Interview on Roundhouse Radio's, "Live from Railtown" - December 31, 2016
http://bit.ly/2i0m9MA
CBC's "Our Ottawa" Television Interview with Adrian Harewood, March 19, 2016
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2685624426
CBC Ottawa Morning Interview, April 17, 2015
Public servant by day, jazz and soul singer, by night.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2664536245
Apt613
The soothing songs of Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah
Written by Alejandro Bustos, published on Tuesday December 23rd, 2014
http://apt613.ca/the-captivating-songs-and-words-of-yaa-hemaa-obiri-yeboah/
Sometimes you can find the most amazing people in your office building.
As a federal government employee, I often interact with talented co-workers who engage in fascinating pursuits outside of the office. People like Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah, whose large talent and imagination is impressive.
During the day, she works as a federal inspection officer who reviews and supports Canada’s wide network of embassies and consulates around the world. During her spare time, however, she is a musician with a beautiful voice and blogger with an intelligent pen.
(Full Disclosure: Yaa-Hemaa works in the same Department as me but in a different branch. I first met her a few years ago when we were then working in the same area).
Given that we now work in different sections, our paths rarely cross. Then this past fall I noticed that she had put some of her music online and after doing some research on her artistic work contacted her to speak about her musical side.
What I found was a musician with a lovely voice, mixed with soothing piano melodies that would fit in perfectly at a jazz bar.
“I have always been involved with music. I started classical piano training at five and continued well up to high school,” Yaa-Hemaa tells me in an interview. ”I feel quite comfortable at playing jazz, soul and R&B. I don’t want to close myself to anything but I think my voice is more suited to that.”
This extensive experience with singing and playing the piano clearly shows in her musical chops. There is no denying that she possess a beautiful voice, as you can see in this clip of her singing a capella her song Sunday. Looking forward, her hope is to eventually release a record of original material.
“My initial goal was to have enough songs for an EP, but if I can have enough for a full album then I will do it,” says Yaa-Hemaa, who studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.
Working on music, however, is only one side of her creative output, as she also writes and blogs. On top of her articles for The Huffington Post, she is the founder of the The Y Variable blog, in addition to her own online music site.
With this creative output this is one Ottawa-resident you should keep an eye out for.
Sometimes you can find the most amazing people in your office building.
As a federal government employee, I often interact with talented co-workers who engage in fascinating pursuits outside of the office. People like Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah, whose large talent and imagination is impressive.
During the day, she works as a federal inspection officer who reviews and supports Canada’s wide network of embassies and consulates around the world. During her spare time, however, she is a musician with a beautiful voice and blogger with an intelligent pen.
(Full Disclosure: Yaa-Hemaa works in the same Department as me but in a different branch. I first met her a few years ago when we were then working in the same area).
Given that we now work in different sections, our paths rarely cross. Then this past fall I noticed that she had put some of her music online and after doing some research on her artistic work contacted her to speak about her musical side.
What I found was a musician with a lovely voice, mixed with soothing piano melodies that would fit in perfectly at a jazz bar.
“I have always been involved with music. I started classical piano training at five and continued well up to high school,” Yaa-Hemaa tells me in an interview. ”I feel quite comfortable at playing jazz, soul and R&B. I don’t want to close myself to anything but I think my voice is more suited to that.”
This extensive experience with singing and playing the piano clearly shows in her musical chops. There is no denying that she possess a beautiful voice, as you can see in this clip of her singing a capella her song Sunday. Looking forward, her hope is to eventually release a record of original material.
“My initial goal was to have enough songs for an EP, but if I can have enough for a full album then I will do it,” says Yaa-Hemaa, who studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.
Working on music, however, is only one side of her creative output, as she also writes and blogs. On top of her articles for The Huffington Post, she is the founder of the The Y Variable blog, in addition to her own online music site.
With this creative output this is one Ottawa-resident you should keep an eye out for.
ByBlacks.com
Hear My Voice: Meet Yaa-Hemaa
Written by Kayla Thompson, published on September 30th, 2014
http://byblacks.com/profiles/artists/item/979-hear-my-voice-meet-yaa-hemaa
By day, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri - Yeboah is an inspection officer with the federal government in Ottawa. But outside of the 9-5 realm she is a singer, song-writer, pianist, and founder of theyvariable.com.
Her story began at the age of two, when her family fled Ghana. Her father was in the military at the time and did not want to be a part of the Rawlings military coup in the early 80's. After spending a short period of time in Nigeria, Yaa-Hemaa and her family found refuge in Vancouver, where she spent the first 20 years of her life.
She did her Undergrad at the University of British Columbia where she was an Arts One student. She was a mentor to youth in the African-Canadian community and in 2003, she received a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University in England.
In 2011, Yaa-Hemaa joined the YBP (Young Black Professionals) and was on the executive committee until 2013. During her time with the organization she was inspired to create her own blog, theyvariable.com. An outlet that expressed her passion for the arts, culture and society. She is still an active member of the YBP and believes in the message of facilitating connections between Black professionals.
theyvariable.com is a blog site that discusses culture, relationships, society, wellness and random thoughts and opinions from Yaa-Hemaa. The blog was created so that she could enter the world of writing on her own terms and eventually turn in into a career. Speaking out about social issues as diverse as black hair and iconic figures such as Maya Angelou.
In an interview with the YBP, Yaa-Hemaa speaks about success and how being grateful for what you already have is a part of the process. "Not worrying about what other people are doing. In a society that is so affected by social media and popularity, it is difficult to stay in your own lane.” Having goals and being disciplined is what Yaa-Hemaa suggests and has done for herself.
Yaa- Hemaa has experienced many struggles and at times questions whether she has chosen the right path. “There are times when I haven’t received what I wanted. In the moment it was difficult, but looking back, I can see that the ‘nos’ or ‘delays’ were good things. The denials are essential to defining our paths.” During those times she would remember that she once had the approval of a panel of people who believed she deserved to be a Rhodes Scholar. That moment, along with the launch of her music site, yaahemaa.com is what keeps her going. (You can also find her music at soundcloud.com/yaahemaa)
"As with anything in life, one needs more than talent. I’ll borrow a great line from a friend who said that these three things are necessary for any person to become a success: audacity, focus, and sweat. Hard work, hard work and more hard work. " This is the kind of advice that Yaa-Hemaa gives to anyone who has their mind set on changing their circumstances.
As Vice President of the Canadian Association of Rhodes Scholars, she volunteers her talents for events in various communities; performing at fundraisers and benefits. She believes it is a great way to give back and show appreciation for the work of community organizations.
"I’m at the beginning stages of a music career and so I am still in learning mode. I haven’t yet signed on to a label, key word is “yet”! I want to create a good foundation to ensure I fully understand the business side in addition to the creative side."
By day, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri - Yeboah is an inspection officer with the federal government in Ottawa. But outside of the 9-5 realm she is a singer, song-writer, pianist, and founder of theyvariable.com.
Her story began at the age of two, when her family fled Ghana. Her father was in the military at the time and did not want to be a part of the Rawlings military coup in the early 80's. After spending a short period of time in Nigeria, Yaa-Hemaa and her family found refuge in Vancouver, where she spent the first 20 years of her life.
She did her Undergrad at the University of British Columbia where she was an Arts One student. She was a mentor to youth in the African-Canadian community and in 2003, she received a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University in England.
In 2011, Yaa-Hemaa joined the YBP (Young Black Professionals) and was on the executive committee until 2013. During her time with the organization she was inspired to create her own blog, theyvariable.com. An outlet that expressed her passion for the arts, culture and society. She is still an active member of the YBP and believes in the message of facilitating connections between Black professionals.
theyvariable.com is a blog site that discusses culture, relationships, society, wellness and random thoughts and opinions from Yaa-Hemaa. The blog was created so that she could enter the world of writing on her own terms and eventually turn in into a career. Speaking out about social issues as diverse as black hair and iconic figures such as Maya Angelou.
In an interview with the YBP, Yaa-Hemaa speaks about success and how being grateful for what you already have is a part of the process. "Not worrying about what other people are doing. In a society that is so affected by social media and popularity, it is difficult to stay in your own lane.” Having goals and being disciplined is what Yaa-Hemaa suggests and has done for herself.
Yaa- Hemaa has experienced many struggles and at times questions whether she has chosen the right path. “There are times when I haven’t received what I wanted. In the moment it was difficult, but looking back, I can see that the ‘nos’ or ‘delays’ were good things. The denials are essential to defining our paths.” During those times she would remember that she once had the approval of a panel of people who believed she deserved to be a Rhodes Scholar. That moment, along with the launch of her music site, yaahemaa.com is what keeps her going. (You can also find her music at soundcloud.com/yaahemaa)
"As with anything in life, one needs more than talent. I’ll borrow a great line from a friend who said that these three things are necessary for any person to become a success: audacity, focus, and sweat. Hard work, hard work and more hard work. " This is the kind of advice that Yaa-Hemaa gives to anyone who has their mind set on changing their circumstances.
As Vice President of the Canadian Association of Rhodes Scholars, she volunteers her talents for events in various communities; performing at fundraisers and benefits. She believes it is a great way to give back and show appreciation for the work of community organizations.
"I’m at the beginning stages of a music career and so I am still in learning mode. I haven’t yet signed on to a label, key word is “yet”! I want to create a good foundation to ensure I fully understand the business side in addition to the creative side."