Amsterdam based-Ghanaian Neo-Soul and Afrobeat artist aka Rastagyal
By Arinzechukwu Patrick
The year twenty-eighteen gave birth to the rise of many solid artists from Ghana, though much of the attention has been on Afrobeat, the rap/trap scene and other male-dominated categories, somewhere in a little pocket of pubs, girl clubs, jazz nights and influence from the church Soul music is also on the rise, born out of a necessity of representation of the roots of black alternative music in Accra. It comes as a surprise that nobody knows Midi, the Amsterdam based-Ghanaian Neo-Soul and Afrobeat artist aka Rastagyal. Raised in a small town in Germany; Rastagyal grew up immersed in two contrasting cultures, a German and a Ghanaian side. I met Rastagyal at Republic bar in Osu for a drink, a place where most creative meet. She had just returned to Ghana and was looking to connect with as many artists as she could before heading back to The Hague. While ordering a beer I looked through the crowd and noticed her outside on the streets. I joined her and the friend she was with and I remember us leaving the bar to a park to smoke and have a long conversation about the environment, and eventually we talked about her music.
I don’t like being boring. I want to shine; I want to look in the mirror and be like “girl you fucking shit up”.
We hung out more after the first night. “I need to download the songs my producer sent me from WeTransfer,” She said, offhand with a laugh, whenever I asked her about her music. One day she visited with her laptop and downloaded the songs for me to listen. Real intimacy is about energy exchange, which is what Rastagyal sounds like when she sings pain healing, euphoric music about love, meditation, sex and the occasional drugs that helps one sleep at night. She can be named a Zen artist whose sound is a merge of mood and groove music. It is soulful in the way that it hits the spirit and groovy in the way that it makes you want to move, either in a sensual manner or in passion. Singing to the tunes of her guitar, the music flows through and from her emotions which means the sound gets better with how good her mood feels, making it natural. Gone Freestyle is a good example of how she can easily formulate music. To go with her sound Rastagyal adopted a bohemian style. The singer cultivated a look that is, undeniably unique, alternative R&B with a blend of breezy vintage-inspired dresses that she mostly finds at thrift stores she wanders into, or she is clad in one of her favourite Accra based brands. The songs she downloaded from WeTransfer were to be in her first EP called GYALISM, a self-written and co-produced body of work she released in Accra before she travelled to South Africa to continue her education.
“I will say my music is a tree; the roots would be neo-soul, that’s my foundation. I sing from my soul and I am a soul in a human body.”
Despite having to juggle music and school, Rastagyal has worked hard behind the scenes to improve her brand, putting out two official music videos and other short clips. Juggling being a student and music is also the reason why she has been quiet or unknown in the scene, but another reason is her patience. Rastagyal is an artist who only wishes to work with the best an also share the highest quality of her work and this has put a slow pace to her creativity, considering details and making sure that she appeals to every sense of music-making before sharing.
2020 is the decade Rastagyal wants to step back heavily into the music scene, currently, an intern at Universal Music she has inline new projects that reflect her artistic growth. To wet the grounds has she released a video she made in Accra featuring KiddBlack from La meme gang as her muse, the video was directed by The Roaming Ambassador. Currently, Rastagyal is working on another video directed by Naafia Naahemaa, in Amsterdam, to be released later this year.
When did you start making music and what inspired you to:
I started making music and singing at the age of 15. I had my first music lesson in high school and I remembered I started singing a song and my teacher was blown away by my “smoky voice”. From that day on he was my mentor and introduced me to Soul music. So, from an early age, I started singing songs by Nina Simone, Ray Charles and this sparked my interest for more. Soul music became everything for me; artists like India Arie and Lauryn Hill made me understand music as a form of healing, music as a therapy, as a weapon of love. I was playing in a band and we had events regularly, but it was more fun for me. In 2017 I had my first boyfriend after we broke up I wrote and recorded my first song “maybe”, so I guess I began to see myself as an artist from that point on. It took me a while to understand my craft and to understand who I am as a human and what my purpose is an artist, but gaining the understanding that I am here to be a star, and I don’t mean as in celebrity but rather a light that will help other people to find themselves and guide them through this journey we call life. It inspires me to continue to make music.
Before anyone has the chance to put you in a box what will you say is your genre of music?
It’s always interesting when people ask me this. I don’t think I want to describe my music as being part of a genre. I will say my music is a tree; the roots would be neo-soul, that’s my foundation. I sing from my soul and I am a soul in a human body. So, I guess I make soul music mixed with influences from RnB, Reggae, Hip-hop and Afrobeat. I listen to a lot of Indie music and alternative songs, so I get influenced by that as well. I love to experiment, sometimes I hide hidden messages in my songs and if you listen closely, you can hear me chanting “peace and love”, just to bring some positivity to my listeners. I can also be very adaptive; it just depends on the mood and my environment. If I feel like reggae today, I will create a reggae song, if I feel like the love I will call my guitarist and we will cook up something. So, in all, I feel like not belonging to a specific genre gives me more freedom to experience different sounds.
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How are you able to juggle music and schooling?
I study international communication management in The Hague and I love it so much, this study opened so many doors for me, so many opportunities and room to expand my vision in life. My studies are quite chilled so I have a lot of time to work on music, but sometimes when things get stressful with exams and papers I’m like “so w*t*f am I doing here, why am I doing this?” but that’s just in the moment. Sometimes I have this feeling or thought that a musician needs to dedicate herself 100%, no work no school just music. But I don’t think that is the right thing for me, I want my education, not necessarily the paper that I will receive at the end, but rather the knowledge that comes from studying. At this very moment, I am doing my internship at the biggest music label/company in the world, moved back to Germany (Berlin) and I’m learning so many things! After this, I’m going to be unstoppable.
How did being in South Africa influence your music?
I think South Africa influenced me as a person very much. I was able to play a lot of shows, at one point we played every weekend, and it was amazing because I was able to work on my performance skills. South Africa thought me things I did not know I was able to do, the music scene there is crazy! People are so talented and so lovely. I got introduced to South African house music before I went, I did not even know I would like House, but it is dope. So, I’m currently working together with a producer from SA and soon my listeners will dive into a new sound, and I’m excited!
What do you consider is German about you?
My surname is super German, I can go to the doctor and they call my name, everyone stares at me because you just would expect it. Another thing would be structuring; I need structure in my life, even in my art. In general, I feel like my friends and family could answer it better. My way of living I guess, German people like things practical and simple, sustainable. We like to save up money for travel and that is how I got my wanderlust.
In relation to your fashion style, what’s your relationship/affinity with the brand Brandless?
I love fashion! I always saw it a way of expressing my individuality. I don’t like being boring. I want to shine; I want to look in the mirror and be like “girl you fucking shit up”. My mom used to complain a lot because my cousin Fanni and I used to wear these crazy outfits. When I went to Ghana, Jennifer hit me up, she is the creator of Braandless and we have always followed each other on Instagram already and I thought she was fine AF, never talked to her though. When I arrived in Accra, she wrote to me and told me about her brand, so I modelled for her. I was a bit worried because I usually do not show my stomach, because of my scar, but she was like “no it is dope I like it”. So Brandless made me feel so comfortable in my skin, it was like an energy boost that I got. Jennifer became the designer for my video shoots, for “Flow” and “Body” The golden outfit got so much love from people. So, the love for her and the brand is deep.
Tell me about your journey to Gyalism and how far you’ve grown since the release of your debut
GYALISM, that whole project was so fast, I always laugh when I think back at that time. The project was released in Ghana; my friend encouraged me to release it. Even though it was only 3 songs the whole project was and is still important for me. I grew a lot, now I know where I want to go with my music. Through that EP and my song “Save her” I was able to be part of the biggest German artist camp; I played in SA, and on a festival in Germany and GYALISM made that happen. I’m working on more music and I finally have a crew behind me, my producers, so things changed since that release.
What are you working on currently?
Currently, I’m working on my next release “Love in Paradise” which will be my first Afrobeat song and my song “Go again”, which I am very excited about because that song is going to put me out there, it is a very sensual song and I know that people are going to relate to it a lot, men and women.
Which artists are you looking to collaborate with?
I never really thought about it. I am focused on myself, getting better and better that I never really think about collaborations. The people I could definitely see myself working with would be Iamddb, Ari Lennox, Koffee, Rema and from my South African Gems Dj Maphorisa and Prince Kaybee.
Listen to Gyalism