ToneGym Hero: Zaye Kokou Abel

A keyboardist, composer, and lifelong learner, Zaye blends afrobeat, jazz, and reggae while sharpening his ear daily on ToneGym. From solfège classes to crafting his upcoming album Cri de l’âme, Zaye is this month’s ToneGym Hero!

How did you first find your way into making music?

The first time I actually played an instrument and started to learn it was at church when I was 15 years old, and I got solfège class in school as an extracurricular activity. I became a full time musician in 2017 as a keyboard player and interpret artist until 2021 when I decided to write and produce my own songs.

Aside from music, what hobbies or activities do you enjoy?

It’s hard to tell I live music, breathe music, eat music… but if I can name something that I enjoy doing it’s watching manga.

What’s something you're surprisingly good at that has nothing to do with music?

It's cooking, I like food so... And I start enjoying trying new recipes.

If you could play or create with any artist, who would it be and why?

As much as I love the old greats and new artists like Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Chick Corea, Alfredo Rodriguez, Bob Marley , Chronixx  and Richard Bona by the way they approach music, one of my favorites is Richard Bona. He has this flexibility in fusionning his voice, his instrument (bass), jazz and his african culture. I love it.

What musical instrument do you love the most, and what makes it irreplaceable for you?

The piano is my first love. It sounds beautiful,  you can be an Orchestra by yourself, but it’s a pain to learn. 

What daily or weekly habits do you have in place to keep you creating?

I have a daily schedule to keep me on track. Practice makes perfect so i keep it up:

• Get on ToneGym  everyday 
• Get to my DAW (Logic pro)
• Practice on my instrument to get better.
• And actually I have a monthly goal of releasing at least one track every month.

What keeps you motivated to continue making music?

One of my dreams is to have a good world, equal for everyone, with joy and positivity and I think my music is the only weapon I have to achieve that. So until this dream comes true, motivation is there.

What song would you choose as the soundtrack of your life?

This is really hard, there are so many songs that speak to me. I think the Bob Marley song named “Who the cap fit” will be the winner this time. One of my original compositions, titled “Mokpokpo,” also

What's your favorite feature on ToneGym, and how has it helped you in your musical journey?

I like all of them but I love the ones that make me struggle: Solfègiator, Route VI, Invertionist, and Notationist. Those exercises are helping me work toward my goal of having an absolute ear. I can see my progress.

What’s something exciting you're working on or looking forward to?

Probably too many things really… I’m still a student in the school of music. Right now, I’m finishing up my next monthly track ; and I’m working on my album “Cri de l’âme” which is a triptych fusionning afrobeat, jazz and reggae.

You can follow Zaye on his Instagram, and Facebook. You can also listen to his music at Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, Soundcloud, and Deezer

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