Africa has always been a continent that punches above its weight when it comes to world-class female talent. Artists like Angèlique Kidjo, Sho Madjozi, Sungi Mlengeya, Amaarae, and Aša, have continued to take the world by storm in the last 10 years, and there’s no shortage of up-and-comers ready to follow their footsteps or create their paths. Joining voices with the myriads of female artists who continue to put African music on the map is Wendy Bafowaa Hanson, known professionally as Bafowaa.
Bafowaa is an emerging American-Ghanian independent recording artist. She is known for her fierce, resilient, and powerful vocal offering influenced by the likes of Whitney Houston and Maria Carey. In 2019, Bafowaa, who has been in the States since she was 6, made the conscious decision to return to her homeland of Ghana. With the release of her first two singles “Fam Pim” and “Chaskele”, she is switching things up sonically with her distinct vocal style which is highly influenced by Western culture fused with the African vibe.
Set to dominate airwaves across Ghana and beyond, we caught up with Bafowaa to learn more about her music, why she moved back to Ghana in 2019, and many more.
Who is Bafowaa?
Bafowaa is a creative, Bafowaa is an illusionist. I am a singer, a songwriter. I am a different dimensional person, you are not going to get one thing with me. Even with the way I dress or I carry myself, I like to switch my looks up. So, my fans should not be expecting the person I was before.
At what point did you realize you wanted to do music?
Music has been a part of all my life. I used to be in my school band. I played the flute for several years. I was in the orchestra. Music has been a part of my life anyways. I have done Talent Shows, I have had a girl’s group. So it has been a part of me all this time. But, when I realized I wanted to take it professional was when I came to Ghana to visit my friend. He was doing a jingle for his campaign and he needed a vocalist. I was at the studio and I ended up doing the vocals for the jingle. And I was like, ‘oh yeah, this feels right and I can do this’ (laughs).
Who or what inspires you?
My inspirations are Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, etc. I just get inspired by how they touch people with their music. I want to be that type of artist that somebody can lean on to, if they are going through anything, just like therapy. And this was what these artists did for me. I used to escape through music.
What was your experience like, being a Ghanaian who grew up and lived in the States for a long time?
I left Ghana when I was very young, like 6-years old. When we got there, people really embraced me. Maybe it was because of where we came from, but everyone embraced me really well. All my teachers and friends loved that I was from Africa. They always wanted me to share more of my experiences. I guess I was too young to recollect these experiences, but they loved me. I had a good experience over there.
And what influenced your decision to return back to Ghana in 2019?
I came to Ghana because I wanted to take my career more seriously. I was doing Afro music and where I lived in the States, there wasn’t a really big following for that. So, what better place to come than where Afro music is made, embraced and loved. That was why I wanted to come here to work on craft and be around my peers to help me creatively.
How has Ghana been treating you since your return?
Actually, it has not been easy at all. People do not understand me, people don’t want to understand me. For me, I feel like I came back to embrace my culture. I know a lot of people who go out there and do not want to come back because of all they face when they return. I am a Ghanaian and I don’t know why my people should treat me differently. If anything, they should try to embrace and teach. I am not saying everybody is like that, but the majority would rather not teach and embrace you. They’d rather treat you like you are an alien from outer space and you don’t exist. But, over there in America, it’s not like that. People come from all over the world and we do not discriminate. It’s a different mindset over there and I wish more Ghanaians’ would be more open minded because we are one.
What are your thoughts on the current music scene in Ghana, compared to what you grew up to?
The music industry in Ghana is very relaxing. I feel like in America, there are so many genres. There are different people doing different things. In Ghana, it’s a little closed off where it is really small where they don’t even want to let new artists in. They don’t want to be very open. More people act like if somebody is Ghanaian and they’re doing something different from what we know, which is highlife, they don’t want to adjust and embrace them. But yet, they are listening to everyone else’s music, like Chris Brown, Young Thug and a lot of people I know they don’t understand. But I’d a local Ghanaian person is doing that, they don’t embrace it.
How would you describe your sound?
My sound is like a fusion of Afrobeats, R&B — just anything with a vibe.
How did the reception of your two singles “Fam Pim” and “Chaskele” make you feel?
So when I did those two singles, I was kind of new in the game, I didn’t really understand everything. I guess people didn’t embrace me. And also my downfall was that I wasn’t here to do promos, I wasn’t here for interviews. But this time, I have a new sound, producers and a new team. The sound is really vibey. More people are definitely going to catch the wave more. I also made a conscious decision to stay here and work on my craft.
What do you hope your listeners gain from your music?
I feel like I’m bringing a new style to our music here in Ghana. I feel like most of the girls do a one- way type of music, but I’m bringing different dimensions. I’m a rapper too. Just adding different elements to my music and making an impact across Africa, particularly Ghana hopefully.
Do you have any Ghanaian artist you have been vibing to since you came back?
I love most of the male artists, I love King Promise and Kiddi. But, the female artist that I am more gravitated to is late Ebony. I love her and Gyakie too. More so, Ebony was very free with her art and that’s the type of artiste I want to be. I want to be a free person so I can express myself. Not one-way trying to make everybody feel comfortable because that is not who I am. I want to shake the tables.
What’s next for you?
I have a new project that I am working on right now. I am trying to get an EP together. There are about 6-7 songs on it. I am trying to get my interviews out there, do more interviews and be known.
What themes are you hoping to explore with this forthcoming project?
This EP is different from my last one. Though we haven’t come up with a title yet, the title we think we want is Games People Play. Every song is different, talking about love and heartbreak for the everyday girl or even the guy to listen and get inspiration. There are a lot of dope songs to help get through whatever it is that you are going through.
“Call Me” by Bafowaa is out now on all streaming platforms.