Akon has just about done it all as an artist. He has 12 Billboard Hot 100 hits, and he’s the only artist to occupy the top two spots on the chart twice. Akon also recently dropped his latest project, Beautiful Day, and is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his Konvicted album.
But if that’s not enough, the “Locked Up” singer recently revealed he’s working on a country album.
Appearing on the Won of One: A PLLRS Podcast, Akon shared what inspired him to enter his country music era.
“Now, I’m making original country songs. We got to the point where we did real research. I didn’t realize how many country music fans wanted to hear an Akon album. They were like, ‘We want to hear you do original records,’ Akon told host Reginald Calixte.
“So, we started to pivot to doing original records, and I’m going to do a specialty album with all of my hits redone in country after I release the [album of original country music songs].”
Elsewhere in the interview, Akon spoke about how his criminal past was the catalyst for his music career.
“I needed to get locked up around that time for me to say, ‘Ok, I need a better life. I want to go in a better direction,” Akon explains. “I now completely know my main purpose in life and why I’m here.”
WYCLEF JEAN’S LIFE-CHANGING ADVICE
Akon then went on to say how Wyclef Jean gave him some advice that changed his life.
“When Wyclef met me, I would come to the studio because I was running from the cops. The studio was my alibi. ‘Clef knew I was up to something ‘cause I came there sweating in a different car,” he explains. “After a while, he pulled me aside like, ‘You got to chill, man. You have some good talent; you need to focus. Figure it out.’”
He also shared why record executives rejected T-Pain when he was trying to get him signed to a label.
“When we brought his demo into the building, they laughed us out of there. We went to Universal. They were clearly joining us out because he wasn’t the most handsome guy in the world,” he explains. “He wasn’t the typical profile of what they were looking for, that they considered what a star was.”