In a period where the Afrobeats craze is making monumental strides across the world, leaving many artists chasing after the Afrobeats pie. There are few artists who are sticking to their uniqueness and driving home the diversity present on the continent. Coming across artists of such nature is always exciting and refreshing. Their commitment to their craft sets them apart from the many who hop on the Afrobeats wagon. That is the story of Ghanaian-German-Cameroonian singer-songwriter Malaïka.
With a soft and soulful voice, Malaïka is an alumna of Black Girls Glow. An arts and music program that seeks to give women in the music space a platform to nurture the talent, build community, and offer a roadmap to their careers.
Influenced by the music she grew up listening to and her experiences, Malaïka’s love for music started at a young age, but she would only release music much later as a young adult.
Performing at several events around Accra, Malaïka will jump on an opportunity made possible by Black Girls Glow, who were offering a grant for their alumni, which she won. The fruit of that grant is her debut project, 27. At her core she makes neo-soul, jazz and R&B, while reflecting her rich roots and influences in highlife, afrobeat and makossa. As a multi-talented creative, Malaïka also explores photography and creative direction, blending her artistic vision with her passion for storytelling.”
In an interview with Ghana Music, Malaïka tells it all as she shares her background, influences, music journey, and what went into the making of her debut project 27.
Ghana Music: For those who do not know you, who is Malaika?
Malaïka: “Malaika (stage name Malaïka) is a Ghanaian-German-Cameroonian singer, songwriter and creative who grew up and is based in Accra. My music is shaped heavily by my parents’ love for everything from soul, funk and R&B to zouk, makossa and afrobeat. I have also been influenced by soulful women artists such as Jill Scott, India Arie & Cleo Sol. I explore a sound that is soft honest and free, a reflection of the world I would like to see.
GM: You are Ghanaian and Cameroonian, I believe. How have these two backgrounds influenced you as a person and as an artist?
Malaïka: My father is Ghanaian, a proud Ga man from Jamestown & my mother is Cameroonian-German who grew up in and has family in both countries (mostly Berlin & Douala). These backgrounds have definitely influenced me as a person – language (I speak German and French, my Ga is extremely sparse but I’m trying), communication styles & humour , food, traditions at home, values, etc. I think it’s similar to how we are all influenced by our parents honestly. There’s no one way to be Ghanaian or Cameroonian or German, right? But I can see some of the different traits from my parents in me. Most of my upbringing was in Accra though, so my dance moves are primarily grounded in azonto.
In terms of music – highlife, afrobeats, makossa, bensikin – certain instruments and just generally percussion that’s found in both the Ghanaian and the Cameroonian music cultures have absolutely influenced my music taste. Through my mom, I have been exposed to zouk and other Central African/ francophone African music styles that I absolutely love. There are even a few German artists that I really really like – it’s interesting to me that when I listen to German music I can hear the lyrics and appreciate the writing way more than when I listen to music with English lyrics. I never hear those words – it’s mostly the tone of voice and melody that jump out to me first. That’s one of those things that make me remember that I actually spoke German before learning English.
GM: Your bio on Instagram reads, “Exploring a sound that is soft & honest & free.” Your sound does feel soft and free. Out of all the emotions one can feel from music, why these three?
Malaïka: I’m so glad you think my sound feels soft and free – that’s a huge affirmation. I think I chose these descriptors for the kind of music I’m aiming to make because that is the kind of music I am most drawn to. The artists that I love to listen to over and over again are very soft with their sound – both literally having smooth tones of voice and also figuratively emanating soft energy. Someone like Cleo Sol or Dani Offline – they just create worlds with their music that are soft resting places. And for ‘honest’ – I’ve actually always valued honesty as a person, and there is something about storytelling that is raw and honest that I just live for. And lastly free – I think softness and honesty belong in a free world. I’m invested in freedom for all. If I’m going to make art, that yearning for freedom will have to be a part of that too.
GM: Black Girls Glow. How instrumental has BGG been to your career thus far? Outside what did they do in regards to your EP?
Malaïka: Black Girls Glow has been a trampoline, a push & tangible support! Last year, I was a resident at what is now their Koshka Sound Residency and it really changed the way I viewed myself and what I am capable of. I’ve always loved music and singing but the thought of making music myself seemed completely out of reach. My friends had suggested I apply to BGG in 2022 and I thought it made no sense! When they urged me again in 2023 (shoutout to Akua & Joshua), I decided to just try it – the timing was better and I had also wanted to step more into my creative energy that year. During the residency, the fellows that I got to know left such a strong impression on me. The process of working together to actually create an album within a week was like nothing I’d experienced before – it was a lot of pressure but it was also magical. I left the residency with some of my biggest walls down and that allowed me to start putting myself out there. I started my Instagram and posted covers that led to me meeting different creatives and also being invited to perform at places like Sofar Sounds Accra. That was extremely exciting for me because I love to sing.
GM: Congratulations on your debut project, 27. How long did it take you to put this together? How challenging or exciting was it working on this?
Malaïka: Thank you so much! The first iteration of the concept for 27 started exactly a year ago – November 2023 – so I’d say it has taken a year to put together. However, I had scattered ideas and voice notes from 2022 that made their way into the project too. For instance the interlude, ‘i hope that this email doesn’t find you’: I was feeling uninspired at work and had recently started playing around with garage band when I made that song. At the time that was just an outlet for me and a way to practice harmonies for fun. Two years later, as I sat with Kafui and shared all my ‘music things’ – he picked that one out! We also used ‘there’s a place I go to’ from that vault of material & the base ideas I had put down for ‘slow down’. I respect Kafui’s opinion a lot so it was really exciting and affirming to have these ideas be considered and used for the project. In a way, I was (and still am) stuck in a bit of an imposter mindset about this whole music thing! To flesh out the writing and production, we organized a camp – a bunch of us went away for two weeks to work on various projects (shoutout to the artist’s residence in Tema!). It was like my own BGG all over again but on my terms and way more relaxed. I had a lot of fun creating with all the folks Kafui brought together. ‘Cry girlie cry’ was completely composed and almost completely written out there – it was a magical moment and came together so organically (shout out to Jeshurun and Enid!). We left camp with demos – some songs were more fleshed out than others. This was around April and in the months that followed I had lots of recording sessions in the studio with my dear Joshua (aka Tronomie, my number one producer/mixing & mastering engineer!) which were more challenging than I expected. For the first time ever, I could truly appreciate what it meant to ‘record’ a song you wrote – whatever performance you give in that session becomes THE song. Until the recording, the songs were ideas and they could still change with every time I sang them to myself or on demos. But after the recording is done, that’s it. And that thought was quite wild and scary – it added some pressure to those sessions. But I leaned on my people, I trusted them and they did not lead me astray. I am so so happy with and proud of our final project! It becomes easy when you work with people who are your friends, we love each other which just makes it all good in the end.
GM: 27 is a lot to absorb. In breaking it down, what was the intention behind the production? There is some jazz, highlife, and R&B, but soul is at the centre of it all. How were you able to blend all these elements into an exciting sonic trip?
Malaïka: I don’t know if I can answer this well, honestly. As a consumer of music, I am first drawn to the singer, the tone of voice, the technique and the emotion. The voice is my favorite instrument and the others can oftentimes fade in the back for me. I used to sing acapella in college and I’ve realized in my songwriting process that I like to start with silence and my voice. (That’s how the interludes came about, ‘Cry Girlie Cry’, even ‘Slow Down’ I started with just using my voice as an instrument and then singing on top of it). So that’s why I think production questions will have to go to my creative director/executive producer Kafui and producer Joshua! They both know my music taste (primarily soul), which is great because they knew what general area to play within. At the start of the journey, Kafui also asked me for all my musical influences. We had a several-hour-long conversation about music and what elements I’m most drawn to, and all of that informed the direction for the EP. He also asked me for a playlist specifically for the sonic experience I’d like to curate with 27 and so we had that as a guide, too. That playlist had Cleo Sol, Jill Scott, Eloise, Dani Offline (all very soulful, soft & free women) but also had Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Prince Eyango, Les Nubians and Jembaa Groove (African rhythm, highlife, jazz, makossa). I think those are my two sides right now. As for how we blended them – we have to ask Kafui and Joshua.
GM: There are messages of community, family, some form of acceptance, peace, and inner child joy. What was the theme going into the project, and what do you want listeners to get from the project?
Malaïka: I love hearing the themes that you gleaned from the project. I think they are definitely all in there. 27 was all about introspection – I aimed to freeze who I (Malaika at 27 years old) was. And so I did that by asking myself and my close community questions: what is something that is true about me? What do I value most in the world? How do I describe myself? What is my mantra? These questions were the starting point, and the reflections and conversations I had around these questions became the content of both my Photo Series (27 portraits) and the EP. In short, the theme was me – how important my relationship to my community and family is; my mantras about life and the need for rest in this hyper-capitalistic society; my sensitivity and how okay it is to be in touch with your emotions; my joy and my love for music and creativity. The sonic experience that is 27 is also me – as I mentioned, these genres and sounds are what I am drawn to. And as this project is a time capsule of sorts – it is an archive of myself at this time. I’m not sure what I want listeners to get from it, honestly. I’m still grappling with the question ‘Why share’. I believe in storytelling and so in a way, this is my story and I believe it is important to tell stories about ourselves. I also think the concept behind the project is worthwhile – so I might say, I’d want listeners to consider archiving themselves too.
GM: There is an ongoing conversation about African music being boxed, and here you are making something out of that box. As an African artist, how do you balance the different elements and your African identity in your music?
Malaïka: I think there is a lot of African music that is not in that box already. Accra is full of it and I know outside of Ghana there’s so much that African artists are doing that is different. My favorite new artist I discovered this year is Manana from Eswatini – his music is so incredibly beautiful, soulful and soft! (Check out ‘All The Noise’ and you will see). I am extremely proud to share space with such an artist as an ‘African artist’ like you describe me. I think the balance is not intentional – I just made what I like and didn’t worry too much about how it would be labeled. Even if I didn’t have No Come To Suffer on the EP, I’d be identifying myself as an African artist because I’m African and all the collaborators I worked with (except one) are too. At the same time, I feel very happy to be able to tap into African music traditions that I love so much and to have that boldly be a part of my discography. We are young people and we are jamming to highlife and I love that.
GM: Looking at the people involved in the making of your project and then your experience with BGG, how important is community to you?
Malaïka: Extremely. I am very very connected to my community. I involved them in the process for the project, I worked with my friends for both the photography and for the music, I’m motivated and energised by them. I’m an extrovert – hanging out with my friends is what rejuvenates me when I’m burned out. And I value my relationships a lot which is why I invest a lot of my time and energy in them. I’m so grateful for my friends and family, they are so supportive. And now, as I’ve ventured into music I’m finding that the creative community in Accra – especially the alternative, independent community is quite vibrant and supportive of each other as well. I love it. As KQ the Artist always preaches – support is all we got! And I think living in the world we live in, we need to depend on each other.
GM: You have officially introduced yourself to the world. In the coming months, what should listeners expect from Malaika?
Malaïka: Whew! I think for now I’d like to bask in 27 – I am thoroughly enjoying hearing reactions to the project and witnessing how it is being received. I think in the coming months, I’ll be exploring how to take the story of 27 forward, especially visually, with my team. I’m looking forward to connecting more with artists as well. I’m still figuring things out in terms of what is next for me but listeners might catch me at a show or two if things align!
GM: What are your final words to anyone reading this?
Malaïka: It’s been a long year and you’ve done much better than you think you have. Reminder to me but also to you.
