Singer-songwriter and multiple award-winning producer Pheelz has discussed his opinions on the state of artists that choose not to identify as belonging to the Afrobeats genre.
The crooner of “Finesse,” who appears on Adesope Olajide’s Afrobeats Podcast, shows support for the genre, referring to it as the “spirit of the Nigerian people.”
The hitmaker claims that the spirit of African and Nigerian people is the driving force behind the Afrobeats trend. He said that although certain artists are free to chose to be associated with or not be associated with the movement, he personally identifies with it and will gladly fly its banner.
“For me, I feel like it’s a tag for how we make our music. It’s a form of identifying what we do and where we are from. To some degree, it’s a form of collective decision by we Africans or Nigerians or the culture that let us move with this. So I choose to respect that collective decision and be part of that consciousness and boldly and proudly wave this flag.”
Pheelz responded to a question about whether the term “Afrobeats” is restrictive by saying that it doesn’t stop him from creating other genres as an artist.
“Now is the time to even educate the world on what we have and what light we bring because the whole attention is on us. This is the time to teach, collaborate, and come together to save this light,” Pheelz comments on the cases of artists rejecting the Afrobeats tag.
Pheelz described in the interview how he worked with American R&B artist Usher on his most recent album, “Coming Home.” The main single, “Ruin,” was written, produced, and features Pheelz.
Pheelz claimed that working with one of the musicians he truly admires and whose music inspires him was an incredible experience.
