Seamlessly weaving together a collection of genres such as Rock, Reggae, Pop and Funk, Ricky Persaud, Jr. creates an experience unlike any other with his music. While he has not only created tracks that are beautiful and sophisticated, he tackles a variety of social and personal issues that speak to the current political climate and the complexities of our own lives, especially in a time such as this. Persaud brings up important topics like racial injustice and brings light to his own struggles with depression as a way to help himself cope and deliver his messages and understanding to a greater audience.
Persaud’s latest album, “M.Y.O.B.” is what he defines as his most personal album to date. “Before, I wasn’t really talking about my personal emotions. But with this one, I really let it all out there. ‘MYOB’ is a coming of age story of knowing one’s true self.” With each song presenting a new take on life and getting to know yourself, he’s created an album filled with tracks that are compelling and artistically sound.
Growing up in a home filled with music, Persaud was quick to pick up an instrument. “It was like growing up in a Guitar Center and there was just so much music at my fingertips. Essentially, my first instrument I started back when I was 1 year old, and that was when my parents bought me a bongo set for Christmas. Ever since then, I just fell in love with music.”
Music has always been Persaud’s emotional and creative outlet. He described childhood encounters with bullies and how his mother encouraged him to put his emotions onto paper, writing lyrics that eventually translated into music. This continues to be his outlet, as can be seen in the title track of the album. “M.Y.O.B.” is the aftermath of issues that came up between Persaud and one of his ex band mates over the use of his image in projects that he was not affiliated with. “Instead of taking out my anger on him personally, I just made it into a song. And that’s literally what “Mind Your Own Business” means. I also made the song so other people who have gone through similar situations, who are being taken advantage of know their self worth and can stand up for themselves.”
Tracks on this album, such as “We’re Gonna Get Through This,” address the current political and social situation where the country is dealing with racial injustices and so much more. “‘We’re Gonna Get Through This’ is definitely one that really hits home because it talks about our current situation with lockdown and all the racial injustices happening in the system. When I wrote this song, I sat down and it just wrote itself.”
Persaud also discussed his song “N.G.U.,” an acronym meaning “Never Giving Up,” describing what it means to him. “It’s a song about dealing with depression. This is a good example of me going into a deep place and talking about things I’ve never talked about before.”
With so much enthusiasm and interest in public affairs, Persaud is going to be someone to look out for in the coming days. He hopes to be back on tour as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic allows and is excited to be able to share and perform his music to an amazing audience as he has so many times before.
