Saturday, 28 June

King Promise reveals creative process for latest 'Favorite Story' which samples Kwabena Kwabena's 'Aso'

Entertainment
A still from King Promise's video for Favourite Story

Singer King Promise's new offering is Favorite Story.

The song, equally owned by rapper Sarkodie and Afrobeats sensation Olivetheboy, was initiated by Promise, with production started by Guilty Beatz and completed by Killbeats. 

Production 

He explained Favorite Story's creation process to Doreen Avio in a recent Hitz FM interview.

The singer said the song first budded overseas in London "and when I got back to Ghana," he informed Killbeats, his record label boss, about it. 

"It wasn't part of my plans, it wasn't even on my album - my album is done o," he added, noting the Highlife/Afrobeats song happened when "I went to the studio one night, the night before I came back [to Ghana]". 

"Guilty started the production and Killa switched it up," King Promise revealed, adding he could readily "hear Sarkodie on it," in his mind.

Sarkodie 

Secretly, he went on, "I hit Sark up myself and said: 'Onukpa, I have something for you'. Randomly. And this was one of the songs I sent to him and his reply was his verse. Like, he sent a reply to my message and it was a voice note of him rapping the verse. He hadn't recorded it but he was rapping it in a voice note."

King Promise said the speed at which Sarkodie created the verse was astonishing to him: "I was like, 'Yo, bro, what the hell! You could see that he felt it right away."

Olivetheboy

The multiple award-winning singer-songwriter, in search of "a fresh touch," said, "eventually, just before [the song] would come out," he reached out to Olivetheboy "who I think is super crazy," for another verse.

He emphasised he was a fan of the Bu Vision signee's work, reminded his audience he did a remix of Goodsin for him, and "I've been listening to Asylum" his latest hit. 

"So I just called him and I was like, 'Bro, I have something but you have to do it today. Like, if it doesn't come today, it won't happen because my album is being rolled out, but I think it'd be such a great vibe to have you on it there," King Promise enthusiastically narrated, noting after a show he and Olivetheboy performed at that very night ended, Olivetheboy "sat in my car, I took him to the studio, he did the verse right there, we bounced some ideas off each other and the next day, boom, it was gone for mixing and mastering".

The Sony Music UK signee touted Favorite Story as "such an amazing song," which showcases talents from multiple "generations from Sark, to myself to Olivetheboy" and "also sampling Aso [by] Kwabena Kwabena". 

He added: "It's just beautiful having Killbeats, GuiltyBeatz, Kwabena Kwabena, Sark, Olivetheboy - it's just a Ghanaian recipe, you know."

Copyright 

According to King Promise, "how this song came together" was amusingly mysterious.

"When I did the song in London, and entered the flight coming to Ghana, the first person I saw on the flight was Kwabena Kwabena. And I was like, 'What the hell! I just sampled your song last night. I was just waiting to finish it and send it to you'. 

"I changed my seat and sat by him, and then I put it in his ear, he listened, he was going crazy, and eventually the [copyright] clearing process was smooth," he explained.

Favorite Story samples Kwabena Kwabena's Aso. The 2005 megahit was the lamentation of a man whose wife cheated with his best friend.

In the music video for Favorite Story, a woman who played three men, played by King Promise, Sarkodie and Olivetheboy, suffers great disappointment when her wedding is interrupted and ruined by the confession of one of her heartbroken lovers. The video also debunks the rumour King Promise secretly got married recently, which was started by photos from the music video's traditional wedding scenes hitting the internet.

Meanwhile, True to Self, King Promise's upcoming third album of 12 tracks is due for release on Friday, June 14, 2024.

Source: classfmonline.com/Prince Benjamin