Why I let fans name my new album – Yemi Alade

Afropop star Yemi Alade has handed an unusual creative privilege to her fans by allowing them to influence the title of her latest album, a decision that ultimately led to the project being named “It’s Yemi Alade.”

According to the award-winning singer, the album represents one of the most personal and adventurous stages of her musical career. Rather than independently choosing a title, she invited fans to submit suggestions, receiving more than 200 options.

However, one title continued to dominate the suggestions: “It’s Yemi Alade.”

“The name that kept coming up was ‘It’s Yemi Alade’. They wanted a self-titled album, and I went for it,” she said.

For Alade, the decision was more than a marketing exercise. It reflected her desire to acknowledge the people who have supported her career and allow them to participate in a significant part of the album-making process.

Beyond its title, the singer described the album as a bold exploration of different musical influences. She built the project around the idea of “something new, something old, something borrowed.”

The “old” represents a return to her musical roots and the sounds associated with some of the defining moments of her career. The “borrowed” element sees her experiment with genres outside her familiar Afrobeat and Highlife territory, including techno-inspired sounds, Kompa and disco.

The “new” dimension sees Alade revisit an early love for rap, incorporating elements of rapping into her music.

She said the album ultimately reflects her growing confidence to make music according to her own artistic instincts.

“I’ve been fearless about creating sounds that people may not traditionally associate with me,” she said, describing the defining quality of the project as “audacious.”

For Alade, “It’s Yemi Alade” is therefore not merely another album. It is a statement of identity, artistic independence and the freedom to evolve without being confined by expectations.

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