TUL8TE
Photo: Mostafa Adry
interview
Since his debut with 2023's 'MAGHOOL,' TUL8TE has quickly become the newest face of Gen Z Arab Pop. In his first-ever interview, learn more about his influences and writing process, as well as why he's "honored" to be representing his country.
Danny Hajjar
|GRAMMYs/Oct 8, 2024 - 03:29 pm
"HABEEBY LEH" may be TUL8TE's global breakthrough single, but it's also a very important part of who he is. Both the song and its music video pay tribute to the viral masked artist's home country of Egypt, from several sonic nods to Egyptian pop icon Amr Diab to a visual filmed on the streets of Cairo. But the popularity of "HABEEBY LEH" has rapidly expanded beyond Egypt's borders.
In the two months since the music video launched on YouTube, "HABEEBY LEH" has racked up over 12 million views as of press time. The song — a track on TUL8TE's second album, Cocktail Ghena'y — also has over 10 million streams on Spotify, over 8 million streams on regional platform Anghami, and has been used in over 61,000 videos on TikTok.
For an independent artist in the Middle East and North Africa performing in Arabic, those are eye-popping numbers. What's even more remarkable is that all of this happened organically, without a single dollar spent on marketing or promotion for the Cocktail Ghena'y's release — a global success for regional talent rarely seen without support from a major label.
While Arab artists in diaspora communities, such as Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna and Moroccan pop star DYSTINCT, have helped bring Arabic music to the global forefront in recent years, TUL8TE is doing so in a way his peers aren't. Based in Egypt, his homegrown approach brings the language and the music straight from the Middle East and North Africa directly, organically tapping into the cultural zeitgeist and building a grassroots foundation on his own.
Of course, a major part of his appeal is also thanks to his anonymity. TUL8TE has become known for his wearing a white knit mask, only adding to the intrigue around the Egyptian sensation. But in TUL8TE's eyes, his physical identity isn't important to his artistry.
"It doesn't matter who the performer is, what matters is how the listener interprets the music and lyricism. It has resonated with people of all cultures, and that is what matters," TUL8TE emphasizes to GRAMMY.com. "Music is for the people."
Since debuting in May 2023 with his first EP, MAGHOOL, the singer's global appeal has increased with each release. While his first album, TESH SHABAB, saw success in the Middle East, it was Cocktail Ghena'y that cemented him as the new face of Gen Z Arab pop.
The project emphasized his musical versatility even more than its predecessors; the first half of Cocktail Ghena'y features elements of flamenco and Arab rhythms, while the second half weaves trap- and R&B-inspired beats with melancholic melodies to help his silky voice shine. As the LP shows, TUL8TE's modern take on Arabic music makes his sound as relatable to people in his community as it is to listeners around the world — which is exactly why he's on the path to global superstardom.
In his first official interview, TUL8TE spoke with GRAMMY.com about the global success of Cocktail Ghena'y, his artistic vision, and why he'll always stay true to his roots.
Your album Cocktail Ghena'y has achieved massive global success. How does it feel to see your music reach listeners beyond Egypt and even beyond the Middle East and North Africa?
It's incredibly rewarding to see the music I created in my bedroom resonate with people around the world. Knowing that listeners from different cultures and backgrounds connect with my work is both humbling and creatively energizing. It pushes me to keep evolving and making music with even more passion.
Within the emerging Arabic scene, we've seen diaspora Arab artists gain global success. What does it mean to see you, as a homegrown artist from the region, achieve such a growing fanbase at a rapid pace—all organically? Did you ever imagine this kind of global attention?
Honestly, I never imagined my music would receive this level of global attention. I was simply focused on enjoying the creative process, staying true to myself, and hopefully inspiring others, especially younger generations. To see this response has been an incredible blessing, not just for me but for those who have supported me along the way.
Throughout your album, you vulnerably explore the rollercoaster of emotions when going through love and loss. What is your writing process like, and how did you decide to candidly open up in this way on the album?
My writing process is deeply personal, and I strive for authenticity in every track. Love and loss are universal experiences, and I wanted to express those emotional highs and lows in a raw and honest way. I believe that vulnerability allows for a deeper connection with listeners, and that was my goal—to create something people can genuinely relate to.
Your album is divided into two distinct sounds: one that is reminiscent of '90s Amr Diab with a cultural blend of Arab instruments and Spanish flamenco, and the other more experimental with elements of trap and R&B akin to Travis Scott. Can you share a little bit about why the album is broken up this way and how you decided to take this approach?
I've always been drawn to blending genres that reflect my own diverse musical influences. The album naturally evolved into a mix of sounds—on one hand, there's the nostalgic nod to artists like Amr Diab who shaped my upbringing, and on the other, there's a more experimental side that reflects my passion for modern genres like flamenco, bossa nova, and psychedelic rock, et cetera. It wasn't a calculated decision, but rather an organic reflection of what I enjoy and consider good music.
Speaking of Amr Diab, it's clear that you have an affinity with his music, and we've seen you pay homage to him in your music videos. Can you tell me a bit about the impact he has had on you and your music?
Amr Diab is a legendary artist and a profound inspiration for me. He embodies the power of self-belief and shows how it can lead to extraordinary achievements. His innovative spirit and willingness to experiment with different genres have paved the way for younger generations, including myself.
With this massive global audience, do you feel a responsibility to represent the new wave of Egyptian and Arab artists to the world and to be the face of this scene?
I'm honored to be part of a movement that's showcasing the richness of our culture to a global audience. But I try not to get too caught up in the idea of being a "representative." My focus is on staying authentic to my own creative journey and letting the music speak for itself. That's where I find the most joy and fulfillment.
Who are some of the people that you credit for getting you into music and getting your career going?
I owe a lot to the support of friends and family, but I have to specifically mention Lege-Cy and Hady Moamer. Their guidance in the early stages of my career opened my eyes to different ways of creating music, and that foundation has been instrumental in shaping who I am as an artist today.
Are you planning to go on tour and perform your music in front of a live audience?
Absolutely! Performing live has always been a dream of mine, and I'm fully committed to making that happen. There's something magical about sharing that energy with a live audience.
Do you feel like you've made it? What's next for you?
The concept of "making it" is fluid. There's always more to learn, more to create, and more to accomplish, so I wouldn't say I've made it just yet. My focus is on continuing to grow, staying true to what I love, and seeing where that takes me next.
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Black Sherif performs on day one of Way Out West Festival 2023 on August 1 in Gothenburg, Sweden
Photo: Rune Hellestad - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
list
In the 1990s, artists and producers from Accra merged the sound and aesthetic of American hip-hop with their Ghanaian sounds and culture. The resulting genre, hiplife, significantly influenced the music coming from Ghana and the African continent.
Nana Kojo Mula
|GRAMMYs/Aug 20, 2024 - 01:30 pm
Ghana has been home to some of the most recognizable musical exports from the African continent, contributing heavily to the globalization and development of the continent's sound. While highlife is regarded as the country’s biggest sonic export, the introduction of hiplife some 30 years ago invigorated the Ghanaian music scene and birthed some of the country's most important artists.
Hiplife music blends hip-hop from the West with Ghanaian highlife sounds like Jama and Kpanlogo — a sound and dance by the Ga people, who make use of nono (metal bell), fao (gourd rattle), and local drums to play beats. These elements were fused with funk, bass, and boom-bap to create hiplife. Hiplife and hip-hop have aural similarities and both use rapping; both genres also reflect a larger culture.
While Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is considered one of the earliest rappers, as demonstrated on his 1973 song "Simigwa-Do," the term "hiplife" was only coined in the late 1990s by genre pioneer Reggie Rockstone. Still, American hip-hop had arrived in the Ghanaian capital of Accra by the early '90s and local rappers began to release their own music soon after. Duo Talking Drum were among this early cohort, and their single "Aden" was an underground hit in 1993.
As a movement and culture, hiplife is also an identity, created to encourage people to be daring in their exploration of sound. Pioneering hiplife artists like Root Eye Samini and Shatta Wale (then known as Bandana) fused dancehall and highlife in the early 2000s to make music which could connect with local audiences.
Collaborations between artists and producers have been crucial in defining the sound, evolution, and amplification of hiplife. Just as hip-hop has developed a plethora of subgenres, hiplife has birthed other sounds such as azonto and asakaa. An offshoot of asakaa, Ghanaian drill, was among the elements in the new Best African Music Performance Category at the 2024 GRAMMYs.
The story of hiplife includes many important producers, artists and labels, including Kassa Records, DJ Rab, Zapp Mallet, Akyeame, Panji Anoff, JayQ, Hammer, Ex Doe, Chicago, and Okomfour Kwadee. Going forward, the mantle will fall on artists like TicTac, Abrewa Nana, Appietus, and much later a younger generation including Asem, Richie Mensah, and Beeztrap KOTM continue to amplify hiplife. Afrobeats artists have also taken notice; Tic Tac and Tony Tetuila’s "Fefe Ne Fe" was sampled on the 2019 song "Gbese" by DJ Tunez feat. Wizkid and Blaqjerzee.
With African music continuing to gain global recognition, the rich sounds emanating from the African continent are ripe for exploration. Read on for 10 artists who have been essential to the story of hiplife music.
Reggie Rockstone
Reggie Rockstone is regarded by many Ghanaians as the godfather of hiplife, having paved the path for many to pursue rapping as a career. Working with producers like the late Rab Bakari (DJ Rab Bakari), Reggie set the ball rolling for hiplife through songs like "Tsooboi."
His 1997 album Makaa Maka offered an early template for the sound, fusing Western-influenced hip-hop with traditional Ghanaian highlife sounds. The linguistically adept Reggie Rockstone — a Ghanaian boy who was raised in the UK and New York — rapped in both English and impeccable Ghanaian Twi to the shock and admiration of many. By this singular act, he proved that it was cool to rap in your own dialect and not necessarily in English, like American rappers of the '90s.
Reggie's will to make Ghanaian rap music stand out via releases like Me Na Me Kae, and Me Ka did not go unrewarded. He also scored hits with his singles "Keep Your Eyes on the Road," "Plan Ben," and "AH." He has also collaborated withdancehall giant Beenie Man and Nigerian legend 2Face.
Lord Kenya
Lord Kenya rose to fame when he joined Slip Music, one of Ghana’s celebrated music labels of the late '90s and mid-2000s. His musicality was undeniable, and his hardcore rap style was adored by many for its energetic flow and delivery. Likened to Tupac Shakur, Kenya was very direct whenever he was on the mic. He never shied away from any lyrical battle thus earning him the title "rap heavyweight." His swagger on and off the mic made him a star, with many eager to catch him anytime he performed.
Lord Kenya's street affinity, coupled with great stage performances, left a mark on Ghanaian audiences. His albums — including 1998's Sika Card, Yesom Sika, and Sika Baa — solidified his position as one of hiplife’s most important artists. Kenya's hit singles "Enyomo," "Medo" and "Sika Mpo Mfa Neho" as well as his verse on the late Daseebre Dwamena’s song, "Kookoo" ushered in a street approach to the rap scene, as seen in the careers of rappers like Kwaw Kese and Kweku Smoke in later years.
Obrafour
Revered, celebrated, and crowned by music rap purists in Ghana as "Rap Sofo" (high priest of rap), Obrafour influenced multiple generations of rappers in Ghana. The artist first gained popularity in the late '90s with his cadence and mastery over his mother tongue, Twi, as well as his storytelling, lyricism, and wisdom.
Obrafour’s flow complemented the work of legendary producer Hammer, who brought hard-hitting drums, horns, and legendary sharp chords to Obrafour’s 1999 album Pae Mu Ka. The album is regarded as the bridge that connected older audiences who dismissed hiplife as a passing fad and the youth, who regarded hiplife as the future of Ghanaian music. Today, Pae Mu Ka is as important to hiplife as Nas’ Illmatic is to hip-hop.
Pae Mu Ka was the first of several collaborations between Obrafour and Hammer. Together, they created a sound that would influence generations of rappers. Obrafour is held in high regard by rappers such as M.anifest, Guru, Ko-Jo Cue, and Pappy Kojo.
VIP
Established in Nima, a suburb of Accra, VIP underwent significant personnel changes but never let their commitment to hiplife music falter. Original member Friction later onboarded Promzy, Prodigal, and Lazzy (who later changed his name to Zeal), and Bone championed the vision of the group for over a decade (as well as the departure of Friction, Bone and Promzy).
Backed by the group's diverse personalities, VIP quickly became one of the biggest music exports of the country, winning six awards at the Ghana Music Awards in (2004), including Song Of The Year for the 2003 hit title track "Ahomka Wo Mu." Over a two-decade period, the group released albums and scored several hits and collaborated with some of the continent's finest, including 2Face, Patoranking and a host of others. Vision in Progress (VIP) epitomized the cultural ethos of hiplife: raw energy, passion and talent.
When Reggie Rockstone, a longtime admirer of the group, arrived in 2014, the group became VVIP. The group’s success would be further cemented as they crossed over into Nigeria and other parts of the world. "Ahomka Wo Mu" has been sampled and interpolated by various musicians, including songs by MUT4Y & Wizkid and Kida Kudz.
Tinny
While Twi rapping artists dominated the hiplife music industry, very few artists were successfully making music in other local dialects. Tinny — a rapper who raps in Ga, a language spoken by the people of Accra — rose to the occasion with both rap and fashion. Another product of Hammer’s Last Two record label, Tinny had an unmatched aura that earned him the moniker "Sexy Man Tinny." Early aughts albums such as Makola Kwakwe, Aletse (Akwe Polo), and Kaa Bu Ame still echo in today’s industry. His later works with record producer Richie Mensah on singles like "Ringtone" and "Now I Know" further entrenched his name in Ghana’s hiplife history.
Tinny’s will to pursue rap music in Ga laid the foundation for artists such as Edem, who raps predominantly in Ewe and to a degree music duo Blackstone who performed in Dagbani. Tinny also featured in the BET Hiphop Awards International Cypher (Ghana) alongside Reggie Rockstone, Sarkodie, D Black, Edem, Kwaku-T and Baby G (2010).
Mzbel
In a male-dominated industry, Mzbel created change that still reverberates today through the careers of women like Amaarae, Wendy Shay, Sister Afia and Gyakie. Following in the footsteps of those before her, like Abrewa Nana (a household name in the early 2000s for her role as one of the leading female artists in hiplife), Mzbel's singing and rap skills were not just catchy, but thought-provoking with themes of love, sex, body positivity, and addressing abuse.
Mzbel's non-conformity made her a target by some aspects of the industry. The general public who felt she was a bad influence on younger girls, due to the sensuality in her lyrics and imagery. Yet she was unphased. Mzbel scored national hits with her albums Awosome, and 2005's 16 Years, and touched on issues many regarded as controversial. The rapper stood up for women’s rights and encouraged women to be vocal about things society heavily criticizes women for. She ensured that women were not bullied into silence but instead express themselves fully through art. Her hit single "16 Years" with the late Castro touched on the issue of sexual harassment and abuse young girls face at the hands of older men and, as such, became a national topic.
Sarkodie
Since bursting onto the scene in 2008, Sarkodie has churned out multiple hits year after year with a unique flow and delivery. His records touch on multiple subjects, including friendship, family, love, heartbreak, and bad governance. His hold over rap in Ghana has been extended across the continent, making him one of the most influential rappers in Africa.
In 2012, Sarkodie played a pivotal role in the amplification of azonto music (an offshoot of hiplife that melds dance music genre from the early 2010s with upbeat fast-paced sounds and witty comical lyrics) with his song "U Go Kill Me" with fellow rapper E.L. Winning "Artist Of The Decade at the" Ghana Music Awards (2019), cemented his influence and status.
Rapping predominantly in Twi, Sarkodie’s ability to find pockets on the beat has made him a frequent featured artist by the likes of Mr. Eazi, Ice Prince, Flavour, Victoria Kimani, Patoranking and a host of other important artists in Africa. Sarkodie won Best International Act: Africa (2012) and the inaugural Best International Flow at the BET Hiphop Awards in 2019.
Asakaa Boys
In a time when hiplife had taken a back seat to Afrobeats and amapiano on the Ghanaian market, a group of artists from Kumasi (Kumerica) — a slang used to describe people of Kumasi who enthusiasts of American music and culture — burst onto the scene via asakaa, or Ghanaian drill. Inspired by Pop Smoke’s drill music, the sound reflects their lifestyle on the streets of Kumasi, hiplife elements, and American hip-hop culture such as fashion.
The name asakaa originates from the word saka, a flipped slang of the Twi word kasa, which means to speak. Saka, a style of speaking where words are pronounced backwards, was heard in the songs that were released by the Asakaa Boys. The asakaa sound is credited to the Kumasi-based Life Living Records, and signees Jay Bahd, Kawabanga, O’Kenneth, City Boy, Kwaku DMC, Reggie, Sean Lifer, Braa Benk and Skyface SDW under the moniker The Asakaa Boys.
With songs like "Akatafoc", "Sore," and "Agyeiwaa," and leading the charge, Asakaa (Ghanaian Drill) has gained recognition locally and internationally in the 2020s.
Black Sherif
Black Sherif may be young, but he has already charted a path of success for himself in Ghana’s music industry which many are yet to match. Black Sherif’s sound, writing, fashion, and mannerisms have earned him admiration. He first tasted popularity when his song "Money" went viral in 2019; two years later he regained public attention in 2021 with his First and Second Sermon songs and after a Burna Boy cosign on "Second Sermon Remix," Black Sherif's popularity soared.
The artist has gone on to deliver multiple hit songs such as "Kweku The Traveller," "Soja," and a monstrous guest verse on Odumodu Blvck’s "Wotowoto Seasoning." In 2023 he won Artiste of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards and aBET Awards Best International Award. Additionally, he has performed on global stages atMOBO Awards, Wireless Festival, and 2023's AfroNation.
King Paluta
With a charisma like that of Lord Kenya, King Paluta is an energetic rapper with some "thugness" in his delivery influenced by life on the streets of Kumasi. As a young man, he often slept in the studio, where he learned how to operate the equipment in the studio and dropped his first official single in 2015.
Despite releasing music and being popular in Kumasi, he would only gain national attention in 2023 for "Yahitte," which earned him the award as the Best New Artist at The Ghana Music Awards in 2024. In the 2024 alone, he has scored two charting-topping singles, "Aseda" and "Makoma," making him arguably the hottest artist in Ghana.
As a student of hiplife, King Paluta has fully embodied the genre as evident in his music. He has positioned himself to carry on the legacy of those before him as far as hiplife is concerned, and he is on track thus far.
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Peter Cat Recording Co.
Photo: Salihah Saadiq
interview
Peter Cat Recording Co.'s latest album, 'BETA,' is a study in growth — both sonically and in life. Ahead of an international tour, including dates with Khruangbin, members of the band discuss their aural evolution.
GRAMMYs staff
|GRAMMYs/Aug 13, 2024 - 01:24 pm
With a voice that sounds as if it were emanating from the depths of a smoky lounge somewhere just off the Las Vegas strip, guitarist and singer Suryakant Sawhney beckons you into a world that is at once foreign and very familiar. "Maybe I'm a fool, a fool like you/ Believing in heaven, from inside a zoo," the Peter Cat Recording Co. frontman croons over a sparse melody that swells with each verse.
Wherever in the world we are — the group's latest album begins with silence, then explodes with a speaker-breaking bang designed to disorient — is irrelevant. Peter Cat Recording Co. may be based in New Delhi, India, but the quintet's sonic locale reflects a global interest. Their latest album, BETA, melds guitar-driven rock with jazz, Indian pop, and psychedelia.
"Making something new now is this concerted process you have to take," Sawhney tells GRAMMY.com. "You mix your own culture with what you learned outside your own culture, and you start making these new mutants sort of songs."
These musical mutations appear and evolve through Peter Cat Recording Co.'s catalog. Over multiple studio albums and a compilation, the group has tackled big band ("Portrait Of A Time"), dance music ("Love Demons") and, more recently, surrealist disco on BETA's "21c." But BETA offers more than simply scratching the genre-bending itches of its members; it delivers "stories about the future told 50 years in the past, to make sense of the present, on our only home, planet Earth,” per a press release on the largely songwriting-based project.
The self-produced album tackles themes of marriage, childbirth and beyond. In fact, a child was crucial in the name of their record: Members put five potential album titles in a hat and let drummer Karan Singh's 6-month-old son pick one. BETA — a Hindi word for "child" — was the winner.
On Aug. 14, the group will kick off a 77-date tour through the U.S., Europe, and India, featuring both headlining sets and support for Khruangbin. Suryakant Sawhney and multi-instrumentalist Kartik Sundareshan Pillai spoke with GRAMMY.com about creating BETA, the state of rock bands in India, and more.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Tell us a bit about the seeds that were planted that led to this new record.
Suryakant Sawhney: We had a specific recording session, which I think really jumpstarted the whole process. We all lived in Goa for the last few years, and there was this one little house we rented out; this old, 2-300-year old little cottage, which was owned by a priest. I was trying to do a film shoot or a music video shoot or something, and it just sounded great and looked beautiful.
So we decided to rent it from the church. We landed up there at 2, 3 a.m., set up for a few hours, and I think recorded a bunch of music for five, six hours 'til the dawn.
Kartik Sundareshan Pillai: I think it's that recording space. Later on, [we went to] Joshua Tree and there's another recording studio over there that we worked at for two weeks. Plus, just having a bunch of songs that we knew were going to fit together.
How was the vibe out in Joshua Tree?
Pillai: Yeah, that was pretty incredible. Rabbits and cherries. It was a very, very, very pretty place.
And take us into the writing of the record a little bit. How does that work with you guys?
Sawhney: There's basically three different ways we go about writing a song. One will be, one of the songwriters — in most cases, it's me right now — I'll bring a song which is more than half finished in terms of arrangement, writing lyrics, where the song space is. Then the rest of the band joins in and we try to finish it.
Then there's something which is far more spare, and then everybody just takes a go at it, like adding parts. And then the third variation, there's almost nothing, which is rarer. We’re very much a songwriter-driven project.
Then it takes years to just come to terms with it, make our peace with it, because we also produce it ourselves. We get into this unholy cycle of making it, hating it, wasting our time, then re-recording it, then looking back and being like, "Oh, that was good enough. Why dont it again?" Finally, at the end of the day, you settle with what you have.
I was reading a 'Variety' interview with you guys last year and they called you “One of the last few remaining bands in India.” That was a year ago. What's the landscape in your slice of the country right now as far as indie and guitar music?
Pillai: I think it's more electronic [music happening], but there are lots of bands now slowly coming back. There was one period of time where there was almost nothing, and then now they're starting to kind of pop up here and there, like Donraj, All Parks Are Green. Pacifist.
Then there's some friends of ours who also have makeshift bands. There's another band called Nigambodh.
Sawhney: Who makes a living off being a band? I would say at this point, [there are] very few left.
Kind of the same in America, to be honest. What precipitated interest kicking up, or the number of bands kicking up in the last year or so?
Pillai: Boredom, I guess.
Sawhney: I think it's just that every new generation has to make the same mistake and figure out this is not a very economically viable process. They don't realize it because being a band is initially so cool, or it feels good, then it gets complicated.
There's a lot of hip-hop being made right now in India. It's finally caught up here. And there's little electronic music. I think people who make bands always will definitely for a while be more marginal in the music scene, just because it's such a labor-intensive process, as compared to the other forms of music.
Read more: The Evolution Of Bollywood Music In 10 Songs: From "Awaara Hoon" To "Naatu Naatu"
I also perform as an electronic musician, and I can tell you that's just easier. I go on stage with my mic and my DJ console and everything, and I'm basically doing karaoke. All of that is just so simple compared to being in a band, which is a labor-intensive, economic-intensive life-intensive process. It's a real gamble.
What has Peter Cat Recording Co. done to engender that resilience, as a band, but also a business?
Sawhney: I think we've definitely had moments where it looked really bleak and difficult, and something lucky happens. We also persevered. We did a lot of it ourselves initially and we still do, in terms of learning how to record ourselves, make our own videos, produce ourselves, managing the whole thing. We learned how to produce the music ourselves at a very early stage, and that made us self-sufficient.
Pillai: Songwriting to recording, to producing, mixing, mastering, artwork — literally everything we did learn. Eventually we got management and we also got lucky with labels and people approaching us.
Can you talk about crafting the sound of the new record, or how you wanted it to come across from a production standpoint?
Sawhney: At least in the production aspect, I think there's a bit more experimentation in terms of bringing in non-classically band sounds, moving away from just a guitar-driven thing. There's a lot more sample electronic music, hip-hop related elements. That just comes from the fact that we make multiple kinds of music individually. The band is sort of just one of our things and it becomes something we bring to the band and it adds up slowly.
Some songs just take on a life of their own that way. From my angle, there was definitely a concerted effort to move away from the older sound of Bismillah. I was hoping that there are some instances in the new album where you could sit down and be like, I'm not sure what this is, and still preserve the fact that it's enjoyable and accessible at some point.
Making something new now is this concerted process you have to take. You mix your own culture with what you learned outside your own culture, and you start making these new mutants sort of songs. [The trick is] how to make them sound sincere in a way, without just forcing it.
Pillai: In the songs that I ended up writing, they just come in some kind of burst. For one of the songs, how we actually ended up composing it was [keyboard/trumpet player Rohit] Gupta played the keyboard separately. I went in an hour later when I had woken up and I just sang to what he had already played; that's pretty much already 70 percent the song. I mostly just tend to go with that first moment of inspiration, just follow it through.
Any MVP moments from your bandmates that you'd like to shout out on the record?
Sawhney: Some of them were in Joshua Tree. I think after the last tour we did in America, we had some great moments of [working] on something on the spot.
Pillai: [On "Just Another Love Song"], Suryakant and [bassist Dhruv] Bhola, just played it through. I think we took one take of this song. It was completely fine and we just kept it.
Awesome. And what do you guys have coming up? What would you like to plug?
Sawhney: We have that new album apparently. And then we have a tour coming up, an elaborate, long, drawn-out tour. We'll go to America, we'll go to Europe and we'll end in India in December. And I think in the meantime, we'll be making some more videos. We'll be doing the standard stuff right now and hopefully by the end we'll twist into something more unnecessary.
Where do you see your regional scene going in the next five, 10 years? What trajectory is it on?
Pillai: Not really a cohort. It's just a bunch of bands. The indie scene by itself has been getting bigger ever since 2007, or the '90s even. [I'd expect] more festivals, just more stuff happening in general. Five, 10 years, it should just be bigger,
Sawhney: Bands I don't see going anywhere. I think hip-hop will reach some sort of crescendo. Electronic music is always going to do okay because I think rich people really enjoy it in India. I don't know if that's pessimistic, but that's kind how it works.
Pillai: I think everything's going to be fine.
Do you have a favorite song on 'BETA'?
Pillai: I believe it was the third song, "Suddenly." But it all flows nicely. What's your favorite song?
Sawhney: "Beautiful Life," because I hate my life. [Chuckles lightly.] So it's nice to write a song about a better life.
With reporting by Morgan Enos and Jessica Lipsky
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Yemi Alade
Photo: Emmanuel Oyeleke
interview
Ahead of the release of her latest album, 'Rebel Queen,' Yemi Alade discussed her career over the last decade and what it meant to work with Beyoncé. "That lady has really touched my life in a way that I will never forget"
Douglas Markowitz
|GRAMMYs/Jul 29, 2024 - 01:14 pm
Before Afrobeats icons Burna Boy, WizKid, and Tyla became globally recognized household names, Yemi Alade was the continent’s biggest pop star. On July 26, she will release her sixth studio album, Rebel Queen, which expands her repertoire with a world of adventurous pop sounds.
The Nigerian singer/songwriter burst onto the African pop music scene in 2014 with "Johnny," a now-classic tune that gained acclaim by its iconic video featuring a TV news reporter tracking the titular womanizer. The video made her the first Nigerian female artist to hit 100 million views on YouTube.
Since then, Alade has had an illustrious career, collaborating with artists including Rick Ross, earning another 100 million-view video for "Oh My Gosh," and featuring alongside fellow Africans Mr. Eazi and Tekno on the Beyoncé-curated soundtrack for The Lion King.
Her latest album, Rebel Queen, includes high-profile collaborations with Angélique Kidjo, Ziggy Marley, and dancehall star Konshens. The album promises a genre-jumping journey across the globe, incorporating amapiano ("Soweto to Ibiza"), highlife ("Chairman"), and even reggae ("Peace and Love") and dancehall ("Bop’).
Ahead of Rebel Queen’s release, GRAMMY.com caught up with Alade about her progression as an artist, what it was like to work with Beyoncé and her team, and bridging international success.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Your new album, 'Rebel Queen', contains influences from all over Africa and beyond. Was that intentional?
Yes, you're correct that I wanted to make sure that the album had sounds that I actually genuinely love, from the amapiano influence to dancehall. And also, I personally wanted to go back to the foundation of Afrobeats, which are sounds and genres that I listened to growing up as a kid. When my parents took me to family parties, there were certain melodies and guitar strums that I fell in love with. And I wanted to revisit those nostalgic moments and put it all in this album.
There are a lot of high-profile collaborations on this record, such as Anjélique Kidjo and Ziggy Marley. How did you decide who to work with on 'Rebel Queen'?
Honestly my life is a roller coaster, same for every touring artist. We try to gather as much as we can while being in motion. Anjélique Kidjo is like my music mum, I love her. And when I made the record, "African Woman," who else would I feature on such a song if not Anjélique? And as for Ziggy, he and I have a song that we did previously ("Look Who’s Dancing Now"), which was his song, and he featured me. And I wanted a tit-for-tat moment. So I sent the song to him. I felt like, who else but him? Every feature was necessary to complete the melody for each song, they are such a huge part of each one, not just in the fresh vibe that they bring.
Learn more: Watch Yemi Alade's Enchanting Performance Of "Tomorrow" | Global Spin
It’s been ten years since you broke out with the massive hit "Johnny." Back then, African pop music was relatively unknown in America. Since then, African artists have gained global recognition. Do you see yourself as a pioneer for the current Afropop movement?
I agree with you 100 percent, there is no way you authentically go through the history of, you know, building a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world via music without mentioning a song like "Johnny." It's definitely an honor for me to be the vessel that delivers such amazing music to the world. Of course, there were people way before me who also did the same thing. We're talking about Fela [Kuti]. We're talking about King Sunny Ade. At the end of the day, yes, music is metamorphosing into so much more. And definitely, I'm a pioneer [laughs].
You have a strong sense of storytelling, especially in your music videos. "Johnny" has an entire storyline about a news reporter investigating a womanizer. How important is that kind of storytelling to your music?
Storytelling is a big part of my artistry, because I feel everybody loves a good story. I find that even when I'm writing most times in the studio, there's always a picture I'm trying to paint, and it only makes sense for the visuals to kind of match that most of the time. Except sometimes we decide to make it a performance video because I just feel like dancing.
What’s the most memorable video you’ve ever done?
Every one of my videos has taken a lot of pain, sweat, and even some tears. But I think "Johnny" is such a masterpiece, because it resonated with the entire world, and Africa especially. And it pretty much helped me to stay on my way through the industry, because it became my identity. That song and that video was the platform for the brand and everything that I am today. you know, so that is definitely the most memorable, in a good way.
You've traveled to and performed in America several times in your career. What's your overall impression?
I think I've done four or five American tours. And yo, America is so big [laughs]. My first American tour had me in shambles, because of the flights. I didn't realize that to go from one city to another, I might have to connect once or twice depending on how far I'm going. So the flights had me in shambles, but the energy of the people? Oh my days, lit! America is definitely one of my favorite places. I’m always reminding my agents to make sure that they include American cities on my tours, which is why even for the album listening parties for Rebel Queen, we did the first one in Paris, then London, and then we had to come to New York as well. And then just yesterday, we had one in Lagos as well.
Since you first became popular, a lot of Afrobeats artists have gained a following abroad like Burna Boy and WizKid. It seems as though, at least looking at the artists that break outside of Africa, that the genre is still very male-dominated. Do you agree with that? And do you think there’s potential for more female artists to break out internationally?
Honestly, when I started out, the odds were really way more against women than they are right now, in that, there were female artists sprouting maybe once every two years, or once every year, and barely hanging around long enough. But now, the story is different. And I give kudos to all the women before me and all the women with me. Yes, in a male dominated society, it seems as though my male counterparts get their roses and their flowers for a second. And you know, once in a while someone comes back and remembers, "Oh, there's Yemi Alade." Do you know what I mean?
I was speaking to someone earlier today and I was saying, I think what surprises me the most is that, I feel like there are no expectations of female artists. So like, if we do or we don't, people are just moving on. But I'm not the one to play victim, never. Despite the odds, you see that the females continue to be resilient, because we know. I know deep within that my existence is definitely of value to so many people out there.
What do you think of the upcoming generation of talent like Tems and Ayra Starr and Tyla, who recently won the first GRAMMY Award for Best African Music Performance for "Water?"
Exceptional, exceptional artists. As you just mentioned, they're doing amazingly well. And, you know, these women are unique in their own ways. And I want to just say that I believe it's just the starting point for them. There's so much to come. And there's so many other females that are still en route to greatness.
How have you seen the music industry in Africa evolve? And what sorts of challenges do you think African musicians face today?
I personally feel like, with all the momentum that Afrobeats has got, we need authentic platforms that can actually check the streaming numbers that are coming in for music, especially within Africa. Because at the moment it’s mostly Apple, Spotify, etc. But there are other platforms here in Africa that most Africans use, and they have more of a database compared to Apple and Spotify. We've come to a point where we need to have more credible numbers, because there's millions of people streaming music in Africa that are not on those platforms.
So you think that these local platforms need to be counted alongside Apple and Spotify?
100 percent. In Nigeria there’s two: Audiomack and Boomplay. Boomplay is a big deal.
You’re going on a decade in the industry. In all that time, what's one moment or one achievement that gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment? What are you most proud of in your career?
That’s a big question…I think I have an idea, because there've been so many moments in my life and in my career that have aligned with my dreams coming true. Number one is each time that I'm approached by a complete stranger and the stranger tells me "Oh my God, Yemi. You don't know what your music has done for me. Your music has gotten me through so much grief." Some people walk up to me and tell me that they just had the biggest struggle in their life and they listen to my music, and it always sends them into a realm of joy and happiness. Honestly, I feel accomplished in those moments, because when I record my music, I always say, the thing I'm trying to spread through my music the most is love, joy and happiness. So to have people testify to that, it means to me that the magic is complete, that my job is actually effective. So that makes me feel very accomplished.
On a personal note, an accomplishment that I am most grateful to is the fact that I'm always able to comfortably take care of my family. It's something that I would never play down. You know, I'm just grateful to God for that.
And lastly, aside from winning a GRAMMY through Angelique Kidjo — you know, I've met a lot of amazing people, and Beyoncé is one of them. So at the end of the day, it's a full circle moment for me. I'm just enjoying the ride.
You know, it’s funny you mentioned Beyoncé, I was just about to ask you what it was like to work with her.
Oh my days — wow, working with her, it was such an experience for myself and my team. It was like, we're literally awake, walking in the dreams that we have dreamt for so long.The process of her team contacting us was a bit weird, because my management didn't realize that Parkwood [Entertainment] was a real company, that they were emailing them and talking about Beyoncé. They assumed that it was some kind of scam artist. But when they had sent it to me, I was like "What? Parkwood? Who doesn’t know Parkwood is Beyoncé?"
So it turned out that it was for real, and we went to L.A. where the studio was, and I lost my voice for 24 hours — I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t sing. I just soaked up all the vitamin C's and hot teas and Throat Coats I could get. I managed to regain a little bit of my voice back and that's what I was able to record that day. That was a miracle for me. But one of the most memorable moments was actually meeting her in person. After the album, Lion King, came out, the movie was being premiered in London, and I happened to be in London at that time. We had met her in person, we met Jay Z. It was such a full circle moment. Honestly, that lady has really touched my life in a way that I will never forget. Because she could have lived her life without doing what she did, but she decided to reach out to people she felt were pillars of African music and pay homage to Africa. And I'm happy to have been part of that moment.
More News About African Music
KOKOKO!
Photo: Sven de Almeida
interview
The exciting live electronic act out of the Congo discusses their fiery, pulsing, sophomore album, 'BUTU,' the manic sound of Kinshasa, and using improvisation to keep their performances energized.
Ana Monroy Yglesias
|GRAMMYs/Jul 10, 2024 - 03:00 pm
No one else sounds like KOKOKO! — they are a truly unique aural experience, an emphatic statement that does justice to the exclamation point in their name.
The experimental live electronic group out of Kinshasa — the active, populous capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo — is a reflection of their city. Their shouted and chanted lyrics reflect people's frustration with their government, as well as the sonic signals of industrious local vendors. Even their DIY instruments are an example of their resourcefulness: Although DRC is a resource-rich country, that wealth has been extracted by and for Western powers for centuries. Locals are left with limited resources and experience regular power outages and intense, ongoing conflict.
KOKOKO! was born after French electronic producer Xavier Thomas — who makes left-field, globally-influenced electronic music as Débruit — met talented local singer and musician Makara Bianko on a visit to Kinshasa. He was captivated by Bianko's large, nearly daily outdoor performances with his massive dance crew. The group, which also consists of locals Boms and Dido who fashion DIY instruments, incorporate much of Makara's improvisational and interdisciplinary energy into their music and energetic live show, while Thomas brings in synths, drum machines and other electronic elements.
After releasing their powerful debut album Fongola in 2019 on indie label Transgressive Records, KOKOKO! started getting booked at music festivals around the globe, as well as on NPR's Tiny Desk series and Boiler Room. Now, the cutting-edge group is pumping up the BPM and bringing the lively Kinshasa nighttime to the rest of the world via their urgent, high-energy sophomore album, BUTU, on July 5 on Transgressive.
Read on for a chat with Thomas and Bianko about their captivating new album, the music scene in the Congo, how their music reflects Kinshasa, and much more. (Editor's note: Bianko's answers are translated and paraphrased from French by Thomas.)
What energies, sounds and themes are you harnessing on 'BUTU?'
Xavier Thomas: "Butu" means night in Lingala [one of the national languages of the DRC]. The album is all about that high energy, specific atmosphere that happens when the night falls in Kinshasa.
It's a very loud and crowded city. It gets pitch-black quite quickly because it's on the Equator. The sun sets really fast all year long. The sounds of the city kind of wake up [at night]; the generators are plugged in and the club music and evangelical church music [start] competing. All the inspirations are from all these sounds and everything that happens in the night in Kinshasa.
The band plays a lot of DIY instruments; what instruments are on this album and can you point to their specific sounds?
Xavier Thomas: There're the go-to things and then there's the found objects or the ones you can build. Simple things that are kind of ready-made, like detergent bottles — you can play it with a stick with a little bit of rubber, and it kind of makes bongo sounds with a slight natural overdrive.
And you can also build your own string instruments with what you found on the street. For example, there's plastic chairs that have metal feet, and you can do a kind of metallophone with; if you chop the tubes, you will get different pitches, etcetera. You can find something in a mechanic shop that sounds really good straight away when you hit it; metallic percussion. So that's all the different DIY instruments or found percussion that you can make or work with.
Was it mostly the same instruments as the first album, or were there some different things you were incorporating as well?
Xavier Thomas: There are different things. Also, on this one, we use a little bit more of electronics, as it's a bit more upbeat and influenced by the club and the small music production studios of Kinshasa.
There are also some field recordings. For example, on some tracks, there's horns from moto taxis that we pitched and made melodies with. But yeah, it's roughly the same instruments.
The term DIY is often attached to the band. Of course, you just talked about the instruments, but I was also curious what DIY and improvisation looks like in your music-making process and performances.
Xavier Thomas: It was an all-over DIY thing when we started. I used to make a lot of the videos. We [still] work with a small team, so we always have problems getting visas. We're doing a bit of everything just to keep going forward and traveling and to get our music everywhere. So, the DIY is not just the music, it's [all very] hands-on. Even on stage, we don't turn up with a big team, it's pretty much us at the moment.
The DIY aspect came out of necessity for the music and instrument creators, of not being able to afford to buy or rent an instrument. So it started like that, trying to make a one- or two-string guitar, a two-string bass, and a drum set. And then it went beyond that, realizing we can find original and new sounds if we're not copying existing instruments.
When I met Makara, he was doing five-hour public rehearsals six times a week on his own with 40 or 50 dancers. He had to work out all the technical problems with power cuts and amplifiers exploding. Makara still has that energy, even when we're sound checking. A lot of that DIY intuition is still coming in.
The recording process has to be DIY because you're recording in outside music studios in little compounds or in difficult neighborhoods of Kinshasa, so there's a lot of sounds in the background. You just grab the moment where the energy, the music, the inspiration feels right. That's another DIY part of the project, it's pretty much recorded outside of recording studios for the most part.
How does that also speak to access to instruments, internet and music studios for music-making in the DRC more broadly?
Xavier Thomas: Well, there's some big artists in the Congo that have a lot of money and travel to play even in the U.S. and France. A few artists have everything they want and they're very famous and wealthy. But most of the studios I've seen are a tiny room in the corner of a compound, yet people are doing the most impressive productions and recordings with very little, whether it's electronic or live music. It's very resourceful and sometimes you don't hear it, you could not imagine it would be coming from such a small studio.
I wish I could ask about every song on the album, because it feels like there's so much energy and context in each one. Can you tell me about the opening track, "Butu Ezo Ya" — the energy starts out so strong. Is there a message behind that song?
Xavier Thomas: The first track is kind of an invitation. It's saying the night's coming, be ready. We have all the sounds that we grabbed in the streets. That's the track where the horns of the motorbikes are pitched and turned into melodies. It's an invocation, an invitation, to the listener to step in the Kinshasa night because it's really something.
We wanted the opening track to be a little bit overstimulating, which is the impression you have the first time you step into the night in Kinshasa. So that's the idea, to [channel the] overwhelming street sounds that suddenly from chaos become organized and become the opener of the album to invite you to the more organized music after. [Chuckles.]
Makara Bianko: I'm inviting people to step into the night, step into the album.
The album's next track, "Bazo Banga," is really captivating as well.
Xavier Thomas: "Bazo Banga" means they are scared. Sometimes people chant it when they're protesting. It can also be used in sport events about the other teams. There's a lot of frustrations in Congo; the population is a bit abandoned by the government. Sometimes there are political things that can't be said or expressed because it's a bit dangerous. So, in this track — Makara has explained the lyrics to me before — it's a way to regain a bit of control by trying to impress the other side.
Makara Bianko: There's another angle mentioned at the end of the track: We're bringing so many new sounds that their hips are not going to hold. They are scared they are out of date, that they will not be matching our energy or be able to move because we're going too fast. During the track, I'm quoting a lot of images of why they could be scared.
Xavier Thomas: In Kinshasa, our sound is still very different. At the beginning, with all the music, art performers, people who do body performance as well, who gravitate around our music and are sometimes part of the videos; [other] people thought we were all so crazy. The music didn't fit any standards there, even though Makara has a lot of influences, more when he was younger, in more standard music like Congolese rumba or ndombolo. I think people can still be a bit scared of our style and our energy, the people we work with, it's a bit different.
In what ways is your music incorporating — as well as radically shifting — traditional and popular Congolese music?
Makara Bianko: Growing up in Kinshasa, there's a lot of Congolese rumba and nbombolo. I'm also influenced by [Congolese] folk music, really old rhythms and chants. Congo is so big that this has just been mixed in our music, but we are presenting it like it's a new recipe. It doesn't taste like what you're used to even though the ingredients are there. There's also influences [in our music] from outside countries like Angola or South Africa.
Xavier Thomas: What struck me the most when I first met Makara at this concert — from my Occidental angle — he has a very punk energy. Even though people aren't listening to punk music in Kinshasa, Makara would stick his mic in the speakers and play with feedback, and he has a very powerful voice and sometimes a very threatening singing tone. It was not influenced from punk; it was his own energy, his own frustration.
I think music helps express the frustration a lot of people have in Congo, and people see that in him, through his anger and when he talks about things people encounter on the street that they can relate to. So yeah, some of the old folk music is there as influences, but it's very important to him to not do the same thing that a lot of artists have done for the last 40 years and to bring something new.
What's going on in Kinshasa and the DRC in terms of electronic music? Are there other DIY electronic acts coming up?
Xavier Thomas: There's a lot of electronic music now, I think the big scenes are in South Africa or Nigeria for big pop electronic music. Congo used to influence a lot of West Africa and Central Africa and now Nigeria and South Africa have quite strong industries, so sometimes there's a bit of that influence.
With more Congolese rhythms for electronic music, you can have the whole range from very pop to very alternative. In the neighborhood where we started, there's a few more bands coming up now with DIY instruments who play a bit more like folk music from the Equator region in the north of the country. In Europe, I've noticed three bands since we started that now work with more DIY instruments. There's a music producer, P2N, from the southeast of Congo who makes repetitive electronic music in a kind of hypnotic, dance way.
The band has been touring quite a bit since the first album. Locally, are you an active part of a scene, or is it more like you're doing something different there and bringing that around the world?
Xavier Thomas: We're still quite unique in Kinshasa, and if we play there it would be more of a block party. Makara has a lot of dancers in his crew, and dancers would join from the youngest at the beginning [of the show] to the more experienced, bridging between classic Congolese dance and more contemporary dance. There's a lot of theater in the dance as well.
When we play there, it's still alternative. Once in a while we might play a bigger stage, but we play out [of the country] way more in front of way more people. We try not to play too often [here]. It's a huge city, so it can be tricky with the power cuts and everything. It's more of the art scene and people from the performance art school and dancers who gather if we do an event in Kinshasa, it's not huge crowds.
You've performed on some pretty big platforms, as well as at global music festivals. What goes into your energetic live performance; is there improvisation?
Xavier Thomas: It's key that we are still incredibly passionate, and we feel the music and leave a lot of space for improvisation. Then we can surprise each other, even during a gig. One track can be one length or double the next time, depending on the feeling, the crowd, the sound system and the time we play.
Usually, people end up really moving, sometimes without realizing. We don't spare any energy. You end up drenched in sweat. I think because our excitement is real, the music is not over-rehearsed. We're still always excited at every show. I think people can feel that it's not staged. There can be unexpected things happening, which keeps us energetic, motivated and surprised on stage.
How does the band usually feel after a performance? Is it a cathartic experience?
Xavier Thomas: Well, we have our kind of ceremonial thing. We usually talk together at the beginning; we gather and stick our heads together, and we say where we are and what we want to achieve. At the end of the concert, the whole hour or so feels like it's passed by really quick, and you're still left with that rhythm or energy, even though you might be super tired, sometimes traveling and playing every day. Sometimes we have more energy at the end. At the beginning, we feel tired, and then the energy really comes in, and we feel super energized and super sharp and really awake at the end. It's good for us.
What does Kinshasa sound like to you?
Xavier Thomas: For Makara and I, to explain to somebody who's never been to Kinshasa, it's a very sonic city. I've never seen [anything like it]. It's so crowded; I think it's 15 million or 18 million people now. [Editor's note: 17 million is the latest estimate.] Everybody lives on the ground floor. There aren't too many high buildings, so the density of people is very high. For this reason, it's visually a bit crowded and overwhelming with people, cars, colors and everything.
Therefore, to be noticed or stand out, everybody needs to have their own little signal or jingle. You can tell who's around you with eyes closed. A nail polish vendor would just bang two little glass polish bottles; that sound carries far away and they have their rhythm. People who sell SIM cards have a loop on their megaphone.
Sound is how to be noticed; how to sell yourself, what's your role, what's your identity. That's obviously, without talking about music and sound systems. Churches have their own huge sound systems and they can clash with the club in front. Also something very typical in Kinshasa; it goes to the fullest, to the max, everything is used at its highest potential. The sound is pushed in overdrive and distorted because you want to be louder than the next person. It's all these little sound signals that can tell exactly who's around you or sometimes where you are as well. For me, that's the sound, plus the traffic.
Wow. It must be so different going somewhere more remote, or just where it's quieter. It must feel almost like something's wrong.
Xavier Thomas: There's not many moments with silence because at night the city is still alive. People like to go out. You can have a church next to you with a full live band and a huge PA sound system at 3 a.m. Quiet moments are rare.
Makara: It's hard to deal with silence. I don't feel comfortable in silence because I've never really experienced it.