Emmanuel Opare-Addo first played percussion as an 11-year-old.
His passion for music was quickly ignited and within a few years he was also singing, dancing and rapping.
This month he will release his first mixtape, Transitions, a mixture of original tracks that talk about love and life as a 23-year-old balancing the demands of studying, working, music and love.
The Roxburgh Park musician says the album’s name references a turning point in his life, when he decided to dedicate more of his time to music.
“I decided to make a change in my life and pursue something I’m passionate about,” says Opare-Addo, who is known as ‘Junior’ among friends and ‘Manny J’ in the music industry.
Work began on the album almost 12 months ago with the aid of his brother, Michael, who helped produce.
The Opare-Addo family moved to Australia 15 years ago from Japan, where they lived for five years. Hence the Japanese Kanji on the album cover, which spells out Michael’s pseudonym in Chinese characters.
There’s a busy year ahead for the rapper, who is also studying biomedical science at Victoria University and working part time in retail at a Broadmeadows shopping centre.
