Joeboy is already approaching superstar status.
This is my first major tour in the U.S., and it’s been hectic. I’ve been traveling back to back, and at some point, it took a toll on me but I’m used to it now. It’s been really fun connecting with people from different parts of America, and it just shows how far Afrobeats is going. Sometimes one can feel skeptical about visiting a new place to perform and you don’t know if they know your music.
Your first single, “Baby,” remains one of Afropop’s biggest songs of all time. What do you recall about your first experience in the studio with that song? After I finished writing “Baby,” I took it to the studio to record. Then I sent it to Mr Eazi, and he loved it. By that time, we had already started talking with a Ghanaian artist and we were about to shoot a video for the song I made with him. I called Mr Eazi and I told him I didn’t want to drop that song with the Ghanaian artist anymore, and that I’d rather drop “Baby.” We dropped “Baby,” and it blew up beyond our expectations. I assure you, nobody saw that coming.
At that point, I was really into the idea of love. I tried to make those love fantasies and experiences into songs because that was what I was on at that moment. I think that’s one of the best ways of making music — when you make music based on the way you naturally feel. People can relate and connect because it’s legit, and that’s where I’ve always tried to be, and it usually works for me.