Ghanaian contemporary Afrobeat singer and songwriter, Paul Andrew Nii Darko, also known as Darkovibes is out with yet another infectious single titled ‘Yao’. Following the artist’s recent disclosure of an upcoming EP, “BUTiFLY”, scheduled for release early next year, ‘Yao’ becomes the second prelude single from the project after the sultry and jazz-inflected ‘Happy Day’.
According to Darkovibes, ‘Yao’ simply means ‘’may it come to pass as we stand firm. It is an affirmative response to declarations and therefore speaks to the intent with which the song was written. I am inviting listeners to my world of fun and escapades as a songwriter and affirming the celebration of life’’.
‘Yao’ is a mid-tempo deep cut rap-inspired song led by swirls of Afrobeat vocals. Darkovibes wittingly switches from streets-laden terms in pidgin and subtle patois to his native Ga language in an effortless display of lyricism, as he sings about remaining sanguine in the face of life’s vicissitudes. Produced by music wiz and super producer, Killbeatz, the dance-able Afro-Pop inflexions to the instrumentation at the latter section of the song brings ‘Yao’ home as a tune with an infectious vibe and replay value. Consequently, Darkovibes adds, “…this is pure African spiritual vibes”.
Darkovibes released his breakout hit single ‘Tomorrow’ in 2017, which set the then-budding Ghanaian artist on a trailblazing path from the Alte circuit that would eventually lead to collaborations with respected artists such as Davido, Mr Eazi, R2Bees and many more. One such collaboration with King Promise, ‘Inna Song’ spent 30 weeks atop Apple Music’s Top 100 Ghana charts among other charts and became the one of most played songs on the streaming service and radio for 2020 – a truly seismic feat. The ‘Stay Woke’ hitmaker would later drop genre-bending projects, “Kpanlogo” and “Cornerstone’’ EP to make a mark as an artist par excellence.
Last year, Darkovibes solidified his innate knack for making hits through ‘Je M’appelle’, a collaboration with the legendary Davido that is a party starter, racking up over a million YouTube views in just two weeks after release. A multifaceted artist with a penchant for 80’s fashion (he was featured by Vogue UK), Darkovibes aligns his sights for another showstopping end of the year by championing and melding some of the most exciting sounds from West Africa and across the diaspora as he looks set to take 2023 by storm with a trendsetting EP “BUTiFLY”.
Before then, ‘Yao’ is out to set the tone and is available on all digital streaming platforms globally here: https://orcd.co/darkovibesyao – an end-of-year anthem to affirm the celebration of life. It’s Darkovibes with an infectious vibe and he does not miss it!
Listening here.