from the comfort of his bedroom. He has a vision of himself one day being able to perform for thousands on an international stage, or even winning a Grammy Award– this is his driving force.

For the future, he plans to be successful as an artiste in every way possible. He would like to collaborate more with other local and international artistes and travel the world sharing his talent with those he comes in contact with. He plans to put in work as hard as he can to make his dreams come true; he believes he has the potential to do so. He would like to be able to give his family the life they deserve after all the sacrifices they’ve made for him. Apart from music, Anthony would also like to complete his degree at the university. After all, two dreams are better than one.

This gifted musical artiste would like to advise other young upcoming artistes by saying, “Your circumstances now may cause you to feel like giving up or it may make you feel like your dreams are impossible to reach, but if you are passionate about something, you would have to put in the extra work to make it your reality. You may not be financially able to support your dreams, but that doesn’t mean that you would never be there one day. Patience, dedication and hard work is the key to making your dreams a reality.”