I’m Not Afraid Of Sounding Nigerian – Olivetheboy Defends Musical Influence

Ghanaian artiste Olivetheboy has admitted that his music sounds Nigerian.

According to him, it is a deliberate move to reach a wider audience and help project Ghanaian music beyond the country’s borders.

Speaking in an interview on Hitz FM, the ‘Goodsin’ hitmaker admitted that his music carries a Nigerian flair and he is not ashamed of it.

According to Olivetheboy, musical evolution is natural, and tapping into other cultures, sounds, and languages is necessary.

He explained that genres like Afrobeats have roots in earlier sounds like highlife, showing how interconnected African music has always been.

“I think now people accept change. When you look at most of the songs and most of the genres that have come, there was some tapping from somewhere. That’s how come there was that conversation about afrobeats coming or growing from highlife,” he said.

Olivetheboy noted that, intentionally drawing from other influences including language is a strategy to make Ghanaian music more accessible and relatable to a broader audience beyond Ghana.

“To me, it is all about accepting that there has to be some tapping from somewhere. It wasn’t even intentional before, but now it’s very intentional. Because you’re not trying to only do music, yes, we want to project Ghana but we’re not only doing that by making music for people down here alone. You’re trying to intentionally do something that, in a way, projects Ghana beyond Ghana,” he explained.

He further clarified that using elements like Nigerian languages in his music isn’t a form of imitation but rather a deliberate move to communicate with more listeners.

“That is why I’m not afraid of tapping into that market and using their language. I am not afraid of doing that, because in a way they will understand it,” Olivetheboy added.