{"loaderData":{"0":{"primaryCategories":[{"title":"Viral News","slug":"viral-news"},{"title":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},{"title":"Campus Trends","slug":"campus-trends"},{"title":"Podcasts","slug":"podcasts"}],"moreCategories":[{"title":"Lifestyle","slug":"lifestyle"},{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},{"title":"Events","slug":"events"},{"title":"Interviews","slug":"interviews"},{"title":"Talent Spotlight","slug":"talent-spotlight"},{"title":"Creative Industry","slug":"creative-industry"}]},"0-11":{"category":{"id":5,"title":"Interviews","slug":"interviews","description":"Deep dives with artists, entrepreneurs, activists, and everyday people doing extraordinary things.","color":"#E6A817","coverImage":{"url":null,"sizes":{"thumbnail":null,"card":null,"hero":null}}},"articles":[{"id":4,"title":"\"I Almost Quit Music at 22\" — King Promise Opens Up on Doubt, Deals, and His Next Album","slug":"king-promise-interview-2025","excerpt":"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.","body":"

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.

","category":{"id":5,"title":"Interviews","slug":"interviews","description":"Deep dives with artists, entrepreneurs, activists, and everyday people doing extraordinary things.","color":"#E6A817","coverImage":{"url":null,"sizes":{"thumbnail":null,"card":null,"hero":null}}},"author":{"id":1,"name":"Kwame Asante","slug":"kwame-asante","bio":"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.","role":null,"social":{"twitter":"@kwameasante_gh","instagram":"@kwameasante"},"avatar":{"url":null,"sizes":{"thumbnail":null}}},"featured":false,"trending":true,"contentType":"article","videoUrl":null,"publishedAt":"2026-05-24T08:39:45+00:00","status":"published","readTime":6,"tags":[{"tag":"King Promise"},{"tag":"Interview"},{"tag":"Afropop"},{"tag":"Highlife"}],"coverImage":{"url":null,"sizes":{"thumbnail":null,"card":null,"hero":null}}}],"total":1,"ytVideos":[]}},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

"I Almost Quit Music at 22" — King Promise Opens Up on Doubt, Deals, and His Next Album