Discover... Øbed
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Photo Taken by: @franklingyanjr
It’s taken a while for the world to realise how lit Africa as a continent is; there are pockets of creative hubs dotted throughout. Accra, Ghana is no different. This is where our latest feature for our D I S C O V E R series is from. Øbed is a producer from Ghana and has made some incredible music including one of WFA’s fave releases this year: Sober.
He is also part of the indie collective: Superjazzclub which, as he explains, is a community of friends who love making music together.
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Hey Øbed, welcome to WFA! Let’s start off by introducing yourself to the audience…
I'm Øbed, an artist and a producer from Ghana, West Africa. I've always had immense passion for music since I was a young boy. My dad taught me how to play the piano at about 7. I'd just play around all day right after I came back from school after my parents signed me up for piano lessons. I've been playing the piano for over two decades now and it has always been a safe space of expression for me to discover endless possibilities. I appreciate my parents for giving me this gift and I'll forever be indebted to them.
We’ve always known the African continent had so much talent and with the Africa Rising narrative in the media, tell us a bit about being a music creative in Ghana.
I think it's a great movement that people across the world get to see Africa in a different light because most often, Africa has been projected as an unfortunate continent which is NOT the truth; so this feels fulfilling that the spotlight is on us. Being an alternative artist from Ghana is pretty challenging because the media is saturated with mainstream music and it's tough to cut through but I'm thankful for the internet because now we can have our voices heard across the globe.
What was the turning point in your life which made you wish to pursue music?
I don't think there was a "turning point" because music was ingrained in my childhood and growth and has always been a part of my life. It's more of an evolution for me to have developed into the artist that I am today and I am excited for the journey ahead.
We first heard your track “Sober” with Seyyoh and Ansah Live earlier this year and haven’t looked back. Take us back to being in that moment and creating that sound as a producer, what was your inspiration?
Sober was birthed from me and Ansah letting our minds free to create based on the fusion of sublime synths, lush cords and trap-soul influence. As far as production goes, I normally make a 4-bar loop and catch a groove with it and then play around with chord progressions. It took us about three months to finish Sober because I aim for perfection thus I want to hear everything the way it sounds in my head. Sorry not sorry but my debut EP is gonna take a while. Lol.
In an Instagram post about this release, you spoke about having an epiphany. What realisation was this?
I don't think I realised how powerful we can be as artists to influence and inspire people. I used to be the young kid who normally plays the background at church so being in the forefront as the vessel to deliver the art was overwhelming in a way to me. I did not think people were going to relate to my music like they did.
You’re in a collective called Superjazzclub. How did that come about and what is the meaning behind that name?
Superjazzclub is a collective of friends who have a mutual love for good music and thus began creating together and navigating the industry.
It served as a community where we could all be accountable for each other, share ideas and just create.
Our strength is in our diversity as our different backgrounds have influenced our taste in music. The one thing we could all agree to love was the Jazz genre. Over time the word Jazz became an inside jargon which is synonymous to epic and we would throw it around anytime something sounded dope to us.
So when it came to picking a name, we tossed around with a few ideas but Superjazzclub was the one that stuck with us. A super epic club literally.
Who do you listen to when your mind needs a break from creating music?
That's a tough one because I listen widely but some of my top favourites will be Faith Conversations by TD Jakes and Myles Munroe. I love watching Pensado's place which is a great hub for artists to learn from. I'm also a gadget geek so i mostly watch NAMM or read articles about how my favourite records were made. I'll listen to some podcasts like Dissect and Song Explorer just to broaden my scope of sonics in general.
Which African artist(s) would you say needs to be on our radar?
Here's a few of them: Edwvn, 95ANTNY, Narah, Rejoice Otchere, Ria Boss and of course Superjazzclub.
Lastly, finish this sentence: I would define success as…..
Becoming the change and influencing others to be change agents.
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Be sure to follow Øbed’s journey on socials: