Ghana’s 99 PHACES isn’t just another music group; they’re a multidisciplinary creative movement dismantling the myth that artists must work alone to shine. Founded in 2022, this nine-member collective unites vocalists CozyPols, Anabel Rose, Freddie Gambini, KiKi Celine, Tikki Waja, and Moffy with producers Mēl, Insvne Auggie, and KQ The Artist, each bringing their signature artistry to a shared sonic universe that defies categorization.
Their 2023 debut EP “So We Made a Tape” arrived with a manifesto that doubled as creative philosophy, declaring that while individual voices might get lost in the noise, a unified chorus of passionate creators demands attention, and they’ve been commanding it ever since through genre-bending explorations that seamlessly fuse Afro-fusion, Hip-hop, Alté, Amapiano, and R&B.
October 2025 marked a watershed moment when 99 PHACES secured the Apple Music UP NEXT Ghana distinction, joining an exclusive club as only the second Ghanaian collective to receive this honor. The recognition coincided with the release of their full-length debut “The Kids Are Just Fine,” a 10-track statement that chronicles late-night revelry, audacious ambitions, and the raw honesty of collective evolution. Their momentum hasn’t slowed: “Better Days” claimed the number 36 spot on Apple Music’s “Africa Rising: Best of 2025” playlist just weeks after the album dropped, cementing their status as more than a local phenomenon.
With strategic brand collaborations including 69Burgers and World Genius, plus electrifying sets at Afrosonicx, 99 PHACES is demonstrating that Ghana’s alternative music scene has found its most compelling champions—a collective proving that collaboration breeds innovation, and they’re nowhere near finished.
For anyone who doesn’t know 99PHACES, how would you describe the collective in just five words?
Child-like, Ambitious, Alternative, Family, and Functionally Chaotic
How different has the collective been since the last project, “SO WE MADE A TAPE“?
Since our first project we ushered in new members: KQ the Artist, Anabel Rose, Tikki Waja and Kiki Celine. You’ll hear quite a few new voices in this new album which create a whole new dimension to our music. We’ve also done a lot of living, learnt a lot of lessons as well which we address in each song. You can definitely feel the maturity this time around.
“The Kids Are Just Fine.” What influenced the name and theme of this tape?
It’s been two years since we dropped our first mixtape. In that period a lot of life was lived. Individually we went through a series of rough patches that tested our ability to create and pursue our dreams as artists. However, through it all we always had little reminders and motivations that grounded us and kept us going. At the end of curating the final songs for the album we realized how much the songs told the story of our resilience. How despite it all, things will be alright for us in the end.
What was one of the toughest decisions that had to be made during the making of the tape, and how did it affect the overall presentation of the tape?
I think the toughest decision was the track listing when we had to remove two songs and some featured artists due to time constraints, we had 14 songs we cut down to 10 for the album
“The Kids Are Just Fine” is your debut album after starting with “SO WE MADE A TAPE.” How did you approach creating a full-length project differently than the EP, and what did you want to prove with this album?
For this album we leaned into more collaboration within the collective. As our number had increased from when we made SWMAT, our approach had to be more open to allow everyone to be properly involved and contribute to the process. We knew we had a story to tell and decided to go for it and not regret in the future about what ifs, not necessarily something to prove but we say we’re artists, so let’s follow through and make art
You recently became Apple Music’s UP NEXT Ghana artist, only the second collective to receive this honor. What does this recognition mean to you, and how do you see it impacting the visibility of collective culture in Ghana?
It means everything to us and proof that we can and will actually go very far with this music thing. We’ve had people message us and listen to our album because of this UP NEXT feature and reassure us of how good our music is. Wherever we go, Ghana goes and it’s all in our sound and message
Each member brings a distinct sound; from Moffy’s Asorkpo-infused style to CozyPols’ swag to Anabel Rose’s experimental approach. How do you balance maintaining individual artistic identities while creating cohesive collective work?
The individual identities is what makes the cohesive collective work, unity in diversity if that makes sense. Jaspa knows (we don’t know how) but he knows how to filter some things to allow each artist’s style to shine and complement another. We have something called “functional chaos” where we don’t overthink, just create and it all falls into place. We do a little tweaking afterwards from Jaspa and we have our beautiful cohesive music.
Your mantra is “No man is an island.” In an industry that often celebrates solo stardom, what challenges have you faced in establishing 99 PHACES as a collective, and how have you overcome them?
Working as a collective is way more difficult than working alone, it is also way more easy and rewarding if everyone is aligned with the goal/vision and pulls their weight. Imagine trying to get 9 artists into one studio to write a 3 min song, with different conflicting work schedules, priorities, availability, troubles etc, its tough coordinating, but we all know how much we love music and want to put in our best and make history, so we sacrifice a lot and get things done.
You’ve described 2025 as “99szn” and dropped multiple singles already. What’s driving this momentum, and what can fans expect from the collective for the rest of the year?
The initial driving momentum was the album of course. Because as each day passes we really don’t want to live “what if” and what could have been. So we put our best foot forward and foot on the gas at the same time! Expect more performances and fan connections. The rollout for the album isn’t done yet. We’ve got more collaborations (not only music) lined up and would love for everyone who supports us to experience even a little bit.
Beyond music, 99 PHACES spans digital arts, fine arts, and fashion. How do these other creative disciplines influence your music-making process, and what does the full “99 PHACES universe” look like to you?
The 99 PHACES universe is a space where sound, visuals, and identity flow together seamlessly. It’s about creating a unified creative world in which every medium shares the same vision and strengthens the story behind the music, creating an ecosystem where all forms of art expression live and support each other.
Written by NJ Dzandu.
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