Stonebwoy shows off his “Powerhouse” vocal mic on Grammy’s “It Goes To 11” series

When it comes to recording his vocals, there’s only one microphone Stonebwoy trusts: his bright orange Shure SM7B.

“I was feeling the weight,” he says of the first time he used the mic. “That’s how I can describe it: like there’s some weight and some depth and some quality of voice that you get from this microphone.”

The Ghanaian musician carries the “powerhouse” mic with him everywhere he goes, so he can lay down an idea whenever inspiration strikes. “It gives you a crisp sound,” he adds, “and also, it does capture my voice in a way that I appreciate — there’s some truth with it…I feel good when it’s able to interpret what I’m putting into it emotionally.”

Stonebwoy’s technical gear has certainly come a long way from his early days of experimenting, when he’d steal his dad’s tape recorder and record on cassettes with his friends.

“Those tapes had music or, probably, messages, you know, ’cause he was a church man. So he has preaching on tapes and stuff,” the Afropop artist recalls of his father. “Now he plays side A and the preaching plays nice; plays side B and there’s [imitates thumping music.]

Press play on the video above to learn more about Stonebwoy’s recording journey, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of It Goes To 11.