At the beginning of my blogging journey, I interviewed an aspiring Australian rapper Kirklandd. We spoke about many things: his eclectic style, mental self-care, American hip-hop influences and the most important moments in his career.

I also clearly remember asking him about “the one to watch” on his home turf. Without any hesitation, he said two words: “Genesis Owusu.”

Since it wasn’t the first time that name was mentioned to me, I made it my mission to verify Kirklandd’s praise for his fellow Canberra-based artist in a live setting one day. Thanks to the MAD Cool Festival in the Spanish capital just a few days ago, I was finally able to do just that.

PART 190 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE

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The interview with Kirklandd took place 5 years ago. By that point, I’d already researched the Australian capital’s music scene. I was also familiar with Kirklandd’s work. And I knew he’d invited the fellow Canberran singer to appear on his 2016 single “We On” for a reason. (It has since been removed from streaming platforms as Kirklandd is currently pursuing a new chapter in his career.)

So when I heard about Genesis Owusu (real name Kofi Owusu-Ansah) again, it only confirmed my professional hunch that big things would be happening for him soon.

And I wasn’t wrong. Since 2019, Genesis Owusu‘s name has frequently appeared on my music radar.

In mid-July 2019, the Ghanaian-Australian artist opened for 5 Seconds of Summer in Sydney during a sold-out benefit concert (which – by the way – was an interesting choice for a support act style-wise, in my humble view).

Then, his genre-bending debut album Smiling with No Teeth cleaned up at the 2021 ARIA Awards.

The industry finally started paying attention to Genesis Owusu because of his eclectic style, mixing hip-hop, punk, and R&B and drawing inspiration from iconic artists, like Prince, The Weeknd or Childish Gambino. So on the follow-up, the 2023 LP Struggler, he made a roach the recurring character. Talking about taking career risks, right?

Fast-forward to July 2024. The Canberran muso was the only Aussie rep at the recurring Spanish festival this year.

His time slot wasn’t the most fortunate, though. He was on almost at the same time as the Las Vegas alt-rock legends The Killers who headlined that night. Hence, at the start, only a handful of people hit the smaller Orange stage to check out the music from the Antipodes.

Spoiler alert: the audience size changed significantly towards the end. Here’s why.

Starting the gig with a banger like “Leaving The Light” instantly draws punters in. And if you’ve got other groovy tunes up your sleeve, like “Tied Up!” or “Get Inspired”, perfectly spread out throughout the set, you basically slay. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt if you’re really into the performance, dancing energetically to the songs on stage.

But that’s not all. Aside from his vocal, songwriting and entertaining abilities, Genesis Owusu is an excellent storyteller. His current appearances at European festivals still draw on the highly acclaimed recent album, with approximately half of the gig’s songs taken from it.

Struggler is a concept album. And so was the show. Although it featured no elaborate visuals or accompaniment, you can tell it was carefully crafted.

Firstly, the concert was divided into small segments, i.e. batches of songs. They were broken up by the artist picking up a book (the only prop on stage) with a pre-recorded voice reading from it, linking parts of the story told through different tracks. 

Secondly, the artist explained the idea behind Struggler. It’s “an album about strength (…), people feeling insignificant (…) and waking up to deal with the bullshit“, he claimed. And that was related to yet another aspect of his performance – his image on stage.

Genesis Owusu tends to design his outfits. So I’m assuming what he was wearing in Madrid was also his making. He was dressed in quite a formal combination of black trousers and a white shirt, with pieces resembling the upper part of a medieval knight’s armour.

But I reckon it was the inscription on the back of the shirt that complemented the gig’s overall message. It read “I feel alone a lot, but I think we’re all alone together.” It moved me. And I’m pretty sure other punters could 100% identify with it, too.

His songs are not the easiest ones to perform, though. Each one is a little masterpiece in its own right, especially when it comes to the structure. So my highlight from the gig was definitely seeing how skilfully the muso navigates between his low and high register. I was also impressed by how effortlessly he morphs from his hyper hip-hop/punk-rock persona (“Stay Blessed”) into a sensual R&B/jazz singer (“Waitin’ On Ya”).

On the other hand, I’d have loved to see Genesis Owusu with a full band and backing dancers instead of the pre-recorded tracks and a fairly unutilized space on stage. I’ve seen footage of some gigs he played back home and I reckon it would have added to the whole experience even more.

Nevertheless, I totally get where making some concessions when performing overseas comes from. And the fact that he had punters in the palm of his hand towards the end of the set only speaks to his incredible performing abilities with minimal external help. People were vibing and cheering him on from very early on. And there were even some who sang along to the lyrics.

While performing the last planned song, he also pulled something not every act can afford or dares, surprising everyone, including security. He came down from the stage, jumped over the barriers and sang in the crowd. I mean, who doesn’t dig an artist who interacts with punters in such proximity?

There’s no doubt the muso was visibly touched by the fact that people showed up to see him. He sincerely thanked the audience, expressing his gratitude for having been invited to Spain for the first time.

But that wasn’t the end of the gig yet, either.

The energy levels were so high after he’d finished “A Song About Fishing” that he was granted extra time. So he asked the audience, “You really want one more song? I think I can give you one more song”. And he closed on “Good Times” – a track perfectly summarising the vibe during the 60+ minute-set.

Now, 5 years is a long time to wait to see an artist you’re intrigued by in a live performance.

But today, I can confidently say that my hunch and Kirklandd’s words of praise are totally justified. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more great things from and about Genesis Owusu in years to come. And the Canberran scene should be proud of having such a versatile and talented artist repping it overseas.

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