Singer Jojo Abot Speaks the Heart’s Burdens Through Music
In a world dominated by social injustice, it’s uplifting to find someone whose creative essence is dedicated to the pursuit of love. Such is the ambition of Ghanaian singer Jojo Abot. Singing in Ewe and English on her upcoming EP, Fyfya Woto, Jojo interrogates the complexities of love and culture through her lyrics and the visuals in her conceptual short films.
Forged on a journey that has taken her through Brooklyn, Copenhagen, Accra and back, the singles from the Fyfya Woto EP represent a sonic expansion of Jojo’s signature electro-jazz style, infusing cosmic synth, reggae and afrobeat rhythms into the mix. Vocally, Jojo is as dynamic and powerful as ever on her new tracks, demonstrating an enviable degree of range and control. Of her sound she says,
“I’ve always loved all things spiritual, hypnotic and electronic fused with familiar traditional acoustic melodies and rhythms I grew up listening to as a Ghanaian child. I’ve always found strength in my femininity and identity as both a woman and a Ghanaian (of Anlo ancestry). My music is simply a reflection of those key elements which largely serve as a basis for my life experience.”
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The title of the EP, Fyfya Woto, meaning, “it has just been invented,” is based on the middle name of Jojo’s grandmother. It’s an ode to her grandmother’s bold nature and an allusion to what she describes as the feminine strength each woman can discover within herself. About the forthcoming EP Jojo says,
“Fyfya Woto celebrates and identifies the defiant spirit of every woman. We find fragments of her in us. Even in the face of the consequences of forbidden love, she cries for justice, mercy and equality. She defies the laws of the land based on something pure… LOVE.”
This courageous, love-driven defiance is a theme Jojo visits often, revealing the complex relationship between tradition and individuality in her songs. From the playful “To Li” to the sorrowful “Le Le Le” to newly minted and extra funky “Stop the Violence (S.T.V.),” Jojo confronts struggle with her gift – speaking burdens of the heart through music. Check out her recently released tracks and performances and keep a keen eye on the lookout for the Fyfya Woto EP to be released later this year.
