Ghanaian rising star Black Sherif has opened up about the influences that shaped his career and his unique take on modern highlife with reggae influences.
The young artiste sat down with CNN for an exclusive interview, where he shared insights into his musical journey and the path that led him to pursue a professional music career.
Black Sherif discussed his musical path and how he decided to pursue music professionally after high school.
He defined Ghana nicely by praising highlife and mentioning some of his Ghanaian influences.
He discussed how Highlife affected his own musical approach and how he strives to combine traditional Ghanaian sounds with modern components to produce distinctive music.
He described his relationship with highlife as inherent, stating:
“I think I am highlife whatever I do, even most of the rhythms and melodies I use are straight highlife but I didn’t grow back then so this is a modern highlife with reggae influences and stuff”.
Black Sherif’s music is characterized by a contemporary take on highlife, a genre deeply rooted in West African culture.
Black Sherif fondly reminisced about the pivotal role his parents played in introducing him to the world of music.
He revealed that his mum and dad love music, adding that the first time he met his dad, he put him on reggae music, and he felt different.
According to him, his mother’s musical choice further enriched his musical palette. These influences he revealed, not only shaped his taste in music but also sowed the seeds of his own creative journey.
The blend of original music and reggae that he was exposed to early on, laid the groundwork for his distinctive approach to creating music.
Black Sherif was interviewed by CNN after his appearance at the 2023 Afro Nation concert in Miami.
