WHEN Yemi Alade dropped her breakout hit, Johnny, in 2014, Nigeria’s pop culture felt her pulse in full force. Bars, concerts, disco floors, recreational spaces — her music was embraced everywhere. Its distinct cultural flavour, powerful melodies and unforgettable hooks kept Yemi Alade in the spotlight since then. 

Six albums, two Grammy nominations, a Grammy win alongside Angélique Kidjo, a Beyoncé collaboration, sold-out world tours, over one billion global streams, a UNDP ambassadorship and a beauty brand later, Yemi Alade is back with her seventh album, It’s Yemi Alade. 

The album was named by her fans directly —  the first time she has handed that decision over — and is built on highlife, zouk, RnB, house, disco and Afropop. She taps vocal powerhouses from Nigeria, Kenya and Congo including Bien, Jeriq, Fave, Njerae, Don Jazzy, Singuila, Spyro, Ferre Gola and Sofiya Nzau.  

The 37-year-old chanteuse describes it as something new, something old and something borrowed. Before the day of its release, Deeds spoke with Alade about going back to her roots, what it felt like to let her fans choose the album title, and why she is not interested in playing it safe.

Sophia From Deeds: For anyone reading this and discovering you for the first time, how would you introduce yourself and your music?

My name is Yemi Alade. I am a musician and music is what I do. It's therapy to me and it's my love language to the entire world.  It's the thing that I was put on this earth to do. I'm best known for my high life inspired Afro Pop sound. Blessed to also be one of the few Nigerians granted Grammy nominations. At the end of the day, I feel like my music is a safe space for people that love authentic music and are in touch with their roots or want to reconnect with their roots. I'm that person.

It's Yemi Alade is your eight studio album, shaped by two years of writing and recording. What was different about this process compared to your other album?

First of all, this is the one album that was titled by the fans. My fans were in charge of the process. I had put it out online that I needed their assistance to influence and inspire me on the album title. They came to my rescue. They offered me hundreds of options but the most reoccurrent option was Yemi Alade. I feel like they wanted a self named album and chose that and that is one thing that really stands out for me. I've never done that before. I always produce the title of my album. So that's it about the title. However, speaking on the body of work itself, I went with the approach of something new, something old, something borrowed.

The thing that is old is going back to my roots of high life completely and really revisiting that and revamping that to elevate it to the sound of today and also still retaining something old.  Then in terms of something new, I played music that people did not expect to see me on. I dabbled with a bit of rap and some house music. In terms of elevating the sound and borrowing a sound, I mixed high life and disco at some point. There's a lot to experience on this album and I feel like on this album I wasn't playing it safe. That's a very beautiful place to be creative.

The collab list spans Kenya, Nigeria and Congo - Bien, Don Jazzy, Ferre Gola, Teni, Singuila and others. How do you actually manage that in the studio without losing the thread of your own identity?

I feel like the best way to answer that question would be to say, I feel like every artist is the product of their environments, their experiences and their musical taste boards. And for me, I grew up in a family where I was exposed to all genres from jazz, the high life to juju to opera, RnB etc. So, there is no putting me in a box. I feel like that foundation has helped me to very easily flourish in any genre that I find myself in. So when I am on beats or a piano beat or whatever instrumental I might put in my face, I'm able to flow, I'm able to adapt, I'm able to occupy space like water because of my foundation. At the end of the day there will always be the Yemi flair. There is no diluting. I'm just always becoming myself on every track.

'Don't Be Shy' with Bien has already gone viral and 'Ala Bekee' with Don Jazzy is the highlife-inspired lead single. What do those two songs together say about the emotional range of this album? I do love Ala Bekee’s music video. 

It's been a while since people did that. Shout out to Clarence Peters for putting all of that together.

I feel like Don't Be Shy featuring Bien and Ala Bekee featuring Don Jazzy. They are both two good examples of the range that is on the Itzyme Aladdin album where the. The Ala Bekee song with Don Jazzy truly emerged, is submerged into the high life side, whereas the Don't Be Shy truck, which is on a zouk beat is also an R & B version of myself. It's R & B and it's still Afro pop in there. It just goes to show the versatility that is on the album. It's a buffet of sound.

You collaborated with Beyoncé on The Lion King: The Gift and with Angélique Kidjo on Mother Nature, which earned you your first Grammy. Looking at those two moments and now It's Yemi Alade, how has your understanding of what African music can do globally shifted?

Honestly, I have always known that African music would always belong in the sky amongst all the stars of the world. I've never doubted that for a second. I'm also aware of the history of musicians before me who have been. Who have been nominated and actually won several awards that are world acclaimed, you know, but for me personally now being on this journey to self where I have been blessed to be nominated in association with Angelique as for the Grammys as well as be nominated with Beyonce on Lion King for the Grammys, it has opened my eyes to the possibility even more. Just knowing that in my own lifetime, I'm able to experience that as. Also there's the Grammy nomination for the Latin Grammys as well. 

That's not a category that a lot of Afrobeat artists are blessed to have under their belt, and I'm thankful for that. Even with all these Grammy nominations in association with other artists, God has been so gracious because I have also been nominated for a solo song that is mine, and that song is called Tomorrow. It came at the right time, especially with the message behind the song.  The message in life as well. I think it just goes to show that everyone's, every one of us, our dreams.

You are UNDP ambassador, ONE Campaign ambassador, founder of the James and Helen PathWay Foundation, founder of yem beauty and Mama Africa to millions. How do you hold all of that alongside simply being an artist who makes music?

Now that you mention everything like that, I'm like, who, who's that? That's a lot to carry on and I'm thankful that I'm able to carry these things and make it seem like it's easy. But I would say that I've always taken everything one step at a time. Everything that you mentioned, now all those titles, were amassed over time. They didn't just come at me. I feel like as long as, you know, they say a rolling stone, you know, God is no more. Then the more you move, I feel like the more momentum you get and things start to seem easy. So in all I would just say that I have continued to be myself and what is for me. I'm thankful for the opportunities that come and opportunities that are still on their way. I'm more than ready for more titles.

It's Yemi Alade arrived September 11. What do you want a first-time listener to feel by the time the last track ends?

So what I'm served on this album is a proper food buffet, and a proper balanced diet. Every corner is covered. Expect you to be full of joy and full of a connection. I want the listener to feel seen and to connect with me on the topics that truly matter the most to them. Because that is my number one goal on this album, it is a love letter to my fans and to any listener out there.  Connection is the most under-appreciated thing in life. But that is what we thrive on. Human beings, we all thrive on connection. I dearly and truly intend to and hope that at the end of the track, of the album, the listener will feel more connected than ever to me and to the experience that we have said in that moment.

Cover Credit: It’s Yemi Alade Album Cover

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