As part of Billboard’s Platoon Africa Artist Showcase, emerging star Kwesi Arthur kicked things off Thursday afternoon (May 21) with a fun and vibrant Live-At Home performance from the Ground Up Chale Studios in Ghana.
Sporting an I Heart NY hoodie, Arthur’s opening included rousing showings of his popular songs “Kill My Spirit” and “Back on the Wall.” Arthur’s energy never waned, especially on the former, which serves as a motivational tune for those seeking escape. As he neared the finish line, he loosened up the vibe with the breezy anthem “Chill” from his 2019 project, This Is Not The Tape, Sorry 4 the Wait.
In an interview with OkayAfrica last year, Arthur spoke on Africa’s global influence, most notably on the web. “I know the internet has made everything close — it has made the world very small. So now anything we do someone out there can see,” he said. “They see what we’re doing so we really have to up our game. But I still keep it lighthearted, speak my truth, do what I love.”
He added: “The world to Africa, like Africa has so much to offer. So I think the world should be ready for Africans. And we’ll bring the world to Africa. That’s one thing about Africa. We always keep creating new things. At one point there was Azonto and that came to shaku shaku. Africa keeps recreating stuff and that’s not going to end. We’ll always keep creating.”
Watch his performance above.