Music and spirituality have a longstanding relationship in Africa, one that has stood tall for thousands of years. Music is created through passion, and a great amount of passion is derived through the practice of religion. Enter Azizaa, an artist absolutely brimming with passion and creativity.
Hailing from Ghana, Azizaa fully embraces her heritage and culture in a way that entrances and captivates, almost as if one is put under a spell. While Azizaa is extremely proud of her West African spirituality, she is very critical of the imported religions, especially Christianity, which she feels have had a negative impact on the African way of life. When asked why she sings about religion, Azizaa replies with: “if I’m going to sing, I’m going to sing about what I’m passionate about,” namely, religion, a source of great passion in her life.
Ghana is known for being one of the most religious countries in the world, where a staggering ninety-six percent of inhabitants refer to themselves as religious. Where Azizaa finds umbrage with this stems from the amount that identify as Christian, who are by far the majority compared to traditional African religions.
Utilizing velvet-like lyrics and otherworldy bodily movements, Azizaa is an artist that needs to be experienced. Making use of the Ewe culture and its rich history with music, Azizaa is unlike anything you have ever seen or heard before.
Referring to her unique blend of styles as “Voodoo Music”, Azizaa aims to “bring together the old and the new, the ancient and the modern, the past and the present, the young and the old, the present and the Future.” Through her music and theatricality, Azizaa seeks to bring African spirituality back to the world at large.
For an example of Azizaa’s work, check out the music video for her song “Black Magic Woman”, which is positively dripping with contempt for Christianity and missionaries, and features Azizaa embracing the traditional West African spiritualism:
Azizaa clearly holds her African heritage very dear to her, making her an excellent choice for our inaugural African Music Spotlight. You are guaranteed to never find another artist like Azizaa again, neither in this life or the next, so do seek out more of her work, you will not leave disappointed, lest you be stricken by a sudden, voodoo related ailment.
Azizaa has an upcoming album called VODUA, which you can learn more about via her website.
For more information on Azizaa, please visit the following:
Her Official Website
