The ARIA winner on his new album, his biggest career regrets and his fear of stagnation
Once won the co-sign Barack Obama himself but with his typically eclectic and politically charged new album Red Star Wu and Worldwide TroubleIt looks like the whole world has finally caught up with Genesis Owusu.
ARIA winner third album earned great reviews New York Times, Pitchfork And Guard and a rave review from the internet’s favorite music critic, Anthony Fantano. “We love seeing this,” says the 28-year-old Ghanaian-Australian musician, whose real name is Kofi Owusu-Ansah.
He’s speaking via Zoom from his family’s home in Canberra, where he’s enjoying a short weekend break before heading to Europe for shows in Paris and London. “They can’t take Canberra away from the kid,” he says, laughing at the refreshing respite in his hometown. “The child travels around the world, but my heart is always here.”
1. Your worst habit?
Suspension. I’m a big cooler. I like to take it slow, slow. Even now I should be packing, but I have a list of small, boring admin tasks that I’ll be putting off until the last minute. I hate deadlines, but deadlines definitely trigger the motivation I need to get things done; Except when it comes to my albums. My art is the only thing where I’m like, “Okay, let’s get this out NOW.”
2. Your biggest fear?
Stagnation and mediocrity. Not just for myself but in general. Fear of me not being able to progress, of the people around me not being able to progress, of society as a whole not being able to progress. Lack of curiosity scares me. Your reluctance to experience the greatness that you can experience scares me.
That’s why my music touches on so many different sounds and genres. When I was young I set myself the mission of breaking boundaries, constantly trying new paths and taking steps, so I feel like I would betray myself if I stopped doing that.
3. The line that stays with you?
“Think globally, act locally.” I’m not sure who said this first, but I heard it from Fred Hampton of the Black Panthers. It makes more sense every day.
Being able to see so much of the world and being bombarded with information sometimes you feel powerless in the face of all the crazy things going on. But all you can do is what you can do, and that often starts in your backyard and your community. If everyone does their best, I hope we will take steps towards positive change.
4. Your biggest regret?
Back in 2014, when I was in Grade 11, I had a slightly weird friend who said: “Dude, there’s this thing called Bitcoin and we can buy stuff on the black market with it.” And I said, “No bro, leave me out of this.” Look, I should have bought that Bitcoin. At that time, he only wanted me to put in like $100, which was a pretty significant amount now.
5. Tell us about your turning point.
I think I’ve always been on a relatively straight path. There were no 180s; There have always been forward speed and compound evolutions. I think this path would make sense if you knew me as a child, then as a teenager, and now when you know me.
I knew since I was a kid that I would eventually make music or do something crazy. Whenever people ask me what I’m going to do when I grow up, I literally say, “Something crazy!” I would say. I didn’t know the exact shades and colors but there was always an outline. All my life I knew who I was and who I would become.
6. Was the artwork you wanted yours?
It was when I saw Kendrick Lamar Mr Moral and the Big Steppers live show In Sydney in 2022. It was so good I got angry.
Because when I watched that show, my show was the ultimate version of what I had always dreamed of, literally to the point where the ideas I was thinking of doing in that scene – these are theatrical moments – but we didn’t have the budget to make it happen. So I was so pissed when I saw this actually happening [laughs]. “Damn you, Kendrick Lamar!” and I shake my fist. But I was very impressed. It was the most amazing show I’ve ever seen.
7. If you could travel in time, where would you go?
To be honest, I’m not really interested in time travel. I don’t really want to go back to a time that’s more racist than the present, and if we don’t do something now then the future doesn’t look very welcoming either, so I’m definitely a man for the present. But if I had to go, I would probably go back to 2014 to get that Bitcoin.
Genesis Owusu Red Star Wu and Worldwide Trouble is out now.
To read more Spectrum, visit our page here.
Robert Moran is deputy Spectrum editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
