Over the past decade, Robert Asare has established his ground breaking alter ego, Beyonder, as a distinct and towering presence on the UK spoken word scene. The five-time poetry slam champion is a former Business Systems analyst, whose creative journey began after a friend invited him to ‘Urban Griots’. The event was favoured by artists such as Floetry (Natalie ‘The Floacist’ Stewart and Marsha ‘The Songstress’ Ambrosius), and Ty. This impromptu visit would ultimately be fate’s guiding intervention.
After being inspired by the performances he’d witnessed, Beyonder’s career as a poet was ignited. He began performing regularly at Urban Griots’ open mic sessions giving him the platform to build a die-hard following.
Though a hobby at that point, he began performing under the stage name, The Lyricist. This quickly changed due to a personal epiphany. ‘I remember I wrote this piece, it was a long piece actually. That was like the casting off that particular side of me, out went The Lyricist and in came Beyonder’
The stage name comes from the poet’s love of Marvel and DC comics cultivated as a child. Described as an omnipotent being with the ability to create and destroy universes, The Beyonder was one of the most powerful Marvel characters ever created. The poet almost personifies his animated namesake sharing characteristics that include boundless energy, a presence that is certainly felt by his audience and an interest in going beyond face value perceptions. The character resonated so much that it even influenced his childhood play. ‘When you play football, you know, it was I’m Maradonna or I’m Pele. I use to do that and then one day I just kinda switched to actually I’m Beyonder, I’m beyond all that! Squash that!’
The sentiment also translates into the artist’s performances when he hits the stage. ‘Once performing it’s like energy is being released and you’re engaging with your audience. You feed them the energy and they feed you back and you ride that energy throughout the performance. That’s when it becomes effortless.’
Always striving to do and be more, Beyonder continues to evolve and aim to reach the pinnacle of greatness. A poet, actor, vocal artist and innovator, Beyonder is an infinite threat with talent that transcends limitations. In fact, limitations don’t even feature in his universe.
The self-described Multimedia Artist defies convention by presenting his art through various mediums ‘I like to create my work on the page, and then translate it into multiple types of media. So create performance, music, film, animation or comics’. His achievements include the creation of the short film Digitalis, which not only screened everywhere from The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) to the British Museum, but also received a nomination at the prestigious Raindance Film Festival.
His high risk transition from a traditional career to the arts is a true reflection of a man confident in his abilities with an unshakable belief in his artistry. A performer who has solidified the respect of his peers, it is evident that no matter which project Beyonder undertakes he is no longer a rising star. He’s a supernova.
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