Rose May Alaba was playing in a casted girl band at the age of 17 and released her first single at 20. A year later, the song “Love Me Right“, with the legendary Vienna producer Rodney Hunter, heralded a new direction for her: afrobeats – which, as it happens, is currently exploding, filling stadiums on both sides of the Atlantic. Afrobeats combines influences from South African amapiano, traditional Yoruba Fuji, and Nigerian alté music. It’s changing the face of global pop music, and Rose May Alaba is in the thick of it. Stefan Niederwieser spoke to her recently about love songs, her plans for the future, and why Grammy-winning superstar Tems is following her on Instagram.
How was Nigeria?
Rose May Alaba: Amazing. I’ve been in Lagos every year since 2017, but during the pandemic it wasn’t possible. I was on a media tour for my single “Ibadi” and I was finally able to connect with people again. The people there are so incredibly talented and God-gifted, the fashion and attitudes are totally different. And of course the hustle is, too.
You worked with musicians from the ‘alté’ subculture.
Rose May Alaba: Not just with them. Afrobeats is huge, there are really a lot of influences, because a lot of people from the diaspora bring their environment with them when they fly home. Like me. Alté started in London, a long time ago – ‘alté’ just means to be different, to swim agains the current. Alté is fashion, too. You can look and be however you want to be. I work with alté people, but it’s hard to categorize.
How were the sessions with (Nigerian producers) Tuzi, Boybreed, and Masterkraft?
Rose May Alaba: It was unbelievable. At the songwriting camps, we write a great deal in a very short time; it’s real teamwork; we go all out. Then we take the good ideas from it, or we choose singles. And if there’s not enough time, we finish it [long-distance] between Vienna and Lagos. That’s really easy to do these days.
“It’s About Love”
What’s “Lockdown“, your new single, about?
Rose May Alaba: It’s just about love – about unconditional love, whether for family or for a partner.
“50/50” is about love as well. At the same time, you sing that your partner is free to go if he doesn’t respect the way you do things.
Rose May Alaba: That’s right. If I give 50%, I expect 50% from you. That’s the way a relationship works. And I think you can never talk enough about love. Love is something beautiful – in all its facets.
You played the Afrobeats Festival in Berlin shortly after the recording sessions.
Rose May Alaba: The crowd was amazing; I got to play songs we had written in Lagos, and they were really successful – I was glad to have the opportunity to perform afrobeats in a German-speaking country. In Africa, some countries don’t get along because of their history, but at festivals like that, it doesn’t matter. There’s no feuding, no hate between countries. Humanity is the only thing that counts. That’s what defines afrobeats – this unity. No matter if you grew up in Africa or in Austria, like I did.
“Come as you are”
When will something like that happen in Vienna?
Rose May Alaba: Hopefully soon. I’m really doing my best to promote afrobeats. The booker of the Berlin festival also works for me, and I’ll just say it: she would have nothing against developing something like that in Austria. The next generation is already working on it in Vienna. Good friends of mine have the “Lituation” party series – they play afrobeats, amapiano and alté. Then there’s Kids of the Diaspora…altogether, it’s a beautiful, colorful Vienna circle, celebrating its roots. It’s like in alté: come as you are, have fun, enjoy the music, the vibe, and get inspired.
Tems is basically the coolest woman in the world; Kendrick Lamar just interviewed her. She only follows 717 people, and one of them is you. How did that happen?
Rose May Alaba: I didn’t know that. [laughs] On Instagram?
[laughs] On Instagram.
Rose May Alaba: [scrolling] Oh yeah – crazy! I’m honored. Wow, very cool. When I saw her first performance at the Homecoming Festival in Nigeria in 2017, I was so impressed – I had to know who she was. I love her voice.
“I don’t want to limit myself”
Besides English and pidgin, you also sing in German.
Rose May Alaba: I used to think I would never sing in German. But I speak it, so why not? When I talk, I mix German and English – it’s just the way I speak, and I wanted to put it into my music. People were impressed, it made me more approachable in German-speaking countries. I just want to use all of my talents; I don’t want to limit myself.
Do you speak Yoruba, like your father? You sang in it on “Ibadi”.
Rose May Alaba: Not fluently. My papa helped me with the song and with the pronunciation. My people love it when I use Yoruba in my music; they’re proud of me when I get it right.
Do you know why the song “Oshey” was so popular?
Rose May Alaba: What can I say? It’s a great song. [laughs] That was the first time I used Yoruba – ‘oshey’ means ‘thank you’. Maybe that allowed people to really connect with me. I was already making afrobeats before that, [but] with that people could think, yeah, that’s our Yoruba girl! That’s what I love about my people – they’re so proud of me, even if I didn’t grow up in Nigeria. Nigeria feels like…home away from home.
People say you need a five-figure marketing budget for every afrobeats single now; do you find that to be true?
Rose May Alaba: That’s not just with afrobeats, that’s generally true in the music business. If you don’t buy advertising, you disappear. I do this for a living; I have a vision. And the people I work with should get something back when they’ve invested so much in their craft. Advertising helps to position the product; that’s the only way to do it. That’s the business.
“You hear the phases I go through”
What have you got planned next?
Rose May Alaba: I’ve got singles coming out every few weeks, then my EP will be coming out next year. I’m going to keep writing songs in Nigeria – there are great artists in Vienna, but you can’t compare it to working there. Music is emotional; it’s not just a career for me. I share pieces of my life, bit by bit. You hear all the phases I go through. And today, afrobeats fulfills me one thousand percent.
Stefan Niederwieser, translated from the German original by Philip Yaeger