#baaba j

Sunday evening may have been a curtain call for the "In Pursuit of Happiness" era, but for some, it was a homecoming, and for others, the birth of a newfound love for Baaba J and her artistry. Years after her debut concert in Accra, Ghanaian singer-songwriter Baaba J had her long-awaited homecoming concert on June 7th at the Nafti Studio III. Produced by the Afrodite Society, the event was a celebration of her last project, "In Pursuit of Happiness."  With an already sold-out show announced days before, attendees trooped to the venue with excitement and fun in their eyes and hearts, ready to sing along to each song. The intentionality behind an intimate experience paid off with the overall quality in performances, audience interaction, and the entire concert production itself.  Baaba J Live was not only a celebration of her music and art, but it was also a gathering of the community with a shared love for great music and exemplary creativity. A community that came to not just attend an event but also share in the experience and pursue their own happiness as they sang, cheered, and danced from the first performance to the very last. For folks who enjoyed listening to the live rendition of the project, it was also a moment to experience the magic Baaba J and The Musical Lunatics create when they collaborate.  The night also carried a deeper cultural resonance. During the climax of the show, Baaba J paid homage to Armah Pino's iconic track "Maria," a moment that drew an immediate reaction from the crowd and underscored her rootedness in the music that came before her. Baaba J used the moment to call on Ghanaian creatives to own their heritage, making clear that Ghana's creative tradition is not secondary to any culture. The sentiment landed in a room full of people who have watched the culture export its sounds and stories; it felt like both a reminder and a charge.  With supporting performances by S3kyerewaa, Falé, Tsie, Oladapo, and Seyyoh, the concert left a lasting memory on all who attended. While she described this concert as the end of one era, it also felt like a reassurance of being committed to not only delivering great music but also prioritizing giving her community memorable experiences, with everyone wondering, "What is next for Baaba J?"  https://www.instagram.com/p/DZZxaRCjY4s/?igsh=MTFjcHVpYnF3dDNiMA== All photos by All photos by @hanna.does.photography

Ghanaian singer-songwriter Baaba J has announced what she describes as the final live show of her "In Pursuit of Happiness" music project era. The two-hour intimate concert is set for June 7 at NAFTI Studio III in Accra. The announcement, made via her social media platforms, comes weeks after a successful performance in Lagos that demonstrated her growing appeal beyond Ghana's borders. The show, running from 7 to 9 PM and produced by Afrodite Society, is framed as both a celebration and a farewell, a final night with fans before the artist moves on from the creative chapter defined by the EP. The promotional artwork, which quickly circulated among fans online, features proud Ghanaian imagery, including the iconic Freedom and Justice arch, grounding the event in a distinctly local sense of pride and identity. The Lagos outing was itself preceded by a four-city run across Germany, spanning Berlin, Lär, and Düsseldorf that marked a significant step in Baaba J's journey as an independent artist taking her music to international audiences. That European leg appears to have been a turning point, one that directly shaped her confidence heading into the Lagos show and, ultimately, this Accra finale. "My run of shows in Germany boosted my confidence in hosting a show in Lagos. While Lagos has been one of my top cities, putting on a show on foreign land meant I could do this at home too. As an indie artiste I am redefining the way of doing things. All these shows are my own definitions of doing a tour and connecting with people who appreciate my music and art,” she stated. Released in November 2024, "In Pursuit of Happiness" is Baaba J's third EP and her most critically embraced work. The six-track project, blending highlife, soul, folk, and pop into a fluid Ghanaian sound, was praised for its intentionality and emotional range. Standout tracks such as "Here Comes the Sun," featuring B4Bonah, drew from Ga musical traditions and the legacy of Wulomei, while "Ah Well," produced by Juls with Nigerian artist Olapado, brought a breezy cross-border sensibility. A live rendition of the full project, recorded with performance ensemble The Musical Lunatics, was subsequently released in February 2025 to wide acclaim, offering fans an even more immersive version of the material. Born and raised in Tema Baaba is steadily building her presence through thoughtful, intentional releases and curated live appearances. The upcoming Accra show adds yet another chapter to that performance history, this time as a conscious closing of one creative era. With its intimate venue setting, limited runtime, and the finality of its framing, the June 7 show is already shaping up to be one of the more significant nights on Accra's independent music calendar this year.  “I am very excited about it and I think it will be glorious. I’ve been very particular about everything from the venue to who is supporting.” - Baaba J.  For fans who followed Baaba J through the journey of "In Pursuit of Happiness," it will be a rare opportunity to say goodbye to the project in person, and to wonder, together, what comes next.  

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There are times when a song’s lyrics are so indelible, so critical to my understanding of art and myself that they come to me without being called, floating up through the detritus of my consciousness, there are times I find a song’s lyrics are like that truism “water always meets its level” and the instrumentation and words are so well blended that it’s all just water to my ears, and there are times I wish songs didn’t have lyrics. “Wonderful” is a song that I wish did not have lyrics. However, the rich sound of “Wonderful” is more than enough, so let’s, again, dispense with the pesky words. The sense of wonderful is one that is a bit remote to me. I can’t recall often or maybe ever feeling wonderful (which is not to say I’ve had no good times, wonderful is like awestruck – I’ve never stood at the edge of a cliff, I’ve never even climbed a tree, so my understanding is conceptual rather than experiential) but I recognize it in the honeyed warmth of this song. Everything is sunlit, content, and expansive, there’s a collective sound rather than an auteur’s breath at the helm of “Wonderful.” I think that’s the feeling, it’s sitting in a circle, facing everyone but at the center of nothing, open and receptive and connected – that’s wonderful.

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