Adekunle Gold talks to us about his new album Fuji & the importance of Africa for global pop music
When the song “Sade” appeared eleven years ago, he drove through the Afrobeats world like a wave. At that time, hardly anyone knew the young man with a long name – shy, 27 years old – who was behind the single. Today Adekunle Gold, or AG Baby, as fans lovingly call it, has become a superstar in a genre grown too enormous.
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In 2015, the Nigerian from Lagos made his debut with the album Gold. Five studio albums, hundreds of millions of streams, big names for album features and umpteen music prices later, publishes Adekunle Gold on October 3.
A conversation about Nigerian traditions, the importance of Africa for global pop, and about a special struggle for survival.
Adekunle Gold, on October 3, your new album Fuji will be released. How does that feel?
It’s totally surreal, but I’ve been ready for this moment for five years.
This is your sixth studio album. What is the meaning for you at this point in your career?
For me it marks the beginning of a new decade. I released my first single in 2014, “Sade”, and now I’m here, ten years later. Since then I have experienced great things, released five albums and I was touring the world. Everything brought me to this point and I feel full of energy. There are new stories to tell. And Fuji is a collection of everything I have experienced. It is who I am, who I was and the legacy that I want to leave one day.
The album name Fuji comes from the Yoruba language and the name of a Nigerian style of music, Fújì, on the other hand from the Berg Fuji, which is a symbol of love. What are the experiences, the message that this album tells accordingly?
Fàájì in the Yoruba language means enjoyment or pleasure. Fújì is a Nigerian style of music. And the man Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, who was a pioneer of this beautiful sound, named him after the Fuji mountain in Japan. It all comes together in the word. I grew up to the Fújì music. It is the core of my sound. I can’t escape her. It is part of my sound, my stories, my reflections. And with the new album I wanted to create something that is original for me personally, something with which I grew up. I originally called the album Finding Uncharted Journey’s Inside. Its acronym is Fuji, and the music I do is Fújì – then I could call it that directly. It is the soundtrack to my life.
Your music moves in a tension between tradition and modernity. You make pop music, but she has many centuries -old elements of Nigerian music. How do you combine these two sides in your songs?
I want to write music that is real and true for me. And what is true is that I am Yoruba. I love my culture and its traditions and sounds very much. Even if I wanted to create something completely different, it will always be in the background. This is not even a conscious decision, it is simply the essence of my music. It flows together naturally. I make global music.
In your most recent single “Bobo”, for example, you use West African speech drums. How do you explain that traditional African sounds that you integrate into your music resonate with international listeners: inside all over the world?
Let me ask you a counter question. If you listen to my music, it makes you want to move?
Yes, she does.
That is the magic behind it. Many elements in my culture are there for that – to move. Our music makes you a melody. It is recursive. Fàájì is pleasure, fújì is love. The magic is in motion. In the past ten years I have played my music for so many people who don’t understand a word. But they moved. This shows the beauty in our music.
Afrobeats and Afropop have gained a lot of popularity and success globally in recent years. They have grown into a cultural movement and internationally popular, commercially successful genres. What place should African artists take: inside the global pop scene?
African artists: inside have always had a place in the global cultural world. It started with Sikiru Ayinde Barrister when he came to America. He played in Orlando and achieved world famous (Editor’s note: about 1982). It was the first time that he played outside of Nigeria. And there are so many Nigerian artists: inside who traveled the world with their music. We always had this role. Only the internet now wants to make it look like Afrobeats is something new. We have been playing international stages for a long time, we have won Grammys. Online it looks like AfroBeats suddenly conquer the world. But we have always been there. And now it is time for people to get to know a wide variety of styles and sounds on which the underlying – like Fújì.
For example, if you look at the history of hip -hop, you can see that it has its roots in African sounds. Just like jazz and blues. Even country music has started as an expression of black resistance to slavery. People like to forget that.
And I see it as my job to remind you. To keep the flag up, to tell people: this sound that you find so beautiful? He comes from Nigeria. I am proud to be Nigerians to be Yoruba. And there are more and more artists: inside who are, and I’m grateful for that.
You also sing not only in English, but also on Yoruba.
Exactly, sometimes even on pidgeon or French.
What can Yoruba enable you that English cannot? What does it allow you to express – in ideas, concepts, feelings – that may not be possible in English?
If I write songs, even if the lyrics are in English, the context in my head is on Yoruba. I think first in Yoruba. Because sometimes it just doesn’t hit the feelings that I want to express. They are deeper than English goes. I then simply leave such terms in Yoruba. The same applies to sayings and wisdom. And for flexions: In Yoruba you can emphasize some things through special expressions.
In Europe and the USA, the knowledge of the diversity of African cultures in some areas is still very limited. What should people know and understand about your home?
My country is the most populated black nation worldwide. We have different cultures and languages - over 500 – and 36 states. Our culture is rich. It is unbelievable how a country that is so densely and differently populated finds a way to come together in the middle. Our stories go deep. We have to fight with a lot, but I know that we will be able to do it. Our country is rich in everything – in culture, natural resources and talent. We have the biggest stars in the world. Our sounds have influenced nations. Do you want a good time? Nigeria is “The Place to Be”.
Where do you think AfroBeats and Afropop should develop?
I want our own forms of recognition to become larger and more serious so that we no longer seek international validation. Many African artists do this: current inside, and I hope that this will no longer be the case in the future. There is no reason to water our sound for global acceptance. We are kings and queens, we should also be aware of it.
If you want to understand who you are as a personality behind the artist, what would you want to tell me about your childhood and youth and about experiences that have shaped you?
If there is one thing for which I would like to be remembered, it is that I have never given up. I had to fight for everything I have now. I was not born with money, I was a normal guy. My parents were teachers and they raised four children. It didn’t look particularly rosy, but I knew I was here for a reason. I am with the sickle disease (Editor’s editor that causes pain, organ damage and reduced life expectancy) grew up. I just fought all my life and I won.
How did the sickle disease change your view of life?
To live with the sickle disease, especially in the climate in which I grew up, decides everything. It feels like your life is over. It is a death sentence. Many are constantly sick and are perceived by others. I was lucky that nobody looked at me like that. So I always knew that there is more out there – that I am intended for more than to make the sickle disease into my entire identity and simply give up. I hope people understand that sickle -suffering people are called survivors for a reason. We fight. And I hope that those affected can see that we can win. That nothing can stop us. Your fate is in your hands.