In a rare candid sit-down, the Ghanaian Afropop star reflects on nearly walking away from music, his growth as a songwriter, and what fans can expect from his upcoming project.
King Promise does not do many interviews. When he does, he means it. We sat down with the 29-year-old Accra-born artist in his home studio in Cantonments, surrounded by acoustic panels, vintage synthesisers, and a wall covered in handwritten lyrics.
"There was a period around 2020 where I genuinely thought about stopping," he says, adjusting his snapback. "Not quitting the music — I mean stopping chasing it professionally. The deal conversations were going nowhere. I was sleeping on a couch in East Legon. It was hard to believe in the vision."
What changed? A phone call from producer Killbeatz, who had worked on some of Promise's earliest tracks. "He said, 'Come to the studio tomorrow. Just play.' No agenda, no deadline. I went, and we made three songs in one session. That week reminded me why I do this."
Those sessions became the foundation for his third album, whose title and release date he is not yet ready to share, but whose theme — he tells us — is "joy that was hard to earn." The singles released so far have leaned into Highlife-infused melodies, a conscious shift from the Afrobeats-heavy sound of his earlier catalogue.
"Ghana has a musical heritage that the world is waking up to," he says. "Highlife is not old music. It's the root. I want people to feel that connection." If the snippets circulating on his close-friends Instagram story are any indication, the album is going to be special.
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Kwame Asante
Kwame covers the Ghanaian music and film scene with a sharp ear for what resonates with young audiences. Based in Accra, he has interviewed over 200 artists across West Africa.