JJ Gonami spreads his wings
When Jacob Gonami Kordzo Agbenuvor, better known as JJ Gonami, gets on stage, he feels no qualms about delighting his audience by rapping and singing in Ewe while incorporating some of the great rhythms from his home region into his music.
The young man from Tegbi Agbedrafor, near Keta in the Volta Region, who first hit the Ghanaian music scene in 2014 with his Dzidzorkporkpor (Happiness) single, knows the ability to creatively embrace elements from one’s cultural context is always a winning formula.
Advertisement
Since the release of his debut single, he has moved on to produce two albums: The Ewe Dictionary and The Solo Project, which contain 50 tracks. His EP, Volta Religion, has seven songs and was released in 2022.
JJ Gomani has said while projecting himself as an exponent of contemporary music deeply rooted in his Ewe background, the ultimate mission is to offer music that’s enjoyed everywhere.
It was in pursuit of that quest that saw him perform at the premiere edition of the African Music Revolution (AMR) Tour in Dakar, Senegal. It was an event that brought talented, young African artistes together on February 11, 2023, for a memorable concert at Dakar’s famous African Renaissance Monument.
Other acts at the programme included Iba One (Mali), RJ the DJ and DJ Ylb (Tanzania), Ntosh Gazi (South Africa), Paco Briz and Mohammed VJ (Senegal), Kayawoto (Burkina Faso) and others from across the continent.
The music on offer embraced Amapiano, Hip Hop, AfroPop, R&B, Afrobeats and more. JJ Gonami, who has constantly thrived on versatility, performed some of his current best-known tracks, including Abi (Injection) Gbekui (Herbs). Though the Dakar audience didn’t understand the Ewe lyrics in his songs, they still jumped and danced to his bouncy tracks.
JJ Gonami later said he fell in love with the people in Dakar because they were extremely friendly. He also admired the comradeship between all the artistes on the show and had already started working on some collaborations with some of them.
JJ Gonami is gradually growing his fan base across Ghana though he is already well-known in the Volta Region. He understands that the process could be slow but he is determined to keep working hard to eventually entrench himself in the hearts of his fans all over Ghana and beyond.
