Tommy WÁ

Nigerian singer-songwriter Tommy WÁ creates a beautifully singular and remarkably original form of tradition-shaped folk music, best described as Afro-country. It is rich with syncopated rhythms and deeply emotional soul, while drawing equal strength from gently plucked acoustic guitars – and, of course, his singular voice.

Raised with the folk-inflected sounds of his home, these influences early on fused in his imagination with anglophone indie rock, not least through his admiration for artists such as Bon Iver and Michael Kiwanuka. Out of this emerged an idiosyncratic, often spiritually inflected approach to the classic singer-songwriter form.

Tommy WÁ is based in Ghana, where his artistic development first began more than a decade ago during his studies. Since then, he has steadily built a growing listenership through songs that are quietly understated yet atmospherically rich. There is little doubt that the beauty of Tommy WÁ’s music can resonate anywhere – which is why Berlin, too, should allow itself to be enchanted by his sound.