Before Afrobeats icons Burna Boy, WizKidand Silence became known names worldwide, Yemi Alade was the biggest pop star on the continent. On July 26th, 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 song that gained acclaim for its iconic video featuring a TV reporter tracking down the titular womanizer. The video made her the first Nigerian female artist to reach 100 million views on YouTube.
Since then, Alade has had an illustrious career, collaborating with artists such as Rick Rossgaining over 100 million views video to “Oh my God“, and performing alongside other Africans sir. Yes and Techno node Beyonce– soundtrack curated by The Lion King.
His latest album, Rebel Queenincludes high-level collaborations with Angelique Kidjo, Ziggy Marleyand dancehall star Consensus. The album promises a genre-hopping journey across the globe, incorporating amapiano (“Soweto to Ibiza”), highlife (“President”) and even reggae (“Peace and Love”) and dancehall (“Bop’).
Ahead of Rebel QueenFollowing the release, GRAMMY.com spoke with Alade about his progression as an artist, what it was like working with Beyoncé and his team, and uniting international success.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Your new album, ‘Rebel Queen‘, contains influences from across Africa and beyond. Was this intentional?
Yes, you’re right that I wanted to make sure the album had sounds that I actually, genuinely love, since amapiano influence for dancehall. And alsoI personally wanted to return to the foundation of Afrobeatswhich are sounds and genres that I listened to when I was a child. 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 everything into this album.
There are many high-profile collaborations on this album, such as Anjelique Kidjo and Ziggy Marley. How did you decide who to work with? ‘Rebel Queen‘?
Honestly, my life is a rollercoaster, just like every artist on tour. We try to gather as much as we can while on the move. Anjelique Kidjo She’s like my musical mother, I love her. And when I recorded the album, “African Woman”, who else would I participate in that song if not Anjelique? And as for Ziggy, he and I have a song we did previously (“Look who’s dancing now“), which was his song, and he introduced me. And I wanted a tit-for-tat moment. Then I sent him the song. I felt like, who else but him? Each feature was necessary to complete the melody of each song, they are a big part of each one, not just the fresh vibe they bring.
Find out more: Watch Yemi Alade’s enchanting performance of “Tomorrow” | Global Rotation
It’s been ten years since you broke out with big success”Johnny.” At that time, African pop music was relatively unknown in America. Since then, African artists have gained global recognition. Do you see yourself as a pioneer of the current Afropop movement?
I agree with you 100 percent, there’s no way you can authentically go through the history of, you know, bridging Africa and the rest of the world through music without mentioning a song like “Johnny.” It’s definitely an honor for me to be the vehicle that delivers such incredible music to the world. Of course, there were people long before me who also did the same thing. We are talking about Fela [Kuti]. We are talking about King Sunny Ade. Ultimately, yes, music is metamorphosing into so much more. And I am definitely a pioneer [laughs].
You have a strong sense of storytelling, especially in your music videos. “Johnny” has a full story about a reporter investigating a womanizer. How important is this kind of storytelling to your music?
Storytelling is a big part of my art because I feel like everyone loves a good story. I find that even when I’m writing majority times In the studio, there’s always a picture I’m trying to paint, and it only makes sense that the look matches that most of the time. Except sometimes we decide to make a performance video because I feel like dancing.
What’s the most memorable video you’ve ever made? done?
Each of my videos caused a lot of pain, sweat and even a few tears. But I think “Johnny” is a masterpiece because it resonated all over the world, and especially in Africa. And that helped me a lot to move forward in the industry, because it became my identity. That song and that video was the brand platform and everything I am today. you know, so that’s definitely the most memorable, in a good way.
You have traveled and performed in America several times in your career. What is your overall impression?
I think I did four or five American tours. AND HeyAmerica is so big [laughs]. My first American tour left me in shambles from the flights. I didn’t know that to go from one city to another I might need to connect once or twice, depending on how far I go. Then the flights left 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 to include American cities on my tours, which is why even for album listening parties Rebel Queenwe did the first one in Paris, then in London, and then I had to come to New York too. And just yesterday we had one in Lagos too.
Since you became popular, many Afrobeats artists gained followers abroad such as Burna Boy and WizKid. It seems thatat least looking at artists coming out of Africa, the genre is still very much dominated by men. Do you agree with this? And do you think there is potential for more female artists to break through internationally?
Honestly, when I started, the odds were really like that more anti-women than they are now, in the sense that there were female artists coming up maybe once every two years, or once a year, and they barely stayed around long enough. But now, the story is different. And I congratulate all the women before me and all the women who are with me. Yes, in a male-dominated society, it seems like my male counterparts get their roses and flowers for a second. And you know, every now and then someone comes back and remembers, “Ah, there’s Yemi Alade.” Do you know what I mean?
I was talking to someone earlier today and I said, I think what surprises me most is what, I feel like there are no expectations for female artists. Then like, whether we do it or not, people are just moving on. But I’m not the one who plays the victim, ever. Despite the odds, you see that women remain resilient, because we know. I know deep down that my existence is definitely valuable to a lot of people out there.
What do you think of the next generation of talent like Times and Ayra Starr and Tyla, who recently won her first GRAMMY Award for Best African Musical Performance for “Water?”
Exceptional, exceptional artists. As you just mentioned, they are doing incredibly well. And, you know, these women are unique in their own way. And I just want to say that I believe this is just the starting point for them. There’s a lot to come. And there are so many other women who are still in path to greatness.
How have you seen the music industry evolve in Africa? And what kind of challenges do you think African musicians face today?
Personally, I feel that with all the momentum I Afrobeats we have, we need authentic platforms that can actually verify music streaming numbers, especially inside Africa. Why at the moment it’s mainly Apple, Spotify, etc. But there are other platforms here in Africa that most Africans use, and they have more databases compared to Apple and Spotify. We have reached a point where we need more credible numbers, because there are millions of people streaming music in Africa who are not on those platforms.
Then Do you think these local platforms need to be counted alongside Apple and Spotify?
100 percent. In Nigeria there are two: Audiomac and Boomplay. Boomplay It’s a big deal.
You are completing a decade in the industry. In all this time, what moment or achievement 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 have been so many moments in my life and career that have aligned with achieving my dreams. Number one is every time I am approached by a complete stranger and the stranger says to me, “Oh my God, Yemi. You don’t know what your music has done for me. Your music has put me through so much pain.” Some people come up to me and tell me they had the biggest struggle of their life. life and they listen to my music, and it always takes them to a realm of joy and happiness. Honestly, I feel fulfilled in these moments, because when I record my music, I always say, what I most try to spread through my music is love, joy and happiness. Then get people to testify this, this It means to me that the magic is complete, that my work is truly effective. So that makes me feel very accomplished.
On a personal note, an achievement for which I am very grateful to It’s the fact that I can always comfortably take care of my family. It’s something I would never downplay. You know, I’m very grateful to God for that.
And lastly, besides winning a GRAMMY through Angelique Kidjo – you know, I’ve met a lot of amazing people, and Beyoncé is one of them. Then 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 about to ask what it was like working with her.
Oh my days – wow, working with her, it was an incredible experience for me and my team. It was as if we were literally awake, walking in the dreams we had dreamed of for so long. long.O The process of your team contacting us was a little strange because my management didn’t realize that Parkwood [Entertainment] it was a real company, they were sending emails and talking about Beyoncé. They assumed it was some kind of scammer. But when they sent it to me, I was like, “What? Parkwood? Who doesn’t know that Parkwood is Beyoncé?”
Then Turns out it was real, and we went to Los Angeles, where the studio was, and I lost my voice for 24 hours – I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t sing. I simply absorbed all the vitamin C, hot teas, and throat protectors I could get my hands on. I managed to recover some of my voice back and that’s what I managed to record that day. This was a miracle for me. But one of the most memorable moments was meeting her in person. After the album, Lion Kingcame out, the movie was being premiered in London, and I was in London at the time. We know her personally, we know each other Jay-Z. It was a full circle moment. Honestly, that lady truly touched my life in a way I will never forget. Because she could have lived her life without doing what she did, but she decided to contact people she considered pillars of African music and pay tribute to Africa. And I’m happy to have been part of that moment.
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