Many hope to further extend its reach.
Yet, as African artisans connect and build upon one anothers successes, theyve come to center themselves.
Im writing my final exams right now, she told me over Zoom in June.
Victor Elochukwu Edeh*
I have like two to go.
On November 5, she told me that she passed.
So basically, Im done with school now, she said in a recorded voice note sent my way.
Its important to note the resilience its taken Fave to accomplish all this as a college student.
Her program was delayed two years due to the Coronavirus pandemic and poor governance, she said.
When you have lecturers and public servants that havent been paid for months, they start to push back.
Strikes like these affect students like us, and the government doesnt care, she added.
If I had my way, I probably would not be in school, she told me in June.
But at the same time, Im somebody who likes to finish what I start.
Her parents still do.
In their home, all they listened to was gospel.
Her birth name is actually GodsFavour as she moved into secular music, she went by Fave.
As she experiences fortune and a growing fan base in Afropop,Faveis fitting.
I feel like it was at that moment I started to nurture my abilities.
I started to figure out that I had interest in writing my own songs and making melodies to them.
I would always do that and display it for my parents all the time.
Id venture to get my cousins to write songs with me.
Do you remember the first song that you made yourself?Yeah, it was a gospel song.
I can never forget.
Because music is everywhere, you hear it [even] if you dont want to.
It goes [Sings Am Calling by Sky B].
I dont know, it just stuck with me.
Maybe its the way he said ma bebe instead of my baby, that just got me excited.
Its possible that I was eight [years old].
I remember downloading the song and playing it repeatedly.
I started really delving into secular music then.
You seem deeply influenced by dancehall and reggae.
Its my happy place, my comfort zone.
Its just one of those things where you cant really explain the reason why you are drawn to something.
Its like how Im drawn to music.
I dont know why, but I wouldnt feel the same if I didnt create music.
Its become a part of me now.
Its the same way I always feel a love for dancehall.
Whatever mood Im in, Im in the mood for dancehall.
You also say that you dont have a genre.
I totally understand and respect people not wanting to feel limited by genre, especially African artists.
It could be Afrobeats that Im feeling today, tomorrow it could be dancehall.
When I listened to dancehall in the past, I was always very fascinated by Patois.
I think that what draws me to your musicisthat dancehall influence because I also grew up on it.
In the US, African music didnt really become popular in the mainstream until I was in my 20s.
The closest thing in the mainstream to African music was dancehall.
If you dont know the language, you probably would not be able to understand.
Pidgin to me doesnt really sound as audacious as Patois would sound.
You made Fight for Us with Masicka, a dancehall artist.
How did that come to be?
Was that exciting for you?Yes.
I really love Masicka.
I heard the song and I immediately sent in two verses.
I said, I want you to pick because I cant decide.
Its crazy because I didnt know the lyrics to the song.
How are you a fan of mine?
How do you know my music like that?
I think the collaboration was something that I very much needed.
The performance was amazing, it was really good.
We held hands and he walked us.
Its just an experience Ill never forget.
I wish my mic was on, but that didnt change anything.
They felt like I wasnt singing, so I was just like, Oh, that sucks.
Because the whole time I was performing, I didnt realize that.
I was just singing and singing.
Its just been a couple of places.
I never ever would have imagined leaving my country.
Im just happy to be here.
Yeah, I can tell.
Its beautiful to have that gratitude and perspective because the music business can also be very challenging.
I wonder what kind of challenges youve come across.Well, I guess the money part.
For a long time I was independent.
I know that the music business will eat up all the money that you have.
The environment that youre playing in, its not a level field.
The competition is crazy.
The jungle is kind of vicious.
I dont think its any of the other factors.
I think its just when its your time, its your time.
You have to tell yourself that.
You have to believe in yourself at any point in time.
I also think building a team is a challenge as well.
You have to have a team of people that you trust.
you oughta have a family.
I think those are a couple challenges.
With someone like me, styling, I think I need a [consistent] stylist.
Its just not what most people that I work with want to do.
I think its cool and all.
Ill look good in outfits like that, but thats not really my style.
Its just a portion of it.
I want to act masc at times.
Is it really Dutty Girl?
You just touched on this idea of being Dutty.
It kind of just dropped in my head when I was recording Baby Riddim: Big dutty gyal.
Kind of like a fairytale or a Disney pop in thing.
Someone who had full length locs, some crazy ass baggy pants, maybe low-waist fitted.
Plenty of waist jewelries.
