#5Star
King Promise ‘5 Star’ album is the new release from this Ghanaian highlife and afrobeats artist featuring Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa and others.
“From when I began four years ago to where I am now, there’s been a lot of growth, and you feel it in the music because I’ve got better from a new guy to a five star artist,” Ghanaian singer-songwriter King Promise tells Apple Music. Born Gregory Bortey Newman, he builds on the success of his 2019 debut, As Promised, by retooling variations of highlife and hiplife through contemporary pop and R&B structures in ever-delightful ways. While half of the songs on 5 Star draw synergistic strengths from guest features that traverse British drill, Dutch and Nigerian Afropop, and American hip-hop, the other half showcase King Promise as a winning soloist.
Recording his sophomore album also coincided with periods of deep reflection and solace: “Lockdown literally had my ass sitting at home, and I had enough time to think about what really matters—family, life, and love.” The result is a convincing combination of earnest songwriting and omnivorous production from a wealth of Afro-diasporic and homegrown talents. Emphasis is placed on emotional verity, even when accentuated by flights of fanciful songwriting, all upheld by one credo: “I only go to the studio to make music that I love, and it’s always worked for me.” Below, King Promise talks through 5 Star, track by track.
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