Femi Kuti
Afrobeat blues

In Journey Through Life, Fela Kuti's ‘famous son’ speaks passionately about his saxophone, life's hardships and his country's flaws.

«The saxophone is part of my life», he confesses simply. This is evident in Kuti’s superb new album, Journey Through Life, which he recorded in Nigeria at Legacy Plus Studios, built in 2020, during the pandemic. ‘”We thought we wouldn't be able to perform on stage or tour anymore, but we had to keep making music,” recalls the 62-year-old musician. ​​​​​​​«Having your own studio means you don't have to rush for financial reasons and you can be more flexible in terms of scheduling.» This has helped inspire an Afrobeat sound that is as hybrid as ever.

However, the backdrop to the making of Journey Through Life was not the most peaceful: “My daughter had to have an operation. So I decided to record to take my mind off things, because I was consumed by worry and anxiety... I had to put pressure on my mind and my reasoning. All while drawing inspiration from the many emotions that were overwhelming me at the time and transforming them into music: sadness, my daughter's courage... I also thought it was important to sing about things that are more personal to me and that have always been important in my life’s journey.” Hence the title of this album, which features the standout track «After 24 Years», a blunt indictment of his country's failings over the last two decades. The musician explains that it is a response to «Sorry Sorry», from the album Shoki Shoki (1998), in which he claimed that the political class and the soldiers were one and the same. “And ‘Sorry Sorry’ was right, because the situation is even worse today than it was when the soldiers were in power.”

Femi Kuti remembers «imagining a sound» for his mother when he was five years old. He would play it on his father's drum kit, watching him tirelessly compose before giving shape to his songs in the studio. Since then, the Black President's son has devoted himself entirely to music, respecting his family's activism. This is evident in songs such as «Politics Don Expose Them» and «Corruption Na Stealing». «I can only speak for myself. I sing about what touches me the most... I believe that composers are just part of a means used by higher powers to spread peace and love.»
Even today, he feels he is learning more every day through his work. “I've learned to always be humble in the face of life and success. Family is very important and you should never stop wanting to learn more.” His mantra? «Find peace and harmony, try to stay positive and focused, even when everything seems impossible.»