After the release of her debut book of poems ‘Somebody Give This Heart a Pen’, the acclaimed spoken word artist, Sophia Thakur, is now focusing her attention on the release of her first track, ‘Kumasi'.

And to be honest, it comes as no surprise! With a vast number of collaborations under her belt, from Jacob Banks to Nike and BBC Arts, as well as her extensive experience performing across well-known UK festivals and stages, there is no doubt that this voice of a generation is well-equipped to conquer the music world. 

 

Sophia Thakur is socially engaged as she is artistically. A leader in her own right, the poet has worked with many charities, most notably Cancer Research UK and is a youth ambassador for the betterment of young black girls. More recently, Sophia travelled to Ghana where she worked with musicians and schools. It is definitely clear that the song’s vibrant and carefree energy, despite its exploration of thoughtful themes, was inspired by her experience abroad. 

 

Kumasi is not your traditional ballad; whilst marrying Afrobeats with lyricism that is open but vulnerable, it tells a story of a protagonist falling in love, too hard and too fast, as though it were an emotional rollercoaster. One consisting of false certainty and confusion, regret and then finally a sense of clarity, which is concluded with an anaphoric acceptance – ‘I fell in love with somebody.’ 

 

Despite already selling out her headlining show in London, you can still catch Sophia Thakur at the Jazz Cafe on the 7th November – tickets can be bought here. But for now, here’s her new song, Kumasi!