Yemi Alade is stepping outside some of the musical territories that have defined her career with her new album, ‘It’s Yemi Alade,’ embracing sounds ranging from Kompa and disco to techno and rap.
The singer said the album was deliberately designed to challenge expectations about what listeners might associate with her music.
At the heart of the project is a simple creative formula: ‘something new, something old, something borrowed.’
The ‘something old’ takes Alade back to her musical roots and some of the sounds that helped establish her career. Rather than simply recreating those influences, however, she said she wanted to push them forward.
The ‘something borrowed’ represents perhaps the most adventurous part of the experiment.
Alade ventured into musical styles outside the Afrobeat and Highlife sounds with which she is widely associated. She explored Kompa, experimented with disco and incorporated techno-inspired sounds reminiscent of music heard in Ibiza.
Then came ‘something new’: a return to rap.
Long before she became known as one of Africa’s prominent Afropop singers, Alade said she fell in love with music through rap.
Her new album therefore provides an opportunity to reconnect with that early influence while incorporating it into the artist she has become.
The singer described the overall creative journey as ‘audacious’, explaining that she has become increasingly comfortable making decisions based on her own artistic instincts.
‘I’m making music on my own terms, enjoying the process on my own terms, and allowing myself the freedom to explore,’ she said.
That philosophy extends beyond genre.
Alade said she hopes the album connects with people who are also navigating personal growth, individuality and self-discovery.
For her, musical experimentation is ultimately connected to personal freedom.
The album therefore represents not just a change in sound, but an attempt to demonstrate that an established artiste can continue to reinvent herself without abandoning the influences that shaped her.