By: Savannah Pokuaah Duah
Ghanaian Afrobeat artist, Joel Ofori Bonsu, better known as OliveTheBoy, recently shared his perspective and source of inspiration in an interview with GTV Breakfast Show on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. The Afrobeat artist emphasized that it can strike from the most unexpected places. “It could come from like very, very normal stuff,” he explained, “maybe like, it could be somebody’s song.”
OliveTheBoy pointed to his own experiences with freestyling, noting how his initial efforts were inspired by the music of Kwame Eugene. “Inspirations could come from anywhere at all,” he continued, “you know, like it could be from you. I mean, it could be from anybody at all.”
OliveTheBoy revealed that his creative process often starts with the melody, rather than a specific concept. “So mostly I don’t think about the concepts first,I think about the melodies first, you know, I get them down. And then whatever I want to write about, like if it’s from your story, if it’s from another person’s story, it comes after,” he explained.
He admits that while he thrives on drawing inspiration from external narratives, he finds it more challenging to translate his personal experiences into song. “Mostly I’m not really good at writing things from my own like stories,you know, from things that happened to me, like from my own experiences,” he stated.
He added that his ability to create a safe space for vulnerability empowers his listeners to explore the “weirder stuff” in their lives. “I think what makes it easier for people to connect to me is, is the fact that I’m able to give them confidence to talk about the weirder stuff,” he explained.
He emphasized that this connection with listeners is fostered by his willingness to tackle unconventional themes. “I don’t like to talk about the, I like to talk about the things that you would not say on a normal day,Or like you find a very few people talk about on a normal day,” he added.
Olivetheboy illustrated this concept with his song “Asylum” he said. “If you leave me and go away, you will not say it normally, you know, like in a normal conversation. But then when you pick up, when you pick up your phone and you’re like making videos to the sound, you’re more confident,” he explained
He further explained that this approach allows for a more authentic expression of emotion, particularly within the context of music. “Because, you know, when you’re singing, it’s, I feel like it’s, it’s way easier that way, you know.”
