Koko - Karen Nyame KG feat. Mista Silva (2021)
Joyous Afrobeats to bring on the summer during these grey February days
As winter turned to spring in 2021, even though the world was still governed by the surrealism of the pandemic, the worst of the Covid lockdowns in the UK was about to pass, during which snow had recently showered over England, making leaving the cocoon of home even more daunting.
My now-wife Yasmin and I had been forced to push plans for our wedding back six months and cut the invite list in half to accommodate the changing world. I’d just finished the final edit of Cut Short and was preparing for its publication in the summer, which would come a few days before my 30th birthday.
Spending large chunks of the pandemic at a desk immersed in the pressures of completing my first book had turned me into an introvert.
But as the seasonal London atmosphere eased, sun began peering between the clouds and the city’s green showed signs of returning. The sense of the summer approaching came back round again, like it always does.
That’s when Koko appeared my life via shuffle on Spotify, a convincing victory for the algorithm. Never has a song hit me so unexpectedly with such abrupt, hopeful joy, turning my mood completely like the taste of delicious food or buzz of endorphins after a long run through open space.
I’d not heard of British Ghanaian north Londoner Karen Nyame KG before, but ever since then I’ve paid attention to her output. She is near the top of my list of artists I’d like to see perform live.
Koko is an addictive dance floor shaker, formed from a blend of Afrobeats ingredients — shuffly drums, thumping bass, plucked guitar strings, vocals that stay in your head all day, with help from south east Londoner Mista Silva. I played it again and again and again, all spring and summer long, and beyond.
It remains in my rotation now, especially on these grey, dreary February days, when the depths of London’s winter can start to feel never-ending again.
This too shall pass.
Music is the saviour.