Genesis Owusu received critical acclaim for his albums ‘Smiling With No Teeth’ (2021) and ‘STRUGGLER’ (2023), cementing himself over the last few years as one of the most electrifying, innovative artists from the Australian scene. Now, the Australian-Ghanaian artist readies himself for the release of his third studio album, ‘REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE’ on the 15th of May. With a sound embedded in defiance, Owusu is tapping into his emotion to a galvanising effect. An artist whose work shifts effortlessly between punk, hip hop, pop and funk, Owusu has never been one to describe his sound neatly. He explains how the idea that his sound has evolved linearly is largely an illusion created by the slow process of releasing records: “There’s honestly a bit of a misconception… people only ever get a little sliver of what I’m doing at a time when, in reality, the whole time I was making every type of music,” he says.
His artistic instinct, to let the work speak for itself, extends beyond sound into the broader creative world that Owusu has been building around his music. The visual rollout for singles preceding ‘REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE’ has been striking, full of bold, dynamic moving visuals and symbolic imagery. Singles ‘STAMPEDE’ and ‘DEATH CULT ZOMBIE’ are accompanied by music videos that are reflective of the inescapable drive behind the record. Both were directed by Isaac Brown, with Owusu stepping in on creative direction for ‘STAMPEDE’. For Owusu, the visual side isn’t an extra - it’s fundamental. When he first began experimenting creatively, music was one of many outlets: “I also started making clothes. I started drawing and a bunch of other stuff, like photos,” he recalls, “I wasn't really good at any of them, but I just liked doing it.” Though music happened to be the avenue that took off, the broader artistic vision never left. As Owusu explains, “I’ve always seen music as a tool in the arsenal of the whole package of creative expression”.
If Owusu's imagery feels cohesive, that’s no accident. Red has become an unmistakable motif in Owusu’s work, stretching back to 2021’s ‘Smiling With No Teeth’: “At the most basic level, red has been the theme from the start - it’s a striking and powerful colour,” he says. Alongside that is inspiration from one of the greats: “I grew up listening to a lot of Prince. If Prince has purple, I’m going to have red,” he laughs.
The visual identity of the album reflects Owusu’s reignited connection with Ghana, having returned to his home country to film the music video for ‘STAMPEDE’ and an unreleased visual for a forthcoming single. “In Ghana we’re known as the Black Stars,” he says, referencing the star that sits at the centre of the nation’s flag; a symbol of Pan-Africanism and anti-colonialism: “Red being my colour, I made myself the red star.” Owusu describes himself as approaching many of the album’s themes from a “pretty left political view”, and the symbol’s history appealed to him as something both recognisable and provocative: “[It’s] powerful to some and confronting to others. The red star encapsulates all of those things.” Filming in Ghana was Owusu’s first visit in more than a decade; he recounts the experience as essential after feeling disconnected from his home: “It was incredible… It was a real moment of coming home, seeing my parents and extended family, and even getting a home-cooked meal. To know yourself, you have to really know your roots.” Aside from Brown (director) and Gina Wagstaffe (creative director), much of the crew working on the shoot were Ghanaian: “It was really great to meet other Ghanaian creatives,” he says, “We could just connect… it was a really beautiful experience.”
Thousands of miles away, Owusu recorded the album in Wales. Not to be confused with Australia’s New South Wales. The geographic leap ended up reinforcing one of the record’s central sentiments, that the pressures people face today are shared across borders. Owusu felt the whole album experience “highlighted that we’re all in this together, no matter where you are in the world, no matter what path you walk. It made the whole thing feel very universal.”
When asked about the media he consumes and their impact on his creative process, Owusu notes he feels like he has “ingested so much media, music, television, news and film that it’s kind of an internal encyclopedia already.” Instead of referencing other works, the influences simply work subconsciously: “When I open my mouth, this sound comes out,” he says. His recently listened to artists include Blood Orange and Labi Siffre, from his appreciation of the Sentimental Value soundtrack. Owusu also comments on the impact of watching Park Chan Wook’s No Other Choice. In particular, its stark, dark portrayal of economic precarity: “Everyone’s struggling and on the cusp of falling off the edge,” he remarks, a sentiment that also threads through the new album: “We need to analyse why that is the case, beyond the culture war that was put as a lid for these issues.”
It’s a mood that naturally feeds into another of Owusu’s musical touchstones: punk. ‘DEATH CULT ZOMBIE’ channels the confrontational energy of the genre: “Punk, especially British punk, is the sound of defiance and rebellion,” he says, “When the powers that be want you to shut up and smile… someone needs to break through the glass ceiling and say no.” He’s even performed his own version of ‘Anarchy in the U.K.' by the Sex Pistols, “So it goes deep.”
With a live set filled with noise and incredible dynamism, Owusu talks about how life on the road can be “crazy”. His coping strategies, however, are simple: sleep when possible, eat when possible and prepare carefully before the tour kicks off. Vocal warm-ups and stretches are non-negotiable: “You look like an idiot,” he laughs, “but they’re key.”
Still, it’s his live shows that reaffirm the cause for the chaos. One performance at a stormy Splendour in the Grass festival stands out for being, literally, the “beam of light” in everyone’s torrential rain-filled day. “Everyone piled in when we came to do this show”, he recalls. Every element of Owusu’s show, from the band to backup dancers, was everything he wanted “theatrically and visually”. His other live performances of note include not one, but two shows where he broke the floor - a true testament to Owusu’s dedication to the craft.
An important artist that simultaneously calls for arms and calls for love in the face of frustration and fear, Genesis Owusu’s new album, ‘REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE’, is out now.
Izzy Reeve
Image: Isaac Brown
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