SKILLIONS act Paapa finally announces his new EP. This is the first time in 4 years he’s releasing a body of work –the last being Songs For Kukua.
Titled Technical Difficulties 1, the EP was led with LOSERS (April 2017), and also features VI Music’s Adomaa.
“A five-track project with sober, minimal but hopeful songs recorded in the comfort (and inconvenience) of my bedroom” reads an official statement about the project.
“The phrase ‘Technical Difficulties’ is so damn popular in Ghana – my home country. It’s hard to go a day without hearing it at a concert, during a TV broadcast or trying to withdraw cash from a bank. I chose the title because as I created this project with equipment worth $2, 000, my creative process was fraught with technical difficulties. The phrase kept ringing in my head. “Technical Difficulties” describes glitches and imperfections in a system, be it a live show, computer software, whatever. It describes the things standing in the way of perfection,” he further explains.
“Technical Difficulties is a project about frustration, pain, conflict, reconciliation, forgiveness. It’s an imperfect musical journal of themes I’ve wrestled with as a growing imperfect Christian man, living with and loving imperfect people in the shadow of God’s perfect grace and mercy. I hope it encourages you and provokes some thought. At the very least, I hope you find it to be good art, even if imperfect”, he adds.
It is available for streaming and download on Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube and Soundcloud.
https://soundcloud.com/paapamusic/sets/technical-difficulties-vol-1
Bio
Paapa’s father started teaching him piano at age 5 and by age 7, he was already playing by ear. Due to a severe stammer, music became an obsession. He later took a personal interest in several other instruments and taught himself percussion from age 9, guitar from 12, drums from 15 and saxophone from 16.
Paapa took to writing from 12 years old – penning his thoughts and feelings as an escape from his struggle with speech, and was inspired by an older sister to rap. Paapa’s true lyrical journey began at age 13. He also had a Yamaha MIDI keyboard which he started making his own beats with. Paapa soon began experimenting, putting his lyrics to original beats, and was en route to becoming one of the most creative songwriters and producers in the country.
Even as a Junior High student at Ridge Church School, Accra, Paapa never hesitated to show his art but his gift, however, blossomed during his senior high school career at the SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College, Tema. Having done everything from conducting choirs and leading the school band, to directing and starring in school plays. Paapa’s undying love and devotion for music and art dictated his every move at SOS. It was also there that Paapa developed a deep reverence for Christ and decided to consecrate the rest of his existence to serving God.
At 18, Paapa had the chance of visiting Jayso’s studio with very little intention of joining the Skillions team. Paapa blew Jayso away, was instantly invited to join the team, and he accepted without hesitation. In his free time, he is an Economics major at Reed College, USA.
Paapa grew up listening to literally all kinds of music and cites his main musical influences as Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Osibisa, Freshlyground, OneRepublic, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Timbaland, Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, Smokie Norful, Lecrae and Mali Music. With a fusion of as many genres as one can think up, Paapa now seeks to overwhelm the profanity and immorality conveyed in most of today’s music and art with his fresh clean lyrics and God-inspired themes. Be it hip-hop, funk, soul, or high-life, Paapa, a devout Christian, steeps a message of God, hope and love in his work.
Bio credit: Facebook / Paapa