Ghanaian Dancehall King, Shatta Wale, says he is ready for the Afrobreats market, following the release of his Incoming single off his upcoming Konekt Album.
The trending single, which features Nigerian singer Tekno, is a prelude to the ‘new sail’ he had set for himself.
Speaking on BBC’s ‘This is Africa’ programme in London, the award-winning star explained the “switch” as a “graduation from dancehall to feed fans with what is currently trending.”
Responding to questions about his popularity and recent projects, Shatta Wale described Nigeria as his “second home,” saying he loved the energy and support from his fans in the West African country with over 200 million citizens.
Shatta Wale has not announced the release date for his new album. However, he said his partnership with Nigerian music executive Abisagboola Oluseun better known as Bankulli, on the upcoming project had taught him how to work more professionally.
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Describing the new album as “full of sounds that are soothing to the ears,” he hailed top acts including Davido, Burnaboy, and Tiwa Savage, who continue to sustain the Afrobeats genre.
“I don’t want to be hard on this journey that I want to pursue; I want people to really see my fun side, my hilarious moments, my happiness. I just want people to know I am happy now and I want to share that with the world,” the UK-Ghana Music Artiste of the Year stated.
Shatta Wale, born Charles Nii Armah Mensah, likened his stardom over the years to being in “prison,” saying it was quite “challenging” as he could not eat at public places or act like an ordinary person in Ghana.
“It’s not easy to be a star. It is just like you’ve bought land and built a whole prison yard for yourself and you are locking yourself up every time,” he said.
Having already brought on his versatility in Beyonce’s Already hit song in 2019, the crowd-pulling entertainer said he was working towards another collaboration with the American singer.
Shatta Wale and Tekno’s Incoming track was listed on the Top 50 Afro-Dancehall Playlist in Africa, released by Music streaming platform Audiomack (Africa) in October.
The musician, who was the cover art of the playlist, took to his socials to celebrate the feat, thanking Audiomack Africa for the recognition.
In the meantime, fans are eager to see what the yet-to-be-released Konekt Album is made of.
The Bulletproof hitmaker is billed to perform at a music concert in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom on November 4, 2023.